Why Europeans Sailed West: Routes and Resources

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Explain European motives for crossing the Atlantic, including finding new trade routes to Asia and securing timber, fish, and furs.

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European Exploration of the Northeast

2nd Grade · Social Studies · US-MA-SS

10 lessons

Goal

Trace early European voyages across the Atlantic, evaluate explorers' motives and maps, and analyze first contacts with Indigenous peoples.

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Learning standards covered

3.T3.1Massachusetts Social Studies Standards · 5th Grade

Locate North America, the Atlantic Ocean, and Europe on a map, explain how Native Peoples first came into contact with Europeans, and explain why Europeans in the 16th–17th centuries sailed westward across the Atlantic (e.g., to find new trade routes to Asia and new supplies of natural resources such as metals, timber, and fish).