Topic: The consequences of great geographical discoveries

Author of the script: Marcin Dyś

Target group

5th grade student of elementary school

Core curriculum

VIII. Great geographical discoveries. Student:

1) explains (...) and assesses the impact of geographical discoveries on the socio‑economic and cultural life of Europe and the New World;

2) localizes the expeditions (…) in time and space and localizes the colonial possessions of Portugal and Spain.

The general aim of education

Students learn about the effects of the great geographical discoveries.

Key competences

• communication in the mother tongue;

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Learning outcomes

Student will learn:

• explains what the geographical discoveries brought;

• lists the civilizations of the New World;

• tells who were the conquistadors and what they did;

• explains what were the consequences of the geographical discoveries for the people of Europe and the conquered lands.

Methods / techniques

• exposing methods: talk, explanations and comments from the teacher;

• programmed methods: using e‑textbook; using multimedia;

• problematic methods: activating methods: discussion;

• practical methods: exercises concerned, working with text, working with illustration.

Forms of work

• collective activity;

• activity in groups;

• individual activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• interactive whiteboard or traditional blackboard;

• tablets/computers;

• notebook and crayons/ felt‑tip pens.

Before classes

The teacher asks the students to recall the causes and the course of the great geographical discoveries.

Lesson plan overview (Process)

Introduction

1. The teacher gives the students the subject, explains the students the lesson objective and the criteria for success.

2. Referring to the topic of previous lessons, the teacher asks what the New World was and where it was located.

Realization

1. The teacher divides the students into three groups and assigns the role of one of the native nations of South America to each group: The Aztecs, Incas or Mayas. The task of each group is to prepare a short presentation of the selected people, taking into account their culture, beliefs and most important achievements. Students can use a variety of websites, blogs and historical portals.

2. Students fulfil Task 1, indicating the areas inhabited by the Aztecs, Mayas and Incas, and then each group gives their own presentation. The presentation should contain information about the conquest of Indians by conquistadors. Then the students look at the gallery and do Exercise 1. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and gives feedback.

3. The teacher explains the course of conquests to the students and presents the conquistadors Cortez and Pizarro. The teacher tells about the conquests of Cortez, who conquered the Aztec Empire with the help of only 500‑person troop, and also mentions the consequences of the conquests (epidemics, diseases, destruction of indigenous cultures, slavery, development of plantations, etc.). Students fulfil Exercise 2 and Exercise 3, and then do Exercise 1. When students are performing their tasks, care should be taken to ensure that they can receive teacher’s support at all times, as well as feedback on their work and commitment.

4. To start the discussion, the teacher asks: Did the great geographical discoveries also have a positive, measurable effect? Then, the teacher tells the students about the missionary activity and asks them to fulfil Task 2.

5. Student fulfil Task 3 and do Exercise 4. The teacher makes sure that the tasks have been correctly completed and gives feedback.

6. Referring to the teacher's question, students indicate the positive and negative effects of the conquest of the New World in Exercise 5.

Summary

1. Referring to the topic of previous lessons, the teacher asks why the great geographical discoveries were such a landmark and unusual event that Columbus’ expedition was considered the beginning of a new era - modernity?

2. Then the teacher can give the students the evaluation questionnaire prepared by them with the assessment of lessons, own work and class work.

3. The teacher gives homework for volunteer students (it is not an obligatory part of the script): “Great geographical discoveries contributed to the emergence of many new species of animals and plants in Europe. What species were Europeans able to see for the first time in history thanks to the 14th and 15th century explorers?”

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

The consequences of great geographical discoveries

Before the arrival of Europeans in South and Central America, the Mayan, Inca and Aztec tribal states were established and developed. The Indians lived in magnificent and rich stone cities. These states were conquered by European conquerors, i.e. conquistadors, mainly Spaniards and Portuguese.

The conquistadors dominated over the Indians militarily, because they had firearms and horses at their disposal (the Indians did not invent gunpowder and did not domesticate the horses). Local culture was destroyed. The Indians were pushed into a subordinate role in their own state, they were ruthlessly exploited and forced to convert to Christianity. They died on a massive scale from illnesses brought by Europeans. A stream of bullion (gold and silver) and previously unknown crops flowed into Europe. This led to the economic recovery of the Old World.

At the beginning of the 16th century, the Spanish people, greedy for the riches of the Indians, set off to conquer their continent. The conquest was facilitated thanks to the use of firearms and horses, which were not known and feared by the Indians. They destroyed the achievements of the Indian states, murdered local people or forced them to work hard.