Age of Exploration

The Age of Exploration was a global race for resources, power, and influence—a scramble that reshaped continents and cultures. Its consequences didn’t end in the 1500s; they’re still woven into today’s world. Our classroom-ready lessons help students uncover the ambitions behind these voyages, explore their far-reaching impacts, and connect this pivotal era to modern global systems.

Age of Exploration

Teaching the Age of Exploration

World History Lesson Guide: Age of Exploration

Explore the beginnings of the European empires that cemented transoceanic connections. Teacher instructions and guiding questions included.

Blog Post: Voyages in Collective Learning: Mau Piailug

Follow Mau Piailug’s revival of Polynesian star navigation, which shows students how collective learning can be lost and rediscovered, and can even steer wayfinders toward new futures.

Community Forum: Age of Exploration Using Apple Pie

Check out teachers’ ideas for giving students an interesting (and tasty!) entry point to the Age of Exploration.

Teach Tomorrow: Lessons on Exploration and Conquest

World History Origins

The First Global Age

1200 to 1750 CE

Age of Exploration

European maritime voyages forged lasting transoceanic connections that reshaped the world. Students discover what made these oceanic empires possible and how they stood apart from their land-based counterparts.

World History 1200

Transoceanic Connections

1450 – 1750 CE

The arrival of Europeans in the Americas brought grim tidings for Indigenous populations, who resisted colonization in every region of the Americas. Dive into the consequences of European transatlantic exploration and conquest in this classroom-ready lesson.

Age of Exploration Resources for Deeper Learning

Painting of several ships on a rough sea. A small boat full of people is in the bottom right corner. A large ship with several masts is in the center.

World History Origins

Origins of Oceanic Connections

Western European mariners set off to find new routes to Asian trade markets. Instead, they found the Americas—and so began a long process of global interconnections.

A richly illustrated, hand-colored map from the Miller Atlas, c1519, depicting the Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf, India, and North Africa. The map is embellished with illustrations of mythical creatures, ships, towns, and geographical features.

World History AP®

The Cosmopolitan Indian Ocean

When Europeans arrived in the Indian Ocean, they encountered a complex and cosmopolitan world. It would be a long time before they could exert control over this system.

A portrait of the explorer, Ahmad Ibn Mājid, writing on a piece of paper with a map of Asia, Africa, and the Indian Ocean is behind.

Lion of the Sea

Being a great sailor requires a lot of knowledge. The greatest among them relied heavily on the collective learning that made crossing the vast Indian Ocean possible.

Silver Trade and Transoceanic Voyages Thematic Map

A full-color thematic map of the Silver Trade and Transoceanic Voyages in 1550 CE, meant to help you support, extend, and challenge the frame narratives.

World History AP®

Making Transoceanic Connections

Connect the hexagons to deepen your understanding of the Age of Exploration and transoceanic interconnections.

Amonute Graphic Biography

World History 1200

Graphic Biographies

Amonute

Amonute was a Powhatan woman who intervened between her people and early English colonists in Virginia. Learn the two sides to her story.

Assessments on the Age of Exploration

World History AP®

Writing: LEQ Evidence, Historical Reasoning, and Complexity Part 1

How do you prepare for writing an AP® LEQ? Read a sample essay to identify evidence, historical reasoning, and complexity to sharpen your skills.

World History AP®

Unit 4 LEQ

How much did economic developments between 1450 and 1750 impact social structures? Use content from the unit along with your writing skills to answer this question.

World History AP®

Unit 4 DBQ

Using the sources, develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which economic developments that occurred between 1450 and 1750 impacted social structures over time.

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