Columbian Exchange

Unit: Colonial Foundations (1607–1763)

Essential Question (Aim)

How did the Columbian Exchange transform the environments and societies of both the Americas and Europe?

Learning Targets

• I can explain the causes of the Columbian Exchange.

• I can analyze the effects of the Columbian Exchange on the Americas and Europe.

• I can record and explain examples of items exchanged between the Old World and the New World.

Domain Vocabulary

• Columbian Exchange – The widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World in the 15th and 16th centuries.

• Globalization – The process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or operate on an international scale.

• Indigenous – Originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native.

• Transatlantic – Crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

• Demographic – Relating to the structure of populations.

Do Now (Initiation Task – 5 minutes)

Prompt: Imagine you are eating lunch today. List the foods on your plate. Then, put a star next to the foods you think did not exist in Europe before 1492.

Write your response:

Activity 1: Old World vs. New World

As you play the Kahoot, record the list of items that originated in either the New World or the Old World. After the Kahoot, research and add at least five more items to each list.

Exit Ticket (Summary / Wrap-Up – 5 minutes)

Prompt: Looking at the Columbian Exchange as a whole, what do you think was the most important long-term change it created in the world? Explain your reasoning in 2–3 sentences.