Age of Exploration

The Age of Exploration interactive website is currently undergoing maintenance and upgrades and will be available before the 2010 - 2011 school year begins.

Welcome to The Mariners' Museum Age of Exploration Online Curriculum Guide.  The materials that follow address maritime discovery from ancient times to Captain Cook's 1768 voyage to the South Pacific.

Teachers can use the curriculum guide in a variety of ways. It is especially appropriate for grades three through high school world history and geography. The curriculum weaves together visual images, video, and text, as well as materials that can be downloaded or printed for transparencies, presentations, or reports. It includes lesson plans, vocabulary, links to related web sites, and guides to other reference materials. Teachers planning a field trip to The Mariners' Museum will find the guide valuable for classroom sessions before and after their visit, but it can also stand alone, bringing the Museum's treasures into the classroom.

The Guide materials are based on The Mariners' Museum Age of Exploration Gallery, in which intriguing artifacts, videos, and other materials trace how technological inventions and growing knowledge of the Earth and skies made possible the voyages of exploration and discovery that changed the course of history.

Browse the Age of Exploration through:

• Introduction
  
  • Europe in Historical Context
  • Explorers in Historical Context
• Biographies
  
  • The Ancient World
  • English Explorers
  • French Explorers
  • The Native Experience
  • Portuguese Explorers
  • Spanish Explorers
  • Viking Explorers
• Timeline
• Vocabulary
• Maps, Routes, and Voyages
• Activities for Students & Teachers
• Bibliographies & Suggested Reading
• Site Map

The Age of Exploration Online Curriculum Guide was developed with a generous grant from Verizon.