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History

The Age of Exploration

Overview

Students explore why European sailors began crossing the oceans from the 1400s, what they found, and what the consequences were for the people they encountered.

Learning Objective
Students understand the motivations behind European exploration from the 15th century and can evaluate its consequences from multiple perspectives.

Resources needed

  • None

Lesson stages

0 / 7 done
  1. 1 Ask: why might people risk their lives to sail to unknown parts of the world?
  2. 2 Discuss motivations: trade, wealth, religious conversion, glory, curiosity.
  3. 3 Describe key voyages briefly: Columbus, da Gama, Magellan.
  4. 4 Ask: what did Europeans find when they arrived? How did they respond?
  5. 5 Discuss perspectives: the explorer's view and the view of the people they encountered.
  6. 6 Ask: what were the consequences for indigenous peoples? (disease, conquest, enslavement).
  7. 7 Ask: is 'discovery' the right word when millions of people already lived there?

Tap a step to mark it as done.

Variations

  • Focus on one specific voyage and its consequences in depth.
  • Debate: should we celebrate explorers as heroes or judge them for their actions?
  • Map the major voyages on a sketch map and discuss what connected them.
More information

Teach: exploration, voyage, indigenous, contact, conquest, consequence, perspective, discovery. The question about the word 'discovery' is linguistically and conceptually powerful.

Focus on the motivations for exploration before moving to the consequences.

Can students explain two motivations for exploration and two consequences for indigenous peoples? Do they understand that the same events look different from different perspectives?

No resources needed. Draw a rough world map in soil and trace one voyage route.

Students often celebrate exploration uncritically. Teaching the consequences for indigenous peoples corrects a one-sided narrative.

The Age of Exploration is the beginning of globalisation. It directly caused colonialism, the transatlantic slave trade, and the modern world economy. Teaching it requires multiple perspectives.

Activity details
Primary Medium 25 minutes no prep Small Group, Whole Class Indoor & Outdoor
Topics
Exploration Contact Consequences