Melanie WernerSeymour Middle School

Comparing the Maritime Achievements of Christopher Columbus and Zheng He

Standards 7.26 Draw evidence from information texts to analyze the contributions made during the

Ming Dynasty such as building projects, including the Forbidden City and the reconstruction of the Great Wall, isolationism, and sea voyages. (C,E,H,P)

7.71 Identify the European countries responsible for North American exploration and the modern day countries in which they settled, including France, Spain, England, Portugal, and the Dutch. Summarize the reasons for the success of these countries in colonization of North and South America. (E,G,H,P)

7.73 Identify the voyages of discovery, the locations of the routes, and the influence of technology in the developments of a new European worldview including cartography, compass, caravel, and astrolabe. (C,E,G, H,P)

Objectives Locate and label the current day countries or cities where each explorer stopped. Create a map of voyages for each explorer based on the descriptions given. Compare and contrast the maritime achievements of Christophe Columbus and Zheng

He.Materials

"Two Significant Maritime Achievements. “Education about Asia 10.3 (2005): 46-47. Print.

Comparing the Maritime Achievements of Christopher Columbus and Zheng He instructions sheet

Atlases or political and physical maps of each of the seven continents or computer access to Google maps.

Legal sized construction paper Printable map of world (page 22)-

http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/Mission_Geography/Map_Index.pdfTime Needed

Two 45 minute class periods. This project can be done individually or in pairs.Focus/Hook

If you heard about the opportunity to travel to another planet in hopes of finding natural resources that could make you rich, would you make the journey? Why? Why not?

Lesson- This is a lesson can be used as a review activity or an introduction activity. If students would make the journey to another planet, make them stand on the left side of

the room. If students would not make the journey, make them stand on the right side of the room. Then, as a class, discuss the reasons to make the journey and the reasons not to make the journey.

Prompt students by asking, “Has there ever been a time in history where people have had to make the same decisions, maybe not another planet, but to make a journey to the unknown?” Prompt students to the topic of Christopher Columbus and Zheng He.

Read the background on the Comparing the Maritime Achievements of Christopher Columbus and Zheng He.

Group students in pairs and ask them to write down as many facts as they can on Christopher Columbus and Zheng He. Then go around the room and ask for one fact per pair.

Explain the instructions of the Comparing the Maritime Achievements of Christopher Columbus and Zheng He foldable.

Assessment Students can individually or work in pairs to complete the foldable Comparing the

Maritime Achievements of Christopher Columbus and Zheng He foldable.

Comparing the Maritime Achievements of Christopher Columbus and Zheng He

Background: The fifteenth century was a time of great sea exploration. Christopher Columbus and Zheng He were two of the most famous explorers of this time. Although they were both sea explorers, the way they entered their voyages were quite different. Zheng He started his voyages with advanced technology of the time and with accurate maps that had been created by previous mariners. Christopher Columbus on the other hand did not have the advanced technology of the Chinese and did not have maps since he was trying to discover a new sea route to Asia.

Your goal-Create a foldable that compares and contrasts the maritime achievements of Christopher Columbus and Zheng He.

Directions-1. Read Two Significant Maritime Achievements. As you read, highlight years, locations,

and key facts.2. Create a timeline for the voyages of Christopher Columbus. There are nine dates

mentioned in the article. Indicate the date and give an explanation of what happened on that date. (10 points)

3. Create a timeline for the voyages of Zheng He. There are thirteen dates mentioned in the article. Indicate the date and give an explanation of what happened on that date. (10 points)

4. Create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting each explorer based on the information you read in the article. List five facts about Christopher Columbus and five facts about Zheng He. Include three similarities between the two explorers. (10 points)

5. Track the voyages of Christopher Columbus. Use your world map and the article to track his voyages. You will first locate and label the countries or cities and then trace his voyage according to the article from Spain to Spain. Make sure to indicate the date and year in which he landed on that location. Some countries are listed more than once; you will only need to label them one time. (30 points) Create a map key for each that describes that voyages of Columbus. First Voyage

o Locate and label Spain, Canary Islands, Lisbon (located in Portugal), San Salvador, Cuba, and Hispaniola on your map. Trace this voyage in blue.

Second Voyageo Locate and label U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola on your

map. Trace this voyage in orange. Third Voyage

o Locate and label Hispaniola and Venezuela. Trace this voyage in green. Fourth Voyage

o Locate and label Gran Canary, Jamaica, and Santo Domingo. Trace this voyage in red.

6. Track the voyages of Zheng He. Use your world map and the article to track his voyages. You will first locate and label the countries or cities and then trace his voyage according to the article from the departed country to the country in which he arrived. Make sure to indicate the date and year in which he landed on that location. Some countries are listed more than once; you will only need to label them one time. (30 points) Create a map key for each that describes that voyages of Zheng He. First Voyage

o Locate and label Nanjing (China), Vietnam, Thailand, Java, Straits of Malacca, and Kozhikode (India). Trace this voyage in blue.

Second Voyageo Locate and label Nanjing (China), Sumatra and India. Trace this voyage in

orange. Third Voyage

o Locate and label Malacca (Malaysia) and Sri Lanka. Trace this voyage in green.

Fourth Voyageo Locate and label the Strait of Hormuz and Sumatra. Trace this voyage in red.

Fifth Voyageo Locate and label the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, Somalia and Kenya.

Seventh Voyage (We are skipping the sixth voyage).o Locate and label South China Sea, Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden, Strait of

Hormuz, Swahili, Mecca, and Medina.

7. Organizing your foldable- (10 points) Front Cover- Title of the foldable with pictures of the two explorers. The inside center- Put the world map of the voyages of Christopher Columbus and

Zheng He. The right inside of the foldable- The timeline of Christopher Columbus. The left inside of the foldable- The timeline of Zheng He Backside of the foldable- The Venn diagram comparing Christopher Columbus and

Zheng He.