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Age of Exploration
Copy of CKHG_G5_U3_AgeExploration_SR.pdfKey Ideas
Key Ideas
In this Core Knowledge unit, students study European exploration and trade from the 1400s through the 1600s. We will learn why European nations explored new routes, how exploration connected different parts of the world, and how these voyages affected Indigenous peoples, trade, and the growth of European empires.
Students should understand these big ideas:
European explorers searched for new trade routes to Asia and valuable goods such as gold, silk, sugar, and spices.
European rulers funded voyages for wealth, trade, land, and the spread of Christianity.
Improvements in navigation and shipbuilding helped sailors travel farther across oceans.
Portugal and Spain became major leaders in early exploration.
European exploration led to increased contact between Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
Exploration brought major consequences for Indigenous peoples, including conquest, disease, loss of land, and forced labor.
The unit also introduces the early Atlantic slave trade and the beginnings of slavery in the Americas.
European nations later searched for a Northwest Passage, hoping to find a shorter water route through North America to Asia.
Key Vocabulary
Key Vocabulary
conquistador — a Spanish conqueror who took control of lands and peoples by force
trade — the buying, selling, or exchanging of goods
trade route — a path used to move goods from one place to another
navigation — the process of planning and directing the course of a ship or journey
colony — a settlement or territory controlled by another country
empire — a group of lands or peoples ruled by one government or ruler
missionary — a person who travels to spread a religion
indigenous — native to a particular place; originating there before later settlers arrived
Northwest Passage — the hoped-for water route through North America that Europeans believed might provide a shortcut to Asia
plantation — a large farm where crops such as sugar were grown for profit, often using enslaved labor
enslavement — the forced condition in which a person is treated as property and made to work without freedom
Important People to Know
Important People to Know
Bartolomeu Dias — Portuguese explorer who sailed around the southern tip of Africa.
Vasco da Gama — Portuguese explorer who reached India by sailing around Africa.
Pedro Cabral — Portuguese explorer who claimed Brazil for Portugal.
Christopher Columbus — sailed west across the Atlantic for Spain in 1492.
Vasco Núñez de Balboa — crossed Central America and reached the Pacific Ocean.
Ferdinand Magellan — led the expedition whose ships completed the first circumnavigation of the globe.
John Cabot — explored parts of North America while searching for a route to Asia.
Jacques Cartier — explored parts of Canada for France.
Samuel de Champlain — explored and helped establish French settlements in North America.
Henry Hudson — searched for a Northwest Passage and explored waterways in North America.
Sir Francis Drake — English sea captain and explorer who circumnavigated the globe.
Important Dates
Important Dates
1488 — Bartolomeu Dias reached the southern tip of Africa
1492 — Columbus made his first voyage across the Atlantic
1497–1498 — Vasco da Gama sailed around Africa toward India
1500 — Pedro Cabral claimed Brazil for Portugal
1513 — Balboa reached the Pacific Ocean
1519–1522 — Magellan’s expedition completed the first circumnavigation of the globe
1400s–1700s — European nations continued searching for new trade routes, colonies, and the Northwest Passage.
Ancient Mayan, Incan, and Aztec Civilizations
Copy of CKHG_G5_U2_MayaAztecInca_Student-Reader.pdfPage updated
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