Phase: | Before/Engage |
Activity: | 1. Students will utilize ReadWork's "Passage a Day" on the Age of Exploration. Depending on the setting, the teacher could choose to print out this passage to read as a whole group, have students access the passage for independent reading practice, or use one common screen (like a SmartBoard) for the students to use in a whole group setting. 2. The teacher can choose to teach these in one day or spread out. There are six different passages that can be accessed through this ReadWorks thread. 3. The teacher can also decide if students need to complete the related reading activities along with each passage. ReadWorks includes a "Book of Knowledge" for the article of the day passages, where the students can record thoughts and notes from their readings. 4. After reading these passages, each student will receive a list of Early European Explorers. Students need to have time to do initial research before picking one to research in-depth (this step is only if the teacher chooses to extend the activity). Initial research means that the students will simply have the opportunity to review the list of European Explorers to find one they may be interested in going further in-depth with their research. For the description of the research required for the extended activity, please see Early European Explorers! Part Two for a detailed explanation. 5) Please click here for a list of European Explorers to choose from. |
Assessment Strategies: | ~Informal assessments can occur by using the ReadWorks-related activities with the reading passages in the "Age of Exploration." ~Teacher can also informally assess by asking Depth of Knowledge questions based on the ReadWorks passages. |
Advanced Preparation: | ReadWorks is a website that provides K-12 teachers with free literacy resources. ReadWorks has literary and informational texts on a variety of subjects and reading skills. You may narrow your search using grade level or Lexile level, making this website a wonderful tool for differentiation. Students will complete their work digitally, and you will provide their score and feedback digitally. This makes it easy to go paperless for this activity. Prior to implementing this activity, you will need to sign up for an Educator Account on ReadWorks. After setting up an account, create a class from the Class Admin tab, this will provide you with a Class Code to give to students. Next, use the Find Content tab to search for the informational article that will be used during this activity, "The Age of Exploration." After navigating to the article, click on the blue Assign button to assign it to your class. Each student will need access to a digital device, such as a tablet or laptop. The first time students enter the website they will need to enter the Class Code that is listed on your Class Admin page, or you can import them into your Google Classroom. Alternatively, you can print the article and corresponding questions for students, if digital devices are not available. The teacher could also complete this activity by projecting the article and questions for the whole class to view. ~Print the list of European Explorers for students to use during their primary research (if extending this activity). |
Variation Tips (optional): | Intervention ~Tier II students can work with a partner or have the ReadWorks platform read the passages aloud for further comprehension. Extension~Advanced students can utilize ReadWorks to find more information about the Age of Exploration or individual explorers. |
Notes or Recommendations (optional): | Links to related activities: |
Keywords and Search Tags: | Age of Exploration Christopher Columbus, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Columbian Exchange, Creek, Creek Wars, de Balboa, diseases, European, exploration, Explorers, Henry Hudson, Hernando De Soto, Jacques Cartier, John Cabot, Juan Ponce de Leon, ReneRobert Cavelier, Samuel de Champlain |