HOW DO OCEANS CONNECT US?
First, they were barriers. Impassable bodies of water that marked the edge of the known world. But innovations in navigation and engineering turned the world’s oceans into highways, connecting people and ideas across vast distances. Explore the histories of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans and the networks humans created that linked them together.
SET SAIL WITH THESE MATERIALS
OCEANIC CONNECTIONS
Students examine the impacts that increased connections had on people’s lives in this ready-made lesson.
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LONG-DISTANCE TRADE ROUTES
Use this collection of lessons and materials to reveal the impacts of oceanic connections and trade.
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OCEAN-BASED HISTORIES
Dive into the individual histories of three big oceanic systems and how they connected with one another, in this blog by historian Bram Hubbell.
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MORE RESOURCES AHOY!
A MAN OF THREE NAMES
Captured by the Ming Dynasty, the man who would become Zheng He climbed the ranks to become an accomplished admiral. Reveal the real story behind the legend of Sinbad the Sailor with this graphic biography.
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A SHIFTING GLOBAL ECONOMY
Introduce students to Lord Macartney, who traveled from England to China to improve trade and whose story highlights an emerging global economy.
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PRIMARY SOURCES: MIGRATION
Read firsthand accounts of migrants who traveled from Europe and Asia to the Americas between 1750 and 1900 with this collection of primary source documents.
See the collection
Flotsam and Jetsam
Check out the materials below for even more resources related to connections across oceans.
EXPLORE OTHER OER PROJECT LESSON TOPICS
The lessons in OER Project courses build curious, creative, and connected students. Our free, online resources are designed to support teachers and power amazing classroom experiences. Explore more of our lesson plans on a variety of social studies topics!
Columbian Exchange
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Global Conflicts
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Women in History
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