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The Columbian Exchange of Old and New World Foods (Grades 9-12)

Students explore New World and Old World food origins to discover how the Columbian Exchange altered people’s lives worldwide.

Grades
9 – 12
Estimated Time
12 hours
Updated
October 29, 2024
World map with arrows showing pathways of trade during the Columbian Exchange.

Background

Lesson Activities

Credits

Author

Debra Spielmaker and Grace Struiksma | Utah Agriculture in the Classroom

Sources

  1. https://www.cadbury.com.au/about-chocolate/harvesting-and-processing-cocoa-beans.aspx
  2. http://olivetreegrowers.com/faq.php

Standards

National Content Area Standards

  • Social Studies – Geography
    • APHG Topic 5.3: Agricultural Origins and Diffusions
      • SPS-5.B.1: Patterns of diffusion, such as the Columbian Exchange and the agricultural revolutions, resulted in the global spread of various plants and animals.
  • Social Studies – History
    • World History Era 6 Standard 1C (Grades 9-12): Consequences of the worldwide exchange of flora, fauna, and pathogens.
      • Objective 1: Assess ways in which the exchange of plants and animals around the world in the late 15th and the 16th centuries affected European, Asian, African, and American Indian societies and commerce.