• Identify significant biographical information for one explorer, including:
  • Year of birth
  • Where the explorer went
  • The explorer's goal and whether or not he succeeded
  • The legacy of the explorer

• Draw conclusions based on a variety of evidence
• Navigate the Passageways website to find information

• Identify the main point in short documents

• WPC GO - R: 3.2
• Quebec objectives - 2.1 (reading)
• APEF CGO - 5.1

• Students will need to be familiar with common navigation tools and browsers (e.g. how to use the "back" button, how to open and close windows)They will also need to be familiar with the use of a mouse and Windows/MacOS operating systems.
• It will be useful for students to have a general background in Canadian history; in particular, to know that Canada is a young nation that was first settled by First Nations peoples and then settled by Europeans, who began mapping it.

If this is the first lesson being used with the Passageways website:

Photocopy parts of a large map: Europe, Africa and China. Highlight the coastlines so that they are easily visible. Arrange the three pieces on the board as they would have appeared on the map.

Tell the children that they live in Europe in the 15th century and that they have learned of a rich land, full of treasure, called China. Are they interested in going?

Tell them that they could go around Africa, but that there are pirates and other enemies along the way. Everything else is unknown. Ask:

• How they would get to China -- would they fight the pirates or try to find a new way?
• What dangers might they expect to find along the way?
• How long do they think it would take to get there (an average trip around Africa took three years)?

Explain to the students that they will be learning about people who did exactly the same thing, and that they faced more dangers than the average Canadian can imagine: cold, starvation, scurvy, unfamiliar people, wild animals, and much more.

If this is not the first lesson being used with the Passageways website:

Discuss some of the answers from the previous lesson. Ask students which explorer they thought was the most interesting. Why? Explain that each explorer was interesting in a different way, and that all made invaluable contributions to the opening and mapping of Canada.

• If not already done, familiarize the students with the basic navigation on the NLC website by showing them how to reach the Kids' Page and the Passageways website.
• Distribute the handouts and read the introduction as a class. Assign each group of students an explorer to research. Go over the basic procedure by answering the first two questions with them. Point out the links on each page (e.g. glossary, explorers index, etc.).
• Once they have completed this demo, students should be able to follow instructions and answer the questions in pairs or in small groups, according to their ability and the availability of computers.
• Students can make a presentation of their findings in the next class.
• Key Questions:
  • How many researched explorers were searching for the Northwest Passage?
  • How many were looking for an overland route to the Pacific?
  • How many died while exploring?
  • How many succeeded in finding their goal?
  • How many were friendly with First Nations peoples?
• Discuss the reasons for the results