New World

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/new-world

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the New World?The New World is the name for the lands in the Americas that were discovered by Europeans and were not known before. It shows that there were new continents beyond the old world.
2. Why did people think the New World was part of Asia at first?Explorers like Christopher Columbus thought they had reached Asia because the lands looked similar, but later they saw differences that proved it was a new continent.

Afro-Eurasia: The combined landmass of Africa, Europe, and Asia, historically considered the 'Old World'.
Columbian Exchange: The widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World.
Paradigm Shift: A fundamental change in the basic concepts and experimental practices of a scientific discipline or worldview.