Are you looking for a way to help your students better visualize the Colonization of the Americas? Maps can be a great way to deepen student understanding. Below I will outline a FREE colonization of the Americas maps lesson!
Why Use Maps?
The National Geographic defines a map as “a symbolic representation of selected characteristics of a place, usually drawn on a flat surface.”
Maps are tools that can provide so many great benefits and skills, including:
- Presenting complex information in a visual way
- Building spatial reasoning skills
- Encouraging higher-level thinking and problem solving
- Analyzing sizes, shapes, features, distances, patterns, etc.
Tips for Using Maps in Your Classroom
First, use online maps.
Many maps have tiny details. Using online maps allows students to zoom in. I recommend having a mini-lesson showing students exactly how to make the map take up the full screen, zoom in, zoom out, and move around.
Second, teach your students some map skills.
Before analyzing maps, teach students about compass roses, legends, and scales. If you need help, these short videos are great:
Third, analyze the maps in a step-by-step way.
Students can easily get overwhelmed if you put a map in front of them and ask something like, “What does this map tell you about the Revolutionary War?”
I’ve found it’s better to have students:
- first, observe the map,
- then try to make sense of it,
- and finally, use it as historical evidence.
I really love using the “Analyze a Map” worksheet from the National Archives. I like this worksheet because it breaks the analysis down into bite-sized pieces.
Free Colonization of the Americas Map Lesson
In this free Colonization of the Americas Map lesson, students discover how colonization in the Americas changed over time.
Students carefully study a map of the Americas in 1754. Using this map as a guide, students create their own map, labeling the key areas of the Americas that were colonized by the English, Dutch, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. As students discover new information, they compare the relative sizes and locations of each colony.
In this lesson, students also analyze several animated maps. While students view each map, their job is to be curious – writing down observations, making inferences, and asking questions to deepen their understanding.
This lesson would be great in an Age of Exploration unit because it gives students context on where Europeans explored and colonized.
Download Your FREE Colonization of the Americas Map Lesson
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Hi! Is this still available as a free download?