Exploros | European Exploration

European Exploration

Students are introduced to the Age of Discovery. They learn about early European exploration of the Americas—which nations led the way, the regions they explored, and the motivations behind their exploration.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

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Overview:

In this experience, students gain an understanding of the motivations for European exploration and colonization of the Americas by evaluating secondary sources and comparing the motivations between European powers. First, students consider why people from the past left their homes to journey to unknown places and what risks they might have faced. Next, they evaluate a video to identify and summarize the three main motivations for European exploration and colonization. Then, they compare and contrast the main motives for Spanish, French, and English efforts to explore and colonize. Finally, students are invited to explore the origins of the term Age of Discovery and consider if it accurately describes the time period.

Estimated Duration: 45 - 60 minutes

Vocabulary Words and Definitions:

motivations: the reasons or goals that cause a person or group to act or behave in a certain way

Objectives:

Explain the technological advancements that lead to the Age of Exploration
Identify the main motivations for European exploration of the Americas.
Describe the similarities and differences of European Powers’ motivations for exploring the Americas

What drives people to explore new, unknown frontiers? From early explorers boarding ships for uncharted lands to astronauts blasting off for outer space, humans over the ages have had a drive to discover frontiers. In this experience, you will examine some of the reasons that early European explorers came to the “New World.”

The Age of Discovery 1340-1600

Between the 15th and 17th centuries, European explorers set out from their homelands on long and uncertain voyages across the globe. Their journeys would bring both benefits and lasting consequences for people around the world.

In this lesson, you’ll learn about European exploration, including the technological advancements that made exploration possible and the reasons why Europeans embarked on journeys across unfamiliar seas.

Objectives:

Explain the technological advancements that lead to the Age of Exploration
Identify the main motivations for European exploration of the Americas.
Describe the similarities and differences of European Powers’ motivations for exploring the Americas

Use complete sentences to share your thoughts, then read and respond to your classmates' posts to find out what risks and rewards others considered.

Why might people in the past have chosen to leave their homes and journey to unknown places? What risks and rewards do you think they imagined?

Post your answer

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