The Adventures of Samuel de Champlain

by Sara Christ
I. Lesson Plan Overview and Description
1. Expected duration: 1 class period (50-60 minutes)
2. Social Sciences: History, Geography
3. Concepts: This lesson focuses on the challenges and adventures of French
explorer Samuel de Champlain, specifically: Champlains first trip to North
America; his exploration of the St. Lawrence River and the region he
discovered (Quebec); and the areas and lakes Champlain explored and
mapped.
4. Vocabulary:
a. Colonist: a person who lives in a colony or is a founder of a new colony
b. Conquest: the act of invading, taking over, and ruling another area or
group
c. Establish: to set up a system, organization, or government
d. Navigate: to find ones way over a long distance; to steer a course
toward a destination
e. Settlement: a new place where people live
5. Skills: Geography, exploration, note taking, map making
6. Broad Goals of Lesson: Children will get the opportunity to explore, take
notes, and make maps to understand some of the things Champlain did as an
explorer.
II. Content Outline
A. Who Was Champlain?
Samuel de Champlain was a French explorer and colonist
Our knowledge of Champlain is incomplete, especially his early years
He was born near the western coast of France sometime around 1567
Champlains father, a sea captain, taught him how to navigate across the
ocean
o Polished his navigational skills
o Became an expert mapmaker
1598: he began sailing with his uncle on long voyages, taking sketching
local plants and animals and taking notes to describe them
1602: Champlain returned to France and shared his findings with King
Henry IV
King Henry was impressed with Champlain and thought that he would be
able to help France create more colonies in North America
B. Champlains First Trip to North America
1603: King Henry sent Champlain to New France as a part of a group
interested in trading the Native Americans for furs
One of the main reasons for establishing ports in North America was to
obtain furs, especially beaver furs, because hats made from beaver pelts
were a popular fashion item in Europe
Much of the beaver population had been wiped out in Europe, so King
Henry instructed Champlain to find a good site for a fur-trading colony in
North America
King Henry also told Champlain to search for the Northwest Passage

March 1603: Champlains group set sail in two ships, eventually entering
the St. Lawrence River
Had his first encounter with the Indians of New France when he crossed
the river to meet the Indians
Champlain became acquainted with the chief of the Montagnais tribe, who
hoped that the French would help them vanquish their enemy, the Iroquois
Champlain thought befriending the tribes could be beneficial
o Indians might help him explore this new land and expand the fur
trade

C. Exploring the St. Lawrence

On the way up the river, he stopped at a spot that the natives called
Kebec, meaning where the river narrows
To the French it became Quebec, and Champlain thought it would be a
good place for a French settlement
Champlain tried to find the Northwest Passage via the St. Lawrence River,
but was unsuccessful
Mid-August 1603: Champlain set sail for France, made his report to King
Henry who was pleased with Champlains work
D. Hard Times in Acadia
1604: Champlain returned to New France with about eighty male colonists
The group constructed homes and other building and settled in for a
difficult winter
Firewood and water were in short supply
Men ate dried foods and salted meat
The absence of fruits and vegetables caused them to get sick with scurvy
(caused by lack of vitamin C)
By the time spring arrived, 35 of the men had died
During the summer, Champlain resumed his explorations, sailing north
along the coast, reaching as far as what is now Cape Cod in
Massachusetts
E. The Founding of Quebec
1608: Champlain returned to the St. Lawrence Valley with 32 colonists and
anchored at Quebec in July
Settlers began constructing a group of houses and other buildings that he
called the Habitation of Quebec
Settlement was visited by the Native Americans, who reminded Champlain
of his promise to help them fight the Iroquois
That winter, scurvy affected many of the men and only 8 settlers survived
July 1609: Champlain and his men joined Native American warriors in a
raid against the Iroquois
o Iroquois were defeated
o During this trip, Champlain discovered a large lake that he named
for himself. It is still called lake Champlain
1620: Champlain was named governor of New France

Under his administration, Quebec expanded and prospered

1629 at Champlains fort on Cap Diamant: Champlain and his men
surrendered to the Kirke brothers from England and became their
prisoners (England and France were at war with one another)

F. Last Return to New France

The war ended and a peace treaty was signed
Champlain was released
1632: territory was given back to the French after they repaid their debt to
England
1633: Champlain returned to Quebec
1635: Champlain died a month after suffering a stroke
G. A Lasting Legacy
Helped France establish a thriving fur trade and opened new areas for
exploration
Quebec became Quebec City, the capital of the Canadian province of
Quebec
III. Standards
1. PDE SAS Standards
a. 7.1.3.A. = 7. Geography. 1. Basic Geographic Literacy. 3. 3 rd grade. A.
Identify how basic geographic tools are used to organize and interpret
information about people, places and environment.
b. 7.2.3.A. = 7. Geography. 2. Physical Characteristics of Places and
Regions. 3. 3rd grade. A. Identify the physical characteristics of places and
regions.
c. 8.4.3.D = 8. History. 4. World History. 3. 3rd grade. D. Identify conflict and
cooperation among groups and organizations from around the world.
2. PDE Common Core Not applicable
3. NCSS Themes and Subthemes
a. III.A. = III. People, Places, & Environments. A. Construct and use mental
maps of locales, regions, and the world that demonstrate understanding
of relative location, direction, size, and shape.
b. III.B. = III. People, Places, & Environments. B. Interpret, use, and
distinguish various representations of the earth, such as maps, globes,
and photographs.
c. III.H. = III. People, Places, & Environments. H. Examine the interaction of
human beings and their physical environment, the use of land, building of
cities, and ecosystem changes in selected locales and regions.
d. IX.B. = IX. Global Connections. B. Give examples of conflict, cooperation,
and interdependence among individuals, groups, and nations
IV. Lesson Objectives
1. Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of who Samuel de
Champlain was through prompts and questions during a teacher-guided read
aloud.
2. Students will be able to sketch an accurate map of the area they explore.

3. Students will be able to compare and contrast their own ventures with those
of Champlain and develop a plan for their next hypothetical exploration.
V. Teaching Procedures
1. Introduction/Anticipatory Set
a. Introduce the lesson by discussing other explorers that students have
learned about. Discuss what the explorers were looking for. Tell
students that this lesson will be about another explorer. This explorer
was French.
b. Show students a picture of Champlain and a map of the areas he
explored. Distribute a KWL chart and have students fill out the first two
columns with what they know about explorers and what they want to
know about Champlain.
c. Introduce the book and the vocabulary words. Tell children that after
we read the book, they will get the chance to be explorers, too. But
they must pay close attention to the story so they can learn how to be
good explorers.
2. Input
a. The first part of the lesson involves the teacher reading the book
Samuel de Champlain, Father of France to the class. The teacher will
ask questions throughout the reading of the text and ask students to
participate in several think-pair-share and turn-and-talk activities.
b. After the book has been read, the children will be given a few minutes
to write down what they learned in the L column of their KWL charts.
c. The children have already learned basic skills about map making. They
will use this knowledge to create a map in the exploration part of the
lesson.
3. Guided Practice
a. After the book has been finished, the teacher will tell the students that
they are almost ready to go exploring, but first the class will
brainstorm some things they need to keep in mind and remember in
order to be good explorers. The teacher will encourage the students to
think about the story they just heard as they come up with their
responses. The teacher will record the students responses on the
board.
b. Beaver pelt hats will be distributed to enhance the childrens
exploration experience. Teacher will refer to students as explorers.
c. The entire class will take a field trip to some location outside of the
school (i.e. playground, sports field, etc). The students will explore
the area, taking notes about any plants, animals, buildings, equipment,
etc. as if they are seeing them for the first time. Students will
work/travel in groups of two or three, but each student will have a
clipboard to record their individual observations.
d. The children will also be asked to sketch a rough drawing of a map of
the area they are exploring. As mentioned above, the children already
know the basics of mapmaking, but the teacher will remind them of the
most important points to remember.
e. The teacher will monitor and check in with each group. If she discovers
that many students have misconceptions or need guidance, she will
call the whole class over and clarify any confusion.

4. Independent Practice
a. When the class returns to the classroom, each group will be
responsible for creating a report of their findings (like Champlain)
and a final map of the area they explored. The students will use each
individuals notes to determine what is important to include in the
report and the map.
b. Groups will present their findings and maps to the class.
5. Differentiation
a. The lesson will be differentiated based on the specific learning and
behavioral needs of the students.
6. Closure
a. The children will respond to the following questions in writing:
i. List three important things that Champlain did during his
exploration of North America. (Think about the places he
discovered, the people he met, etc.)
ii. What challenges did you face in your exploration of (school
area)? How were they the same or different from the challenges
that Champlain faced when he explored North America?
iii. What would you have done if there were already people in the
area you wanted to explore? (Think about what Champlain did
when he first met the Native Americans)
iv. If you had the opportunity to explore again, what would you do
differently? What tools would you take with you? What other
notes would you take?
b. The students will have the opportunity to add more to the what I
learned column of the KWL chart.
VI. Teacher and Student Resources and Evaluation of Resources
Resource
Influence:
3+ Characteristics
Accessibility Overall Rating
Title or
and
Significant suggesting that the
Access for
Website
source is a quality
Suggestions
Influence
teachers or
Address
resource, reliable
for current,
(SI) or
others
material
future use of
Minor
resource
Influence
(MI) in
informing
your
thinking,
decisions
about the
lesson
plan
Samuel de
SI
1. Has won a number of
Reading A-Z
4/5. This book
Champlain,
educational awards for
requires a
would be better
Father of
its innovation in reading
paid
suited for more
New France
instruction.
subscription,
advanced
book from
so it is only
readers (which is
2. The student and
readingawhy I have used
teacher resources on the accessible to
z.com
people who
it as a teachersite have been
subscribe to
guided read
developed to reflect the

instructional practices
and reading strategies
that are best supported
by research findings from
a wide variety of sources.
3. The books have been
written to strict leveling
criteria and then further
analyzed using software
that rates each book
using more than 20
factors of difficulty.
Houghton
Mifflin Social
Studies,
Grade 3,
Teachers
Edition,
2005.
Chapter 4
Communitie
s in History

MI

1. 100+ years of
educational and trade
publishing
2. Books are used in
many schools across the
country
3. Specializes in dynamic
learning content for
students, teachers, and
parents.

Reading A-Z.
Sometimes
schools will
pay for a
school wide
subscription
so that
teachers,
students, and
parents can
all benefit
from the
resources.
Accessible to
those who
have
purchased
the textbook.
The content is
generally
easy to follow
and
understand,
but there are
some gaps.

aloud in this
lesson.) It has
plenty of
information and
could be
valuable for
studying
biographies.

3/5 (for content

on Champlain).
The book was
lacking in rich,
meaningful
content about
Samuel de
Champlain.
Would use in the
future as a
starting point

VII. Formative/Summative Assessment(s)

Students answers and discussion during the read aloud will provide
formative assessment for objective 1. The closure activity will provide
additional (summative) assessment for objective 1.
The students individual and group maps will be collected to assess objective
2.
The students written responses during the closure activity will be collected
and will provide summative assessment for objective 3.
VIII. Technology/Materials/Equipment
SmartBoard/projector (to show pictures and maps)
Samuel de Champlain, Father of New France book by Terry Miller Shannon
(Reading A-Z book, one for teacher)
Projectable images and maps of Champlain and regions, rivers, etc. he
explored
KWL charts (one per student)
Worksheet with closure questions (one per student)
Clipboards (one per student)
Paper (lined and unlined, multiple per student)
Pencils (one per student)
Markers/colored pencils/crayons for map (enough for each group to share)
Premade construction paper or foam beaver pelt hats (one per student)

IX. Reflection on Planning

Rather than simply lecturing students about Samuel de Champlain, I wanted to
design a fun lesson in which students would be able to discover and learn things on
their own. The lesson is designed to teach students about Champlain and help them
learn what it means to be an explorer. The lesson is interdisciplinary because it also
involves reading, writing, math, and art. I thought that having the children go
outside and explore would be exciting and would be a change of pace for them. I
had to supplement the textbook content with other materials because the textbook
did not provide very much information about Champlain.