Atlantic Trade Paths

This worksheet is designed for students in Grades 5, 6, and 7 to build strong informational reading and historical comparison skills through paired texts about Atlantic trade routes. Students read two short passages-one focusing on early trade in the 1500s and 1600s and the other examining modern Atlantic shipping-then answer open-ended questions that require careful reading, comparison, and evidence-based writing.

Learning Goals

• Informational Text Analysis – Identify key ideas, details, and differences across two nonfiction passages.
• Historical Reasoning – Compare early and modern trade routes to understand change over time.
• Global Trade Understanding – Explain how goods, technology, and economics shaped movement across the Atlantic Ocean.
• Evidence-Based Writing – Respond to questions using complete sentences supported by textual evidence.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed to align with upper-elementary and middle school social studies and ELA standards.
• Paired Text Structure – Encourages comparison, synthesis, and deeper comprehension.
• Cross-Curricular Focus – Integrates history, geography, economics, and reading skills.
• Open-Ended Questions – Promotes critical thinking rather than simple recall.
• Flexible Use – Suitable for classwork, guided reading, assessments, or homework.

This Atlantic Trade Paths worksheet helps students understand how trade and transportation across the Atlantic have evolved over time. By comparing historical and modern systems, learners strengthen comprehension, historical thinking, and written explanation skills while gaining insight into global economic connections. It’s a practical, no-prep resource for both classroom and homeschool settings that supports thoughtful reading and clear, evidence-based responses.

This worksheet is part of our Atlantic Ocean Worksheets collection.