While learning about the Age of Exploration, sophomores in Christina McCoy’s World History honors classes create a project to explain the importance of the time period.

 “I chose this type of project because it has choices for the student and because we needed to cover this topic in general,” McCoy said. “I wanted them to have some say in what they were presenting as well to give it a different feel than most projects in the past have been like.”

 Students specifically discussed the trade routes explorers took, the interaction between several countries and people, and explorers in general.

 “I think that this project benefitted me because I got a deeper understanding of how people in the past explored and discovered new ideas that would benefit us in the future,” sophomore Regan Thomas said. “I like that the CD case was an option for this project because it allowed me to include my own ideas and opinions while creating, as well.”

Besides their slideshow, students were required to choose between a photo-essay, art, video project, mapping an event, artwork, how inventions impact life or a CD case. 

“My partner and I chose the CD case, inventions” impact for life and mapping an event, and we chose these because they sounded the most interesting ” sophomore Daman Sandhu said. “We wanted to research the different aspects of travel regarding boats and making a playlist with songs that would fit the Age of Exploration well.” 

Once students finished their presentations, they will begin learning about World War I and slavery. 

“My expectations from the students for this project is that they research and comprehend motivations for exploration and the impact of our past,” McCoy said. “They also will now know more about explorers and will be able to connect it to globalization as a whole which is an objective I have been hoping to be fulfilled by the students.”