Applying information about the exchange of foods during the Columbian Exchange to real life, this assignment allows students to piece together one of their favorite meals and recognize how different diets and food options might be had the Columbian Exchange never taken place. They will identify where each food item comes from and reflect accordingly.

There are many different topics within exploration that students have some background information with.  Topics like the Atlantic Slave Trade and the Columbian Exchange are parts of history that students either have background knowledge on or they are easy for students to grasp.  However, there are other topics, like mercantilism and triangular trade, that students struggle with.  This lesson is designed to be done in an 80-minute period (or more), or over the course of two days.  It allows students some autonomy to work on their own, and to take the notes that they need, but also allows the teacher to lead a portion of the lesson and clarify any quesitons that might arise.

This inquiry by Ryan Theodoriches, Evergreen Public Schools, is based on the C3 Framework inquiry arc. The inquiry leads students through an investigation of the decision by the federal government of the United States to honor Christopher Columbus with a federal holiday as well as efforts to challenge the view that Columbus should be revered as a national hero.

In this 7th grade humanities lesson, students prepare Ghanaian Black-Eyed Peas and examine the exchange of foods between Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas during the Columbian Exchange.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe how Europeans solved their labor problemsDescribe the theory of mercantilism and the process of commodificationAnalyze the effects of the Columbian Exchange

This resource serves as the in-class review activity over period one for the APUSH midterm summative assessment.

This role play begins with the premise that a monstrous crime was committed in the years after 1492, when perhaps as many as three million or more Taínos on the island of Hispaniola lost their lives. (Most scholars estimate the number of people on Hispaniola in 1492 at between one and three million; some estimates are lower and some much higher. By 1550, very few Taínos remained alive.)

Who — and/or what — was responsible for this slaughter? This is the question students confront here.

 U.S. History is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of most introductory courses. The text provides a balanced approach to U.S. history, considering the people, events, and ideas that have shaped the United States from both the top down (politics, economics, diplomacy) and bottom up (eyewitness accounts, lived experience). U.S. History covers key forces that form the American experience, with particular attention to issues of race, class, and gender.Senior Contributing AuthorsP. Scott Corbett, Ventura CollegeVolker Janssen, California State University, FullertonJohn M. Lund, Keene State CollegeTodd Pfannestiel, Clarion UniversityPaul Vickery, Oral Roberts UniversitySylvie Waskiewicz

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe how Europeans solved their labor problemsDescribe the theory of mercantilism and the process of commodificationAnalyze the effects of the Columbian Exchange