Lesson One: Learning about Early Modern Era Empires

• Empire Fact-Finding Graphic Organizer
• Intelligence Briefing Planning Sheet
• Empires: Factors to Consider
  • Dutch Republic
  • English Empire
  • Ming/Qing Empire
  • Mughal Empire
  • Ottoman Empire
  • Russian Empire
  • Safavid Empire
  • Spanish Empire
  • Venetian Empire
  • West African (Ashante) Empire
• Diplomacy Challenge Presentation Rubric
• Sample Intelligence Briefing: Portugal
• Sample Intelligence Presentation: Portugal
• Primary sources or links to these sources necessary to complete the individual lesson

The day before the lesson, assign students to one of the ten teams and give each team their Empires: Factors to Consider.  For homework the night before, have students read the factors to consider for their empire and categorize them using the Empire Fact Finding Graphic Organizer and then prioritize the facts (e.g., Spain Catholic) according to which ones are most important to maintain and expand their empire’s power .

Before class, organize desks into teams of three to five members, depending on class size. Assign one empire per team.

Provide each team with a small white boards and marker.

Activity 1. Introducing Empires, Diplomacy, and Power

The day before the lesson, assign students to one of the ten teams and give each team their Empires: Factors to Consider.  For homework the night before, have students read the factors to consider for their empire and categorize them using the Empire Fact Finding Graphic Organizer and then prioritize the facts (e.g., Spain Catholic) according to which ones are most important to maintain and expand their empire’s power .

Begin class by reminding students of the overall guiding question of the unit: How do empires use diplomacy to maintain and expand their power? Then have them work in their empire teams to discussing the characteristics and priorities of  their empire, coming up with three to five distinct factors that are the most important to maintain and expand their empire’s power.

Activity 2. Using their Intelligence Briefing Planning Sheet

Each empire team will create a PowerPoint that will become an “intelligence briefing” for other teams. This briefing will use one or two images that represent the prioritized Factors to Consider and no text.  For example, if the Spanish Empire believed that their Roman Catholic faith was a central part of their identity, they might put a crucifix as an image to represent this in their PowerPoint. Students may have only seven slides to present their empire.

If there is time the teacher can model the sample PowerPoint presentation on Portugal in Preparation and Resources using the script to demonstrate the format for the presentation.

On their white board, each empire team writes the three most important facts about their empire that they believe other empires should know.

Have students research the crops and food that were exchanged as a result of Early Modern diplomacy and create a Columbian Exchange Cookbook.