Champlain Elementary Level Introduction

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
THE NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Elementary-Level Learning Experience

Samuel de Champlain Maps the Lands of New France

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NYSED LEARNING STANDARDS

Social Studies Standard 1: History of the United States and New York
Social Studies Standard 2: World History
Social Studies Standard 3: Geography

SOCIAL STUDIES CORE CURRICULUM

Grade 3 - Communities Around the World
The location of world communities
Grade 4 - Local History and Local Government
Three worlds (Europe, the Americas, and Africa) meet in the Americas

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS

Mathematics:
Mathematics, Science & Technology Standard 3: Mathematics
• Have students use a scale of miles to calculate the distances Champlain traveled.

Arts and Technology:
The Arts Standard 1: Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts Visual Arts
The Arts Standard 4: Understanding the Cultural Dimension and Contributions of the Arts Visual Arts
Mathematics, Science, & Technology Standard 5: Technology

• Have students research the kinds of ships and technologies that Champlain might have used and ask them to draw pictures of 16th century sailing vessels and technologies that were used by Europeans.
– What navigational technologies did Samuel Champlain in his many voyages across the North Atlantic Ocean?
– How was he able to find his way back and forth each time?

English Language Arts and Science:
English Language Arts Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding Speaking & Writing
English Language Arts Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding Listening & Reading
Mathematics, Science & Technology Standard 4: Living Environment
– Have students read excerpts from Champlain's journal (reading B1) and draw pictures of the land and animals he described. Reading B1 is a direct translation from Champlain's own journal. Reading B2 is a simplified version of the direct translation.

SKILLS

Thinking Skills – Drawing inferences and making conclusions
Research and Writing Skills – Getting information, organizing information, synthesizing information
Interpersonal and Group Relation Skills – Participating in group planning and discussion
Sequencing and Chronology Skills – Sequencing major events on a timeline
Maps and Globe Skills – Reading maps, legends, symbols, and scales
Graph and Image Analysis Skills – Decoding images (graphs, cartoons, paintings, photographs)

CONCEPTS

Change
Needs and Wants
Technology
Culture
Interdependence