Objective: 

Students will model the historical trade routes between Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, while simulating how data is transmitted across networks using protocols. This will help them understand the exchange of goods and ideas alongside how information is shared securely and efficiently in modern communication.

Materials Needed: 

• World map

• String

• Tokens

• Index cards

Steps: 

• Introduction: 

  • Students explore the historical exchange of goods and ideas among continents during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. 

  • Explain how trade was like sending data across networks today. 

  • Trade routes can be seen as “network paths” and the goods, like data, need to follow rules (protocols) to ensure they reach their destination securely and efficiently.

• Group Activity: 

  • Students will map trade routes using string to represent network paths between continents and tokens to represent goods like spices, sugar, and horses. 

  • They will also simulate the role of protocols by creating a set of rules for transmitting their "goods" or data between continents. 

  • If a good (token) doesn’t make it to its destination (due to missing or miscommunication), students will devise a plan to resend it or reroute it, modeling how modern protocols handle errors in data transmission.

• Discussion: 

  • Students will analyze how their protocols affected trade speed and accuracy, reflecting on how variables like distance or errors in communication change the efficiency of their simulation, just like in data transmission.

Equity and Access: 

Provide a pre-labeled world map with key trade routes for students who need additional support.

Real-World Application: 

Compare trade networks of the past with modern communication networks, highlighting how the Internet facilitates global exchanges today.

CS Practice(s): 

• Collaborating around Computing: Students work in groups to create and refine trade route protocols, fostering teamwork as they problem-solve and decide how best to transmit goods (data) efficiently and accurately across networks.

Standard(s):

• CA HSS 7.11.3

• CA CS 6-8.NI.4

Objective: 

Students will program robots to simulate mercantilist trade routes and the flow of goods from colonies to European powers, while testing and analyzing how changes to variables like distance or speed affect the efficiency of trade.

Materials Needed: 

• Programmable robots (such as Sphero or Dash)

• World map

• Tokens (to represent goods)

• Measuring tape

Steps: 

• Introduction: 

  • Students explore the concept of mercantilism and how it shaped the flow of goods and wealth between colonies and mother countries. 

  • Introduce the robots as "merchant ships" that will simulate the transfer of goods (represented by tokens) from colonies to European nations.

• Creating and Testing Models: 

  • In small groups, students will program their robots to travel along pre-determined routes on a large world map, collecting and delivering goods to designated locations. 

  • They will adjust variables like the robot’s speed or distance to see how changes affect the overall time and success of the trade route. 

  • Students will test their programs, noting how faster routes might increase efficiency but could also lead to more errors in data transmission.

• Reflection: 

  • Students will analyze how changing variables impacted their models and discuss what this teaches them about both historical trade patterns and modern communication networks.

Equity and Access: 

Offer pre-programmed robots with adjustable speeds for students needing extra guidance.

Real-World Application: 

Discuss how modern shipping and e-commerce still rely on optimizing trade routes and variables like time and cost, similar to how data is transmitted efficiently across networks.

CS Practice(s): 

• Testing and Refining Computational Artifacts: Students test their robot-programmed trade routes, adjusting variables such as speed and distance, and refining their programs to improve the efficiency and success of their simulations.

Standard(s):

• CA HSS 7.11.3

• CA CS 6-8.NI.4

• CA CS 6-8.DA.9