European arrivals in the Americas
I can explain how the Europeans came to arrive in North America.
European arrivals in the Americas
I can explain how the Europeans came to arrive in North America.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- During the Renaissance, European thinkers began to learn more about navigating the globe.
- Christopher Columbus was able to sail across the Atlantic Ocean and land in the Americas in 1492.
- First European involvement in the Americas was for trade and exploration.
- Europeans called the Americas the 'New World'.
- Europeans began to claim land in the 'New World' for themselves.
Common misconception
Pupils think that America was ‘discovered’ by Europeans or that it was a 'new' place.
Remind pupils that there were long-established communities in the Americas before European arrival - they did not need to be discovered.
Keywords
Renaissance - the Renaissance was a period of new thinking and ideas in Europe inspired by Ancient Rome and Greece
Empire - an empire is a group of countries or provinces ruled from the centre by a person or group of people
Native American - Native Americans are members of any of the peoples who were the original inhabitants of North and South America and the Caribbean Islands
Colony - a colony is a country or area under the control of another country and occupied by settlers from that country
Settlement - settlement is the process of establishing new communities in an area
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
people inhabiting an area before the arrival of colonists
original inhabitants of the Americas
a group of countries ruled from the centre by one group