America: Discovery and Exploration. Christopher Columbus.

My CLIL didactic unit is for 7^th-Grade History and it is about the discovery and exploration of America and Christopher Columbus.

The learning outcomes are:

•      To know the antecedents of the process of European expansion
•      To know the main motivation for exploration
•      To recognize the different routes taken by 15^th-century explorers to find the New    World and identify those routes on a map
•      To know about Christopher Columbus

As our school is CER (Colegio Español de Rosario) in Argentina, we will see how closely related our own history and culture and the Spanish ones are.

The discourse types to be used are narration, description, dialogue and exposition, and the four basic linguistic skills will be practiced and developed.

The cognitive processes involved in the development of this unit are thinking, understanding, analyzing, remembering, explained and creating. The key competences to be developed are linguistic, social, digital, cultural, autonomy and learning to learn.

As regards evaluation, its criteria include identifying causes of explorations, knowing Christopher Columbus, and describing Columbus’ voyages, and its instruments are on-going assessment and

oral evaluation in the form of an oral presentation in pairs/groups with visual and written aids such as slide presentations, digital posters, etc.

The unit is divided into five sessions and the students will work individually, in pairs and in small groups. Each session will include different tasks and activities.

Session 1: (Worksheets 1-2)

The new vocabulary will be introduced. The students will read the words, listen to their pronunciation and repeat them. Then they will match the new words with pictures and with their definitions.

They will visit two webpages, read the information about the Age of Exploration and World Explorers and do an interactive activity I have created to check their understanding.

They will also watch two videos on Columbus and his voyages, Columbus Day: Learning about Christopher Columbus and Christopher Columbus, and take down notes to answer some comprehension questions. They will finally discuss the answers to the questions with a partner.

Session 2: (Worksheet 3)

As a revision of the previous session, students will read a mini-biography and put the events in Columbus’ life in order. Then they will visit the BBC Primary School History website and read more about Columbus, do a quiz and play a game.

Students will also play Walk the Plank and Rags to Riches.

If they are interested in learning more about Columbus, they are given three mores videos to watch at home and learn from: Christopher Columbus: What Really Happened, Christopher Columbus: an Explorer and Navigator and Christopher Columbus.

Session 3: (Worksheet 4)

Students will read about Columbus’ voyages at ChristopherColumbus: Voyages to the New World and identify and trace them on a map.

They will finally visit the Encyclopedia Britannica website to check their work.

Session 4: (Worksheet 5)

Students will work in pairs to act out an interview between an international magazine reporter and Christopher Columbus. They will have a concept map as help.

As a follow-up activity, they will write the interview.

Session 5: (Worksheet 6)

Students will work in groups of three. They will choose the subtopic of the unit that they consider the most interesting and collect more information about it. They will prepare a presentation using a digital tool such as Powerpoint, Padlet, Prezi, or Glogster.

They will present their work in class and this presentation will be an important part of the evaluation of the unit.