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The Voyage of Zheng He I

Resource for Grades 6-12

| Citation

Media Type:
Video

Running Time: 2m 45s
Size: 7.6 MB

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Source: 1421: The Year China Discovered America?

Learn more about 1421: The Year China Discovered America?

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Funding for the VITAL/Ready to Teach collection was secured through the United States Department of Education under the Ready to Teach Program.

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The Voyage of Zheng He II
(Video)

In 2002, retired submarine commander Gavin Menzies presented a lecture in which he claimed a Chinese fleet under Admiral Zheng He began a series of voyages in 1421 that would ultimately discover the North American continent. Menzies’s theory threatened the previously held belief that Columbus was the first explorer to travel to North America in 1492. Menzies believed European explorers like Columbus had maps prior to their expeditions. He concluded that only China had the resources to create such maps, build sea worthy ships and undertake an exploration of that scope. In this video segment adapted from 1421: The Year the Chinese Discovered America? learn how Menzies came to these conclusions. For more about Chinese exploration, see “The Voyage of Zheng He - II.”

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Teaching Tips

The following Frame, Focus and Follow-up suggestions are best suited for middle school students using this video in an English language arts or social studies lesson. Be sure to modify the questions to meet your students' instructional needs.

What is Frame, Focus and Follow-up?

Frame (ELA) What is prior knowledge? Why is what you already know important? How does what you already know affect how you learn new ideas and concepts?

Focus (ELA) On what fact did Gavin Menzies establish his theory?

Follow Up (ELA) Now that you’ve heard Gavin Menzies's theory about pre-Columbian exploration of the world, how does it impact what you already know about who discovered the “new world”? Are you interested in doing additional research to prove or disprove this new idea? Is it relevant or irrelevant to know who discovered the new world?

Frame (SS) What do you know about naval expeditions in the 15th century? Describe the ships. What were they used for? How far did they normally travel?

Focus (SS) Which two explorers had maps to use in their voyages? From where did these maps come?

Follow Up (SS) What conditions lead to the increased exploration of the world by European sovereigns and the Chinese Ming Dynasty? Were there people in other parts of the world that participated in expeditions, and who were they?