Grade 8 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 1, Lesson 2

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
A More Perfect Union

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 1, Lesson 2: European Exploration and Settlement (pp. 16-23)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Change Changes in Europe brought about by the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, and desire for a better trade route to Asia led Europeans to explore and settle new lands.

Review with students the advantages a water route to Asia would have given European traders. Use a map of the world to point out the distances and routes discussed.

Discuss the draw of a new continent to people who were seeking new opportunities, both for religious freedom and wealth.

Lesson Outline
Use the Lesson Outline to preview the content of the lesson. You may wish to print it for your students as a guide during reading.

Check for Understanding

Ask students to give some reasons why Europeans explored and settled the New World.
Have students draw a map of the world the way Columbus thought it looked after he landed in the Bahamas. Let them use a current map as a model, and be sure to remind them that Columbus thought he had landed in India.

Social Studies Center | Houghton Mifflin Social Studies | Grade 8 Home
Education Place | Site Index

You may download, print, and make copies of Lesson at a Glance pages for use in your classroom, provided that you include the copyright notice shown below on all such copies.