Embedded Files
The Columbian Exchange
CLASS ALWAYS STARTS WITH A DROP INN!
THE QUIET TIME!
NOTEBOOK FORMAT:
DATE: _______ DROP INN # ______
Write at least 3 sentences about your thoughts.
One sentence should be a Metaphor or Simile
Draw a simple picture that represents what you wrote!
On a new page write:
Chapter #6:
On a new page write:
Chapter #6:
The Columbian Exchange
The Columbian Exchange
Copy in Notebook:
Instructional Goal #6:
We will understand the Columbian Exchange by explaining its positive and negative effects.
🎯 Learning Targets
🎯 Learning Targets
I can explain the Columbian Exchange.
I can identify causes and effects.
I can use evidence to support my ideas.
Social Studies Skills Focus:
cause/effect, point of view, and evidence
Having Trouble thinking of Example sentences?
Exchange: We exchange gifts.
Impact: Rain had an impact on my hair.
Evidence: The picture is evidence that we had fun.
Copy in Notebook:
📚 Focus Vocabulary
Exchange — giving or trading things.
Impact — the effect something has.
Evidence — details that prove an idea.
Visualize Vocabulary Words
Activity: In your notebook, choose ONE vocabulary word and use it correctly in a sentence.
Social Studies Skill:
Reading Charts & Graphs: Reading rows and columns to find facts and numbers.
Tracking Historical Changes: Using data to see how things grew or changed over time.
PAGE 50 in the Passbook Workbook
1. What does the World’s Most Popular Foods table show? How do you know? It shows the average daily calories people eat of different foods worldwide, as shown in the column header.
2. What is the most popular food worldwide? Rice is the most popular food, with 567 calories eaten per day.
3. Which new world crop is the most popular in the world? Maize (corn) is the top New World crop, giving 147 calories per day.
4. What other conclusions can you draw from the graph/table? Old World crops provide the most calories, but New World crops are now eaten all over the world.
5. How is the Livestock Growth data organized? What do the columns show? What do the rows show? The columns show the different years, and the rows show the types of livestock animals.
6. Which species of livestock had the largest population in 1500? Which species had the largest population by the end of 1590? Pigs were highest in 1500 with 350, and sheep were highest in 1590 with 200,000.
7. What conclusions can you draw about livestock growth? European livestock went from zero in 1490 to hundreds of thousands by 1590.
The Columbian Exchange
Reading and Comprehension - Partner Reading and Discussions
The Columbian Exchange
The Columbian Exchange
1- Before 1492, the people of Europe, Africa, and the Americas lived mostly separate lives. This changed when Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. His voyages connected the Eastern and Western Hemispheres for the first time. This exchange of people, plants, animals, goods, ideas, and diseases became known as the Columbian Exchange.
2- The Columbian Exchange brought many new foods to different parts of the world. Europeans brought horses, cows, pigs, wheat, and sugar to the Americas. Native Americans introduced Europeans to crops such as corn, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, and chocolate. These new plants and animals changed the diets, farming, and economies of people around the world.
3- Not everything that was exchanged was helpful. Europeans also brought diseases like smallpox, measles, and influenza. Native Americans had never been exposed to these diseases before, so their bodies could not fight them. As a result, millions of Indigenous people became sick and died. Many Native communities became much smaller, making it harder for them to resist European settlement.
4- The Columbian Exchange had both positive and negative effects. It increased trade, introduced new foods, and connected different parts of the world. However, it also led to the spread of deadly diseases, the loss of Native American land, and major changes to Indigenous cultures. Historians believe the Columbian Exchange was one of the most important events in world history because it permanently changed the lives of people on both sides of the Atlantic.
Visualize the Answers
Read & Underline
Read & Underline
Directions: Read each paragraph. Underline the part of the paragraph that answers the question.
What was exchanged during the Columbian Exchange?
2. What foods, plants, and animals were exchanged?
3. Why were European diseases so dangerous to Native Americans?
4. What were the positive and negative effects of the Columbian Exchange?
Project Examples - Keep it Simple!
Objective:
Students will work in groups to select, trade, and explain the 5 most important items of the Columbian Exchange.
Target Skills:
History: Understand how global trade changed the world.
Group Work: Practice team decision-making and compromise.
Big Question:
Which trade items were the most valuable, and why?
Project Directions: The Trade Ship Poster
Project Directions: The Trade Ship Poster
Pick Your Top 5: In your group, choose the 5 most important foods or animals to trade. Pick items you think will sell best!
Cut Them Out: Carefully cut out the 5 items you chose. The teacher will then give you construction paper.
Draw Your Ship: Draw a large ship on your construction paper to hold your goods.
Place & Check: Arrange your 5 items inside your ship, then raise your hand for a teacher to bring you glue.
Title & Write: Glue on your title, then write a short response explaining why your group chose these 5 items.
LEVEL 1
🟢 LEVEL 1 — FIND IT (Gather Facts)
Name 3 foods or crops that traveled from the Americas to the Old World:
Name 3 foods, crops, or animals that traveled from the Old World to the Americas:
Which direction did potatoes travel? _______________________
Which direction did horses travel? _______________________
Name 2 diseases brought to the Americas: _______________________ & _______________________
Which group of people was forcibly brought to the Americas? _______________________
Group Presentation Check-In:
What is ONE fact on the sheet that surprised your group? Why?
🔵 LEVEL 2 — CONNECT IT (Personal Connections)
🔵 LEVEL 2 — CONNECT IT (Personal Connections)
What Do You Eat?
Name 2 foods from the Americas that you eat at home: _______________________ / _______________________
Name 2 foods from the Old World that you eat at home: _______________________ / _______________________
🍽️ Build a Group Dinner: (Use only foods listed on your sheet)
Main Dish: __________________________________
Side Item: ___________________________________
Dessert or Drink: ____________________________
Which items came from the Americas? _________________________________________________
Which items came from the Old World? __________________________________________________
Think About It: Could this exact dinner exist before the Columbian Exchange? Why or why not?
🚢 PACK THE SHIP! Group Challenge
🚢 PACK THE SHIP! Group Challenge
Your Mission:
Your group is traveling across the Atlantic during the Columbian Exchange.
Your ship has limited space, so you can only take 5 items with you!
Work together to decide which 5 items would be the most important to bring.
What Your Group Will Do
What Your Group Will Do
Choose 5 Items
Look at all the trading cards.
Discuss which items would be most useful or have the biggest impact.
Your group must agree on only 5.
Pack Your Ship
Color your 5 cards.
Cut them out.
Build a paper construction ship.
Place your 5 items on or inside the ship.
Explain Your Choices
As a group, write a short essay explaining why you chose these 5 items.
Don't just say “because they are important.” Explain how each item could help people or change life.
✍️ Group Essay
✍️ Group Essay
Our group chose __________, __________, __________, __________, and __________.
We chose these five items because...
For each item, explain:
What could it provide? → food, transportation, farming, trade, etc.
How could it change people's lives?
Why was it important enough to earn a spot on your ship?
⭐ The Big Question
⭐ The Big Question
If your ship could carry only 5 items to a new part of the world, which would you choose—and why?
Be ready to show your ship and defend your choices to the class!
🚢 Why Does This Item Deserve a Spot on Your Ship?
🚢 Why Does This Item Deserve a Spot on Your Ship?
Choose one or more reasons:
🍽️ Food — It could help feed many people.
🌱 Farming — It could help farmers grow more food.
💰 Trade — People could sell or trade it.
🐴 Transportation — It could help people travel or carry things.
💪 Work — It could help people do difficult jobs.
👕 Materials — It could provide useful materials.
🏠 Daily Life — It could make everyday life easier.
📈 Economy — It could help people make money.
👥 Population — It could help support more people.
🌎 Big Impact — It could greatly change life in its new location.
Socratic - Group/Class Discussion
Which effect of the Columbian Exchange had the biggest impact on the world?
Think About It
Think About It
Which effect of the Columbian Exchange had the biggest impact on the world?
A. 🌽 New Foods: New foods and crops changed what people ate and how they farmed.
B. 🦠 Disease: European diseases caused millions of Indigenous people to become sick and die.
C. 🌎 Connection: The Columbian Exchange connected different parts of the world through trade and the movement of people, goods, and ideas.
All three answers are supported by the text. Choose the one you think had the biggest impact and point to evidence from the reading that supports your choice.
🚢 CHOICE A: Pack the Ship
Build or draw a historical cargo ship.
Select key foods, crops, or animals to place on board.
For each item, include a card/label showing:
Item name
Origin (Where it started)
Destination (Where it went)
Explanation of why your group chose it.
🍽️ CHOICE B: Design a Recipe Card & Dish
Create and illustrate a meal poster combining Old World & New World ingredients.
Label every ingredient clearly: AMERICAS or OLD WORLD.
🎨 CHOICE C: Open Creative Choice
Create an informational poster, comic strip, trading card set, mini-advertisement, or historical map. (Requires teacher approval)
Page 44:
Document B – Miantinomo's Speech
Excerpt
Excerpt
"You know our fathers had plenty of deer and skins, and our plains were full of deer and turkeys, and our coves and rivers were full of fish. But, brothers, since these English have seized upon our country, they cut down the grass with scythes, and the trees with axes. Their cows and horses eat up the grass, and their hogs spoil our beds of clams; and finally we shall starve to death!"
Skill: Point of View
Skill: Point of View
Directions: Circle words or phrases that show how Miantinomo feels about the English. Underline evidence that explains why he believes Native nations should work together.
Socratic Seminar Directions
Socratic Seminar Directions
Choose one answer for each question. Find at least one piece of evidence from the speech that supports your choice. During the discussion, explain why your answer is the strongest while listening respectfully to classmates who chose a different answer.
Socratic Question 1
Socratic Question 1
What does Miantinomo believe is the greatest threat to Native Americans?
Choose one answer:
A. The English are taking Native land and natural resources.
B. Native Americans are not working together against the English.
C. Native Americans may not have enough food to survive.
Discussion: All three answers are supported by the text. Students should explain which threat they think is the most serious and use evidence to support their opinion.
Socratic Question 2
Socratic Question 2
Why does Miantinomo describe the land before the English arrived?
Choose one answer:
A. To show that Native Americans once had plenty of food and resources.
B. To explain how life changed after the English settled.
C. To persuade other Native nations to unite against the English.
Discussion: Students should explain which purpose they think is the author's main reason for including these details.
Socratic Question 3
Socratic Question 3
What is the main message of Miantinomo's speech?
Choose one answer:
A. Native American nations must work together to protect their people and land.
B. European settlement is changing the environment and threatening Native ways of life.
C. Losing natural resources can lead to the loss of a community's survival.
Discussion: Students should cite words or phrases from the speech to explain why their answer best represents the central idea.
Page 46
Document C – The Columbian Exchange
Page 46
Document C – The Columbian Exchange
Expanded Excerpt
Expanded Excerpt
"Native American resistance to the Europeans was ineffective. Indigenous peoples suffered from white brutality, alcoholism, the killing and driving off of game, and the expropriation of farmland, but all these together are insufficient to explain the degree of their defeat.
The crucial factor was not people, plants, or animals, but germs. The history of the United States begins with Virginia and Massachusetts, and their histories begin with epidemics of unidentified diseases. At the time of the abortive Virginia colony at Roanoke in the 1580s the nearby Amerindians 'began to die quickly.'
The disease was so strange that they neither knew what it was, nor how to cure it. When the Pilgrims settled at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620, they did so in a village and on a coast nearly cleared of Amerindians by a recent epidemic."
Skill: Central Idea and Evidence
Skill: Central Idea and Evidence
Directions: Read the paragraph carefully. Underline the sentence that tells the author's main idea. Highlight three pieces of evidence that support the author's claim.
Discussion Rule
Discussion Rule
Choose one answer, find at least one piece of evidence from the text to support your choice, and be prepared to explain why your answer is stronger than the other two.
Here are three Socratic Seminar questions. Each question has three defensible answers, choose one, support it with evidence from the text, and respectfully debate.
Socratic Question 1
Socratic Question 1
What does the author believe was the biggest reason Native Americans were defeated?
Students may choose one:
A. European diseases (germs) were the most important cause because Native Americans had no immunity.
B. European actions, such as taking land and destroying food sources, were the main cause.
C. Both disease and European actions worked together, making Native American resistance much more difficult.
Text Evidence: Students should cite the sentence, "The crucial factor was not people, plants, or animals, but germs," while also considering the paragraph describing brutality, loss of farmland, and destruction of game.
Socratic Question 2
Socratic Question 2
Which event had the greatest impact on European settlement?
Students may choose one:
A. The spread of diseases because epidemics greatly reduced Native populations before many Europeans arrived.
B. The founding of colonies like Roanoke and Plymouth because they created permanent settlements.
C. Native Americans not knowing how to treat the new diseases because it allowed epidemics to spread more quickly.
Text Evidence: Students should use details about Roanoke, Plymouth, and the epidemics.
Socratic Question 3
Socratic Question 3
What is the most important lesson this passage teaches about history?
Students may choose one:
A. Disease can change history just as much as wars and battles.
B. Human decisions, such as settling new lands, can have unintended consequences.
C. To understand history, we must look at many causes instead of only one event.
Text Evidence: Students should refer to both the list of hardships (brutality, loss of land, destruction of game) and the author's claim that germs were the "crucial factor."
Page updated
Report abuse