Horses, Guns, and Steel

Jared Peet

Warm Up

• Without using your notes, answer the following questions:– What advantage did horses give Europeans against Native

Americans?– What advantage did guns give Europeans against Native

Americans?– What advantage did steel give Europeans against Native

Americans?• Which one (horses, guns, steel) do you think is the

most important factor in explaining European success?

Today’s Essential Question

• Were horses, guns and steel decisive factors for why Europeans were able to conquer the Americas?

Decisive - producing a definite result.

Objectives

• Analyze the validity of Diamond’s claims that Guns and Steel were decisive factors in the Europeans conquest of the Americas by writing a paragraph

Structured Academic ControversyI. Partners Prepare (25 minutes)

a. Find evidence to support your side of the argument. Craft position.b. Fill out your evidence sheet with quotes and explanations of how those quotes

support your argument. II. Position Presentation (10 minutes)

a. Side A presents their position using supporting evidence from the texts. Side B takes notes on Side A’s presentation. (3 minutes)b. Side B restates Side A’s arguments to Side A’s satisfaction. (2 minute)c. Side B presents their position using supporting evidence from the texts. Side A takes notes on Side B’s presentation (3 minutes)d. Side A restates Side B’s arguments to Side B’s satisfaction. (2 minute)

III. Consensus-Building (5 minutes)

a. Abandon roles.b. Build consensus regarding the question (or at least clarify where your differences lie), using supporting evidence.c. List the points you can build consensus around on the back of your evidence

sheet.

Class Debrief

• What do you think – were horses, guns, and steel decisive factors in the European conquest of the Americas?

Exit Ticket

• Write an AWESOME body paragraph on ONE POINT that answers the question: Were horses, guns and steel decisive factors for why Europeans were able to conquer the Americas?– Example A Topic Sentence: Horses were a decisive

factor for why Europeans were able to conquer the Americas because . . .

– Example B Topic Sentence: Horses were not a decisive factor for why Europeans were able to conquer the Americas because . . .