Americans wanted to fulfill Manifest Destiny, and this pattern continued with the Mexican War. The resource specifically teaches about the Mexican War through a variety of exercises including a research project, group work, brainstorming...

Students discover the accomplishments of Hernan Cortes. In this Exploration Age instructional activity, students discuss the attributes of Cortes and his role as a conquistador. Students then conduct further research to participate in a...

Students simulate an Independent Counsel to represent the Spanish and the Aztecs to formulate a policy for the Roman Catholic Church in 1527. They conduct research, graph the similarities and differences, create a poster, and write a...

Students examine the influence of the Spanish conquistadors on ancient South American Cultures. In four separate lessons, they discover the relationships of Cortes and the Aztecs, Pizarro and the Incas, Orellana and the Amazons, and...

Students engineer a way to provide drinking water using Aztec technology.  In this engineering a way to provide drinking water using Aztec technology lesson plan, students find a way to deliver fresh water to a city surrounded by...

Ninth graders research the reasons to why people want to find the city of El Dorado. In this Spanish exploration lesson, 9th graders read an article and answer guided reading questions. Students present their findings to the...

Students create a study guide on colonization of North America. For this American Colonization lesson, students complete a chart of explorers and their conquests. Students complete a crossword puzzle using explorer facts. Students read...

Students examine the work of Spanish conquistadors. In this Inca lesson, students research factors that led to Pizzaro's conquest of the Inca and compose essays pertaining to their findings.

Fourth graders discuss the importance of Coronado's expedition through Texas and the trials his men endured during the journey. They view and discuss a map of Coronado's route, the effects of weather on the Great Plains, and Buffalo....