Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India lasted two years in the late 1400s. It was the first voyage to link Europe and Asia by an ocean route by connecting the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans, and therefore, the West and the Orient. Below is a map depicting the route that he traveled.
Vasco da Gama's route to Africa and India from Portugal in 1497-1499.
TURN IT IN
Choose one of the following explorers. Write a one-page summary on the life and voyages of the explorer you choose. Be sure to include all the criteria listed in the rubric.
- Christopher Columbus
- Vasco De Gama
- James Cook
- Amerigo Vespucci
- Sir Francis Drake
- Ponce De Leon
- Ferdinand Magellan
| Expert |
Strong |
Beginning |
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| Map/Timeline | Map/Timeline creatively and accurately traces the voyages of explorer from birth to death on an accurately hand-drawn map with a fully labeled key. | Map/Timeline incompletely traces the voyages of explorer from birth to death on a hand-drawn map with a fully labeled key. | Map/Timeline incompletely traces the voyages of explorer from birth to death on an incomplete map with no labeled key. |
| Summary Details | Summary includes five paragraphs providing relevant information about the explorer's historical significance and makes connections to the modern world. | Summary includes five paragraphs providing a somewhat informative snapshot about the explorer's life, but fails to establish relevant connections. | Summary is not very informative, and provides little relevant information about the explorer. |
| Photos | At least three relevant photos were used in the summary and/or timeline. | At least three photos were used in the summary and/or timeline, but not all were relevant. | Photos were not used or not enough were used. |
| Sources | At least two reliable sources were cited clearly. | Only one reliable source was cited clearly. | Student did not cite any sources. |
| Syntax | Summary and timeline have excellent sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. | Summary and timeline have adequate sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. | Summary and timeline have poor sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. |
