After the two worlds met, plants and animals began crossing the ocean in both directions. This is called the great exchange.
From the Americas, ships carried corn, potatoes, tomatoes, chocolate, and peanuts to Europe, Africa, and Asia. Imagine — before this, no one in Italy had ever tasted a tomato, and no one in Europe had ever sipped hot chocolate!
From Europe, ships brought horses, cows, pigs, chickens, and wheat to the Americas. Native Americans had never seen a horse before — soon, horses changed how many tribes hunted and traveled. The foods on your dinner plate tonight probably come from BOTH worlds!
1. What was the great exchange?
2. Name three foods that came FROM the Americas.
3. Name two animals that came TO the Americas.
4. How did horses change life for many tribes?
Write what each word means in your own words.
Write A if it came from the AMERICAS, or E if it came from EUROPE.
| Food or animal | A or E? |
|---|---|
| Corn | |
| Horses | |
| Tomatoes | |
| Cows | |
| Chocolate | |
| Wheat | |
| Potatoes | |
| Chickens |
Write T for true or F for false in each circle.
Think about a meal your family loves. List the foods in it, then guess which world each one came from — the Americas (A) or Europe/Asia/Africa (E). Ask a grown-up to help!
| Food in my meal | A or E? |
|---|---|
Draw two ships passing on the ocean: one carrying corn, tomatoes, and chocolate one way, the other carrying horses and wheat the other way.
| I learned... | Circle one |
|---|---|
| Foods that came from the Americas | YES / NOT YET |
| Animals that came from Europe | YES / NOT YET |
| How the exchange changed meals everywhere | YES / NOT YET |