Which Country Should You Sail For?

S McKenna ~ 9/00

Your Task

Procedure

Resources

Standards

Assessment

Other Sites

A Royal Decree Hail good subjects! Take heed of this proclamation. Let it be known that on this fair day in the year of sixteen hundred and ten, the liege lords of Spain, France and England entreat those gallant seafarers among you to taketh a commission. In faith, they petition for noble adventurers of courage and skill to go forth and seek the riches of uncharted regions in their name. These noble princes vouchsafe with blessings and pledge tributes to those who, with vigilance and hearty spirit, doth test the limits of yon New World.
Yea though, consider this before passing thine acceptance; ye can pay tribute to but one sovereign master. Hence, ye must choose. On which royal throne will ye bestow thine honour and allegiance? Harken these admonitions. Weigh carefully the merits and intentions of each monarch. Great treasure and prominence await all those who take up this bold challenge! Make haste to render thy decision, yet reflect well with sound reason and resolution.

Your Task You must choose. Which country should you sail for--Spain, France or England? Each country had different objectives and destinations, successes and failures, accomplishments and embarrassments. Gather this information to help make your decision. Then, compose letters to the kings and/or queens of the countries responding to their offers for you to lead the next expedition as ambassador and commodore of the high seas.

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Procedure Good students here is how you shall proceed:
Group Tasks
You will be working in cooperative learning groups to research the Age of Exploration. Each team member will assume a particular role. They are:

Team Roles

Roles	Responsibilities
Captain	The leader who keeps the crew heading in the right direction. Make sure that tasks are distributed fairly among all members.
First Mate	The captain's first and best assistant; makes entries into the ship's log. Record ideas and decisions; complete team management forms.
Boatswain	The person who takes care of the rigging, wire and rope. Plan for, collect and return materials needed by the team.
Master At Arms	The person who makes sure that all crew members are working. Encourage all members to always be productive and cooperative.
Additional Roles if Needed
Deck Hand	The person who helps out where needed. Give or arrange for assistance to those who might need help.
Ship's Carpenter	The person who makes repairs. Troubleshoot if problems arise; oversee that the procedures are not being "broken".

    Your team will become "experts" on the explorations and discoveries of one country: Spain, France or England. Using materials from the library, your textbook, and online resources, you will identify the goals and intentions of the countries that sponsored these voyages. What did they hope to accomplish? What were the outcomes of their discoveries? Who represented these countries? How did their travels and actions relate to the goals of the country that sponsored them? How can we understand and appreciate the events and their connections within and beyond that time period? As experts on one country's expeditions, you will share this information with the class as PowerPoint presentations.
Individual Tasks
     After all of the teams have presented, each student must make an individual choice. Which country should you sail for? Base your decision on the information you learned from your research and from the team presentations. Carefully consider the factors that will lead you in choosing one country over another. These may include: successes of previous trips sponsored by that country, reasons they were initiated, and outcomes of these trips. You should also consider the impact on others, both for the immediate and long-term future. Remember--you must give support for your decision with critical facts! As you gather facts, organize the information in a table or diagram. (See below)
     You will then write a letter to the monarch informing him/her of your decision to accept the commission and explain why. You will also need to write a letter to the monarch of one of the countries whose offers you did not accept and explain why. Your letter should be written with a voice and format that would be authentic to that era. Remember you are writing to a king or queen who was an absolute ruler. Use primary sources to get a feel for the "voice" and dialect. You should also remember to include accurate details that will add to the historical accuracy of this piece of writing (i.e. date, correct name of the monarch, key facts).

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Research Process Here are some tips on how to be effective and focused in your research.

Identify a topic, formulate it as a question- the "Big" question (Which country should you sail for?)
Identify small questions that will lead you to insight and understanding of the big question (ex: What were their goals and ambitions for exploration? What were their accomplishments/failures?)
Sort and sift- organize your notes so you will know what is important to keep (based on your questions)
Organize your notes using a chart or diagram. Inspiration is a great program for this.
Remember that you will need to draw conclusions of your own on this topic--you will NOT find all the information in one place. Use a variety of sources, both print and online.
This is a graphic organizer that you can print and use for gathering and organizing information. It is is pdf format, so you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open.

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Resources Kid-Info-A kid-friendly site with many, many links

European Voyages of Exploration- Created by the History Department from the University of Calgary (This site is a good example of a website with "authority".)

A Treasure Trove of North American Exploration- From the National Library of Canada.

The Mariner's Museum- many useful links from another authoritative source

The First to Sail Around the World- Do you know who it was? This site is from the National Maritime Museum in England. (Good info on why many were trying to do it.)

Explorers from Mr. Jenkin's page- An extensive listing compiled by a ninth grade teacher

History Central Primary Documents- This site lists primary documents relating to the Age of Exploration (among other time periods)

Exploration...The Americas- This is a listing of resources categorized by History (people, places, events) and Arts (art, literature, daily life)

The Era of the Spanish Galleons- An interesting site that looks at Spain's pivotal role at the time of European Exploration. It also examines shipboard life and the role of piracy during this era. Links shed light on the relationship between Spain, France and England at this time-- and to the English explorer Sir Francis Drake.

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