Columbian Exchange
The Columbian Exchange kicked off a collision of the four major world zones—and the ripple effects permanently reshaped Indigenous, African, and European societies. Our classroom-ready lesson plans, primary source collections, and teaching materials help students dig into this turning point, think critically about its consequences, and connect it to today’s global systems.
Teaching the Columbian Exchange
OER Project Map Index
Find maps for teaching about the Columbian Exchange, Age of Exploration, and Global Trade Routes.
World History Lesson Guide: The Columbian Exchange
Teacher instructions and guiding questions to help your students build their content knowledge and historical thinking skills.
Blog Post: Teaching the Columbian Exchange
In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Tomorrow I’m teaching the Columbian Exchange—I’m out of ideas, what should I do?
Blog Post: Columbian Exchange History + Climate Change
The Columbian Exchange transformed environments. Learn how you can connect today's climate change with this historical process.
Teach Tomorrow: Lessons on the Columbian Exchange
Lesson 3.5
The Columbian Exchange
After 1492, oceanic empires and transoceanic trade moved plants, animals, people, and disease to new places. This exchange transformed populations, food, culture, and social structures in every society on Earth.
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Lesson 6.2
Four World Zones Connect
The connection of the world zones helped establish empires unlike any the world had ever known, powered by incredible technological breakthroughs. But this interconnection came at a staggering cost.
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Lesson 6.8.3
Crops that Grew the World
After 1492, the movement of plants had monumental effects on populations, the environment, and systems of production and distribution.
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Columbian Exchange Materials for Deeper Learning
The First Global Age (1200 to 1750 CE): Unit 6 Overview
Video
The First Global Age (1200 to 1750 CE): Unit 6 Overview
As global interconnections increased during the Columbian Exchange, people blended traditional teachings with new ideas to transform the world.
The Disastrous Effects of Increased Global Interactions c. 1500 to c. 1600
Article
The Disastrous Effects of Increased Global Interactions c. 1500 to c. 1600
Global interactions benefited many people; however, many others were also deeply and cruelly impacted by this new global connection.
Consequences of the Columbian Exchange
Activity
Consequences of the Columbian Exchange
Test your understanding of the causes and effects of the Columbian Exchange to think about the impacts of this global connection we still feel today.
Sourcing: Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire
Activity
Sourcing: Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire
These sixteenth-century documents describe the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. Why did they do it? How did Indigenous peoples respond?
Amonute
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.
For Better or Worse
Closer
For Better or Worse
Was the Columbian Exchange a net positive or negative for the world? Time for you to decide for yourself.
Writing Assessments for Teaching the Columbian Exchange
Pre-Writing: The Columbian Exchange
Assessment
Pre-Writing: The Columbian Exchange
Get ready for writing by crafting a claim and gathering supporting evidence.
DBQ Sources: The Columbian Exchange
Assessment
DBQ Sources: The Columbian Exchange
Analyze these sources and gather evidence to support your argument.
Writing: The Columbian Exchange
Assessment
Writing: The Columbian Exchange
Time to write! Demonstrate your understanding of this unit’s content by creating a written argument in response to a prompt.
Materials to Connect Climate Change and the Columbian Exchange
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Exploring the Grand Challenges
To solve climate change, we need to decarbonize. Sounds easy, right? Not so fast: this video will help you see how reducing emissions is anything but.
Emissions Image Sort
Sort images of greenhouse gas emissions into different categories to prepare to learn more about the sources of these emissions.
