• Identify the motives, accomplishments and character of two explorers, and talk about the dangers they faced
• Draw conclusions based on a variety of evidence
• Navigate the Passageways website to find information

• Identify the main point in short documents
• Use writing skills for various purposes and in a range of contexts
• Read a variety of fiction and non-fiction material
• Respond personally and critically to ideas and values presented in texts

• WPC GO - 2.2 and 3
• Quebec objectives - 2.1, 2.2 (reading) and 1, 2 and 3 (writing)
• APEF GCO - 4.3, 5.1, 6.2, and 8.2

• 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.
• Students will need to be familiar with the Passageways website.
• 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.

Enhancing Students' Interest

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 when it would have been more exciting to be an explorer -- in the 16th century or in the 19th century? Point out that there were differences in technology and science (e.g. better ships, discovery of the cause of scurvy). Inform them that they will be comparing two explorers to learn about how some things changed… and some didn't.

• Familiarize the students with the basic navigation on the NLC website by showing them how to reach the Kids' Page and the Passageways site. Point out the links on each page (e.g. glossary, explorers index, etc.).
• Distribute the handouts and read the introduction as a class. Go over the basic procedure by answering the first question with them, using Cartier and Amundsen as an example. Write out a sample answer on the board.
• Assign two explorers to each group. Some possibilities :
  • John Cabot / Henry Kelsey
  • Martin Frobisher / Samuel de Champlain
  • John Davis / Hearne and Matonabbee
  • Henry Hudson / the La Vérendryes
  • Jacques Cartier / David Thompson
  • Alexander Mackenzie / Roald Amundsen
  • Simon Fraser / Robert McClure
  • George Vancouver / the Norse
  • James Cook / John Franklin
• After completing 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.

• Review which explorers the students thought were the best, with reasons.
• Review which explorers the students thought were the best, with reasons.
• Based on answers and information learned in all three lessons, which explorer did the students like and admire the most? Take a vote.