Unit 4--Reading and Writing Workshop
Transoceanic Interconnections (c. 1450–1750)
Theme: Expansion, Encounter, and Exchange
Workshop Focus: Maritime exploration, early global trade, and cultural encounters shaping the modern world
Session 1 – SAQ Practice: Voyages, Technologies, and Global Impact
Part A – Standard SAQ (No Documents)
Prompt:
Answer all parts using your knowledge of world history from 1450–1750.
a) Identify and explain ONE way new maritime technologies facilitated long-distance trade.
b) Identify and explain ONE way state power expanded through overseas empires.
c) Identify and explain ONE cultural or religious effect of early global connections.
Group Activity – “Navigating the World”
Part B – Stimulus-Based SAQ
Stimulus:
Excerpt from Christopher Columbus, Letter to Ferdinand and Isabella (1493):
“I discovered many islands thickly peopled, of which I took possession… and in all the islands I saw many trees of immense size and of a thousand kinds, all bearing fruit of their own sort… The inhabitants are very simple and honest, and exceedingly liberal with all they have.”
🔗 Project Gutenberg – Select Letters of Christopher Columbus
Prompt:
a) Identify and explain ONE economic motivation for Columbus’s voyages reflected in the excerpt.
b) Identify and explain ONE cultural assumption demonstrated in the excerpt.
c) Identify and explain ONE broader historical development between 1450–1750 that helps contextualize this document.
Group Activity – “Voyage Voices”
Session 2 – LEQ Practice: Global Economic Transformations
Prompt:
Evaluate the extent to which transoceanic interconnections transformed global economic systems between 1450 and 1750.
Rubric Alignment (6 pts)
“They [the Spaniards] have no more consideration for them [the natives] than beasts… They have treated them not as men, but as less than dung.”
🔗 Project Gutenberg – A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies
Group Activity – “The Exchange Debate”
Session 3 – DBQ Practice: Cultural, Economic, and Political Change
Prompt:
Evaluate the extent to which transoceanic interconnections fostered cultural, economic, or political change between 1450–1750.
Documents and Excerpts
Document 1 – Christopher Columbus, 1493
(see excerpt above)
🔗 Project Gutenberg – Select Letters of Christopher Columbus
Document 2 – Bartolomé de las Casas, 1542
(see excerpt above)
🔗 Project Gutenberg – A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies
Document 3 – Antonio de Morga, Events of the Philippine Islands (1609)
“Chinese merchants bring silks and porcelain… The Spaniards trade silver from New Spain in return. This trade enriches both the islands and New Spain.”
🔗 Project Gutenberg – Events in the Philippine Islands
Document 4 – Richard Hakluyt, Discourse Concerning Western Planting (1584)
“It will be to the great profit of this realm… to enlarge the dominions of the Queen’s most excellent Majesty and to spread the Gospel of Christ.”
🔗 Fordham Internet History Sourcebook – Hakluyt: Discourse on Western Planting
Group Activity – “Document Marketplace”
DBQ Group Writing
Deliverable: Group DBQ outline with thesis, context, evidence, sourcing, and complexity.
Session 4 – Reflection and Synthesis: The Global Age
Excerpt B – Antonio Pigafetta, The First Voyage Around the World (1524)
“We went by way of the west to discover the east… proving that the world is round and that the seas are one.”
🔗 Project Gutenberg – The First Voyage Around the World
Group Activity – “The World Connected”
In a paragraph (150–200 words), evaluate:
“The early modern era marked both the birth of a global economy and the beginning of global inequality.”
Support with two examples from this workshop.
Group Roles (For All Sessions)
Workshop Deliverables
Transoceanic Interconnections (c. 1450–1750)
Theme: Expansion, Encounter, and Exchange
Workshop Focus: Maritime exploration, early global trade, and cultural encounters shaping the modern world
Session 1 – SAQ Practice: Voyages, Technologies, and Global Impact
Part A – Standard SAQ (No Documents)
Prompt:
Answer all parts using your knowledge of world history from 1450–1750.
a) Identify and explain ONE way new maritime technologies facilitated long-distance trade.
b) Identify and explain ONE way state power expanded through overseas empires.
c) Identify and explain ONE cultural or religious effect of early global connections.
Group Activity – “Navigating the World”
- Divide into groups of four and assign roles:
- Navigator – identifies maritime innovations (caravel, compass, lateen sail).
- Economist – describes economic motivations and impacts (spice trade, mercantilism).
- Cultural Analyst – traces cultural/religious diffusion (Christian missions, syncretism).
- Cartographer – maps routes of European exploration.
- On a shared poster or digital slide, groups design a “World at Sea” map with annotated examples of voyages and technologies.
- End with a quick gallery walk: compare visualizations and discuss which factor—technology, economy, or culture—had the most global impact.
Part B – Stimulus-Based SAQ
Stimulus:
Excerpt from Christopher Columbus, Letter to Ferdinand and Isabella (1493):
“I discovered many islands thickly peopled, of which I took possession… and in all the islands I saw many trees of immense size and of a thousand kinds, all bearing fruit of their own sort… The inhabitants are very simple and honest, and exceedingly liberal with all they have.”
🔗 Project Gutenberg – Select Letters of Christopher Columbus
Prompt:
a) Identify and explain ONE economic motivation for Columbus’s voyages reflected in the excerpt.
b) Identify and explain ONE cultural assumption demonstrated in the excerpt.
c) Identify and explain ONE broader historical development between 1450–1750 that helps contextualize this document.
Group Activity – “Voyage Voices”
- In groups, students source the document (POV, audience, purpose, and context).
- Then they rewrite the letter from the Indigenous perspective in three short sentences.
- Share and discuss how point of view influences interpretation of early encounters.
Session 2 – LEQ Practice: Global Economic Transformations
Prompt:
Evaluate the extent to which transoceanic interconnections transformed global economic systems between 1450 and 1750.
Rubric Alignment (6 pts)
- Thesis/Claim (1)
- Contextualization (1)
- Evidence (2)
- Analysis & Reasoning (2)
- Contextualizer: Describes early modern global context (Columbian Exchange, silver trade, rise of maritime empires).
- Thesis Crafter: Constructs defensible “extent” argument.
- Evidence Collector: Gathers at least three examples (Atlantic system, Potosí mines, Dutch VOC).
- Analyst: Develops complexity and counterarguments.
“They [the Spaniards] have no more consideration for them [the natives] than beasts… They have treated them not as men, but as less than dung.”
🔗 Project Gutenberg – A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies
Group Activity – “The Exchange Debate”
- Split into two halves:
- Team A: The World Was Transformed (Columbian Exchange, capitalism, plantation economies).
- Team B: The World Was Exploited (forced labor, slavery, mercantilism).
- Each group presents two pieces of evidence for their side and one counterpoint for complexity.
- Conclude with a whole-class synthesis discussion: Did transoceanic exchange mark progress or exploitation?
Session 3 – DBQ Practice: Cultural, Economic, and Political Change
Prompt:
Evaluate the extent to which transoceanic interconnections fostered cultural, economic, or political change between 1450–1750.
Documents and Excerpts
Document 1 – Christopher Columbus, 1493
(see excerpt above)
🔗 Project Gutenberg – Select Letters of Christopher Columbus
Document 2 – Bartolomé de las Casas, 1542
(see excerpt above)
🔗 Project Gutenberg – A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies
Document 3 – Antonio de Morga, Events of the Philippine Islands (1609)
“Chinese merchants bring silks and porcelain… The Spaniards trade silver from New Spain in return. This trade enriches both the islands and New Spain.”
🔗 Project Gutenberg – Events in the Philippine Islands
Document 4 – Richard Hakluyt, Discourse Concerning Western Planting (1584)
“It will be to the great profit of this realm… to enlarge the dominions of the Queen’s most excellent Majesty and to spread the Gospel of Christ.”
🔗 Fordham Internet History Sourcebook – Hakluyt: Discourse on Western Planting
Group Activity – “Document Marketplace”
- Set up four “market stalls,” each representing one document.
- Each group rotates through stalls, sourcing each doc (Purpose, POV, Audience, Context).
- At each stop, they collect “evidence cards” summarizing key arguments and trade impacts.
- After rotations, groups build a “Global Exchange Board” connecting documents by themes:
- Exploration & Empire
- Trade & Economy
- Cultural Encounters & Consequences
DBQ Group Writing
- Write a group thesis evaluating the extent of change.
- Use at least three documents and one piece of outside evidence (e.g., sugar plantations, transatlantic slavery, Tokugawa seclusion).
- Include a complexity statement, e.g.:
Deliverable: Group DBQ outline with thesis, context, evidence, sourcing, and complexity.
Session 4 – Reflection and Synthesis: The Global Age
Excerpt B – Antonio Pigafetta, The First Voyage Around the World (1524)
“We went by way of the west to discover the east… proving that the world is round and that the seas are one.”
🔗 Project Gutenberg – The First Voyage Around the World
Group Activity – “The World Connected”
- Each group selects a theme—Economic, Political, or Cultural—and designs a visual timeline (1450–1750) showing key connections.
- Annotate at least five events and two quotes from workshop sources.
- Present to class and discuss how early globalization connects to today’s world systems.
In a paragraph (150–200 words), evaluate:
“The early modern era marked both the birth of a global economy and the beginning of global inequality.”
Support with two examples from this workshop.
Group Roles (For All Sessions)
- Content Expert: Provides factual detail.
- Connector: Links ideas to AP themes (GOV, ECO, SOC, ENV).
- Writer: Drafts the collective product.
- Reviewer: Ensures accuracy and reasoning alignment.
Workshop Deliverables
- SAQ Packet (Standard + Stimulus)
- LEQ Group Outline
- DBQ Organizer (Evidence & Sourcing)
- Visual Timeline & Reflection