Let's Go to Europe

We have been working hard here in 5th grade -- studying the causes and consequences of European Exploration. In an effort to switch up our day to day -- I created a web quest for the class to go on, in groups, to research different explorers. I split the class into groups of 4, each group was in charg of a different explorer -- from Vespucci to Cortes, and each student was given an important job. Our jobs were as follows:
                 Mapper (draw a map of the route taken)
                 Historian (write a biography of the explorer and create a timeline of their life)
                 Press Reporter (create a newspaper of the important events and discoveries of your voyage)
                 Personal Secretary (Write a daily log of the events happening on the ship -- write letters back to sponsors who are paying for your voyage.

 I was so proud of the work the class put into making these. Such a great way to study and present exploration!

We spent a week researching, drawing, and drafting the pieces of our presentations. At the end of the week, the groups had to present to the rest of the class what they'd found. It was so cool to see what they had done and what they'd found out. To have them be the experts is a lot more fun than having me spout information or just read it out of a book. The kids were awesome -- especially applying their knowledge when we played Jeopardy to review AND when they took their unit test today! :)

I beamed with pride when one of my students approached me today and said, "Ms. Brown -- I knew that number 3 was Amerigo Vespucci -- because he was my explorer."

I love these kids.