Tuesday, we had a great time learning about Mercantilism, the primary form of trade during the time of Spanish, French, English, Portuguese, and Dutch colonization of the Americas. We played the Mercantilism Game, and students quickly learned that Mercantilism benefited the mother countries over the colonies. Students then decided if their country was pro- or anti-mercantilism and made a poster to represent their viewpoint.
Wednesday was more somber. We discussed the slave trade from Africa to the Americas. Students learned who the big players in the slave trading world were, slave conditions, and finally the abolishing of the trade and slavery itself. Some students got to experience briefly the tight quarters on the slave ships, but were lucky enough not to experience the other conditions slaves faced.
Thursday, students are researching a topic of interest they learned about during SCATS, creating a presentation, and will present Friday for a final project.