On the Ship: Naval Tools and Artifacts
Mapping History
About this Activity
- Created by:Curry School of Education and Human Development
- Historical Era:Across Historical Eras
- Thinking Skill:Historical Comprehension
- Bloom's Taxonomy:Understanding
- Grade Level:Middle School
The intent of this lesson is to enhance understanding of the European exploration of North America and West Africa and trans-Atlantic interactions throughout the colonial period through the lens of the navigational technology used by the Spanish, French, Portuguese and English explorers. The essential questions behind this activity are: What can tools and artifacts tell us about the world around us? What types of data can historians gather from maritime tools?
In this activity, students will be able to:
https://www.docsteach.org/activities/student/1-on-the-ship-naval-tools-and-artifactsIn this activity, students will be able to:
- identify key maritime tools and artifacts used throughout history to collect information;
- identify and explain the significance of the following navigational tools: magnetic compass, chronometer, barometer and Beaufort Scale; and
- hypothesize how a barometer and other weather-collecting maritime tools could have helped explorers overcome navigation obstacles.