The Columbian Exchange Worksheet

Students will identify the Old World and New World on a map and diagram which goods moved between the Americas and Europe during the Columbian Exchange (page 1).

Students will connect the Columbian Exchange to their own food choices by identifying which menu items would not have existed in the Americas before European contact (page 1).

Students will define mercantilism and list its three main ideas (page 2).

Have students complete the restaurant-menu question (question 2) before the food-origin reasoning question (question 4), since the worksheet is designed for students to look back at their own menu answers.

Since the file is an editable Word document, teachers can adjust the menu categories or add a class discussion prompt for question 5 before printing.

Pair questions 6-7 (mercantilism) with question 9 (Spanish colonial class system) as a mini-lesson on the economic and social structure behind the Columbian Exchange.

Map labeling and diagramming -- students label the Old World and New World and diagram traded goods and triangular trade routes across three separate map/diagram questions.

Historical cause-and-effect reasoning -- students trace how the Columbian Exchange connects to their own modern food choices.

Vocabulary and concept explanation -- students define mercantilism and list its core ideas in their own words.