Starter quiz
- What was the dominant religion in medieval Europe?
- 'Christianity' ✓
- Write the missing word. The __________ Ocean separates Europe from the Americas.
- 'Atlantic' ✓
- Match the key words with their definitions.
- indigenous⇔people inhabiting an area before the arrival of colonists ✓
- Native American⇔original inhabitants of the Americas ✓
- empire⇔a group of countries ruled from the centre by one group ✓
- When did Europeans first settle in the Americas?
- 9th century
- 11th century ✓
- 13th century
- 15th century
-
- Select the statement which is most accurate about empires.
- Empires have only ever been created by European countries.
- Empires have only existed over the last 600 years.
- Empires have been created by European and non-European countries. ✓
- Empires only existed in ancient history.
-
- Which of the following groups is indigenous to the Americas?
- Chinese
- Romans
- Aztecs ✓
- French
- Egyptians
-
Exit quiz
- Which country sponsored Columbus' voyages across the Atlantic?
- 'Spain' ✓
- What happened to the Taino population of Hispanoila between 1509 and 1518?
- Increased
- Reduced by 50%
- Reduced by 80% ✓
- Completely destroyed
-
- Where was Columbus trying to reach when he sailed west in 1492?
- 'Asia' ✓
- What word best describes the Taino population of Hispaniola?
- Indian
- Indigenous ✓
- Immigrant
-
- How did Spain view Hispaniola after Columbus travelled there in 1492?
- As a colony ✓
- As a foreign state
- As an uninhabited island
- As a place of little value
-
- What were most enslaved Taino people forced to do by the Spanish?
- Accept Christianity
- Move islands
- Fight wars for Spain
- Mine for gold ✓
-
Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- During the Renaissance, European thinkers began to learn more about navigating the globe.
- Christopher Columbus was able to sail across the Atlantic Ocean and land in the Americas in 1492.
- First European involvement in the Americas was for trade and exploration.
- Europeans called the Americas the 'New World'.
- Europeans began to claim land in the 'New World' for themselves.
Common misconception
Pupils think that America was ‘discovered’ by Europeans or that it was a 'new' place.
Remind pupils that there were long-established communities in the Americas before European arrival - they did not need to be discovered.
Keywords
Renaissance - the Renaissance was a period of new thinking and ideas in Europe inspired by Ancient Rome and Greece
Empire - an empire is a group of countries or provinces ruled from the centre by a person or group of people
Native american - Native Americans are members of any of the peoples who were the original inhabitants of North and South America and the Caribbean Islands
Colony - a colony is a country or area under the control of another country and occupied by settlers from that country
Settlement - settlement is the process of establishing new communities in an area