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How to Create an Age of Exploration Unit Study

Trappers and traders, merchants and warriors--all of them sought resources, riches and conquest. Those who lead the Age of Exploration had to know how to navigate, hunt, fight, shoot and survive in the wilderness. They blazed trails, surveyed and mapped uncharted land, tallied resources and left their names on everything their eye could see.

Some explorers came from countries whose governments were interested only in conquest and subjugation to the glory and increase of the empire. Others were only interested in the harvesting of raw materials and trading of manufactures goods, and had no intention of making permanent settlements. A third group sought a new home, a utopia free from government interference in their daily lives. They sought the right to express and practice their beliefs without persecution. Each group left its imprint, positive or negative, on the land and on the native peoples they encountered.

Unit studies are free form learning experiences. There is no one right or wrong way to create them. Decide what activities you feel will best immerse you in the daily life of the explorers. The activities suggested in the following steps are those which allow you to experience and practice the skills that were most necessary during the Age of Exploration.

Rope Compass Canoe, rowboat or kayak Camping equipment Archery equipment Muzzle loader and powder horn

Instructions

- 1
  Take a lifesaving and water safety course from the American Red Cross. The course should include boarding, rolling and portage of canoe, rowboat and kayak, treading water and the elementary backstroke.
- 2
  Choose one wilderness survival skill at a time to master: building a fire without matches; blazing and following a trail using a compass; recognition of the constellations of the night sky; recognition and use of edible wild plants; loading and firing a musket or muzzle loader; drawing and shooting a bow; making arrows; using a two man saw; splitting logs with a wedge and axe; saddling and riding a horse; climbing with and without ropes; fishing; and preparing wild game. Check with your local Boy and Girl scouts of America, Campfire Girls and the 4-H club for project manuals that will help you learn the most necessary of these survival skills.
- 3
  Join a hiking group in your area. Start with one- or two-mile walks on flat ground. Work your way up to 10 to 12 mile climbs through rugged terrain.
- 4
  Take an overnight canoe trip which includes at least one portage. Practice your wilderness survival and camping safety skills.
- 5
  Learn to read and create a map legend, use a compass rose and read a map key. Learn common map making terms and techniques. Map your neighborhood. Pay attention to the locations of edible wild plants. List any animals that could be used as food or taken for fur.
- 6
  Go to an archery range and learn to load, draw and shoot a bow. Practice hitting moving targets as well as stationary ones. Enter an archery contest. Attend a gun safety course. Go to a local gun range and learn to load and shoot a muzzle loader.
- 7
  Read about all the men and women of the Age of Exploration. Make a timeline showing what each discovered, when they discovered it, and what resulted after their discovery. Be sure to include native people's points of view, and use first person sources whenever they are available to you. First person sources include songs, art, maps, drawings, letters, government documents and diary entries.
- 8
  Listen to songs and poems written during the Age of Exploration. Choose one and rewrite it to reflect your experiences during this unit study.

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