Lesson 2: Christopher Columbus
Teacher Background Information: The king and queen of Spain sent Christopher Columbus on a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Columbus wanted to find a western sea route to the continent of Asia. He did not know that the continent of North America lay between Europe and Asia. When he landed at San Salvador, Columbus became to first European to discover a sea route to America. Because of this, many people say that Christopher Columbus discovered the "New World."
Essential Question:
Who were some of the important European explorers, and what were their reasons for exploring? (They will learn about Christopher Columbus, Juan Ponce de Leon, Jacques Cartier, and Christopher Newport).
Sub-Unit Question:
Who was Christopher Columbus? What were his reasons for exploring? What were his accomplishments?
I. Objective:
a. The students will be able identify the reasons for Christopher Columbus’s exploration, understand that his sponsor was Spain, describe the results of his exploration, and consider his individual accomplishments.
b. SS. 2.14. a. 1. Describe the explorations of Columbus, Juan Ponce de Leon, Jacques Cartier, and Christopher Newport, and the impact of these travels on American Indians, and identify the reasons for exploring, information gained from the explorations, individual accomplishments of the explorers, and the results of their travels.
c. 14.a.2 Define Explorer as a person who travels seeking new discoveries.
d.14.a.3. Define European as a person from one of the countries in Europe.
e. S.O.L Music: Performance and Production 2.1. The students will sing a repertoire of songs and play instruments. 2.) Sing a variety of songs individually and in groups.
II. Materials:
a. Students: "The Exploration of the Americas" foldable, a pencil, sticky notes, and a variety of crayons or colored pencils.
b. Teacher: “A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus” by David A. Adler, a foldable example (to show them the finished product), sticky notes, a computer, SMART board, and the SMART board presentation.
III. Lesson Duration: 60 minutes
IV. Procedures:
(15 minutes) Introduction: I will call the students to the meeting area. I will tell them that, "today we will be learning all about Christopher Columbus!" I will ask the students:
1. What do you already know about Christopher Columbus? I will call on volunteers.
2. Looking at this book's cover, do you have any predictions about what might happen in this story? I will call on volunteers. I will read the book “A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus” by David A. Adler to the students.
During the book, I will ask the following comprehension questions:
1. On page 8. I will ask the students, “why did people dream of sailing east, around Africa to the Indies, China, and Japan?”
2. On page 9. I will elaborate and say that Christopher Columbus thought he could get to the Indies, China, and Japan faster by sailing west!
3. On page 19, I will ask the students, “What did he encounter when he reached the island that he named San Salvador?”
4. Today, I will be giving you a foldable; I will show them my example (it looks like this). You will write your name on the cover page, and the date. Next, I will hand the Christopher Columbus page, we will go over this page together and fill-in the blanks (this document is attached below).
(42 minutes) Instructional Strategies:
a. I will dismiss the students back to their seats, and I will have a student pass out the cover page of the foldable titled, "The Exploration of the Americas." I will tell the students to write their name on their cover page and the date.
b. While they are writing their name and the date, I will turn-on the projector, and bring up the SMART board presentation on my computer and make sure it is visible on the SMART board. When everyone is finished writing, I will ask a student to hand out the Christopher Columbus page to each student, afterwards, I will turn off the lights so the SMART board is visible.
c. I will ask the students to find the picture of Christopher Columbus on their page, and I will tell them that we will be filling in the blanks on their page together. I will call on volunteers to come up to the SMART board and drag the answers into the blank. The rest of the students will fill-in the correct answers at their desk.
d. When they are finished filling-in the blanks, I will ask them to take out their crayons and glue. I will tell them to take a moment to color in their picture of Christopher Columbus (remember we saw a picture of him yesterday). Also, I will ask them to glue their cover page to the back of the Christopher Columbus page ( I will demonstrate how to glue it down). I will ask them to leave it on their desks to dry.
e. Next, they will watch BrainPOP Jr. about Christopher Columbus. Click here to view the video. During the video, hand out a sticky note to each student and ask them to take out a pencil. Tell the students that as they are watching Annie and Moby explain more about Christopher Columbus, they should write down their favorite interesting fact they learned about Christopher Columbus from the video. Play the video.
f. After the video, I will go around the room and ask each student to share his or her favorite interesting fact that they wrote down.
g. I will tell the students to gently put their sticky-note and foldable into their social studies folder, and put away their crayons, glue, and their pencil.
(3 minute) Closing: I will ask the students (thumbs up for true, thumbs down for false):
I will tell the students that Christopher Columbus brought over one thousand men to the New World! And tomorrow we will be learning about Juan Ponce de Leon, an explorer who sailed with Christopher Columbus on his second journey back to the New World! Juan Ponce de Leon was also from the country Spain. We will find out what he was searching for and what he discovered tomorrow! It is one of my favorite places and it is where I was born!
V. Assessment:
a. Informal observations of my comprehension questions that I asked during the book, and the fill-in the blank answers on the SMART board. I will walk around and check off each students foldable (during the video) to make sure they wrote the correct answers in the blanks, and I will listen when they share their interesting fact from the video. I will assess my closing true or false questions to check for understanding.
VI. Differentiation/Modifications:
a. We will be filling-in the blanks together as a class using the SMART board.
b. I will walk around and check to see if each student is filling in the blanks correctly. I will help them as needed.
c. I will have a word bank for my special friends to look at, so they don’t get confused by looking at the SMART board and back to their foldable and fall behind.
For Multiple Intelligences:
a. My visual learners will benefit from seeing the pictures in the Christopher Columbus book, filling-in the blanks on their foldable, and following along with the SMART board. They will also benefit from watching the video on BrainPOP Jr.
b. My bodily-kinesthetic learners will benefit from coming to the SMART board and dragging the words to fill-in the blanks.
c. My musical learners will benefit from singing the Christopher Columbus poem.
d. My intrapersonal learners will benefit from working by themselves on their foldable and filling-in the blanks on their own.
e. My linguistic learners will benefit from listening to the Christopher Columbus book, poem, listening to the other students' interesting facts and by watching the BrainPOP Jr. video.
VII. Extension Activities:
a. Guided Reading: A readers theatre printout called, "Columbus's Mistake."
b. Writing: Explorer's Journal. They should decorate their cover page today, and write their first journal entry: Ask them to describe themselves? What country are they sailing from? What are they looking for? Where are they headed to in the New World? How many ships and men are with them? How long do they expect to be sailing for?
b. Science: How did Christopher Columbus sail his ship all the way from Spain to America? Experiment with wind by making a wind-sock, then use a compass to figure out which way the wind is blowing. Check out the experiment here!
Who were some of the important European explorers, and what were their reasons for exploring? (They will learn about Christopher Columbus, Juan Ponce de Leon, Jacques Cartier, and Christopher Newport).
Sub-Unit Question:
Who was Christopher Columbus? What were his reasons for exploring? What were his accomplishments?
I. Objective:
a. The students will be able identify the reasons for Christopher Columbus’s exploration, understand that his sponsor was Spain, describe the results of his exploration, and consider his individual accomplishments.
b. SS. 2.14. a. 1. Describe the explorations of Columbus, Juan Ponce de Leon, Jacques Cartier, and Christopher Newport, and the impact of these travels on American Indians, and identify the reasons for exploring, information gained from the explorations, individual accomplishments of the explorers, and the results of their travels.
c. 14.a.2 Define Explorer as a person who travels seeking new discoveries.
d.14.a.3. Define European as a person from one of the countries in Europe.
e. S.O.L Music: Performance and Production 2.1. The students will sing a repertoire of songs and play instruments. 2.) Sing a variety of songs individually and in groups.
II. Materials:
a. Students: "The Exploration of the Americas" foldable, a pencil, sticky notes, and a variety of crayons or colored pencils.
b. Teacher: “A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus” by David A. Adler, a foldable example (to show them the finished product), sticky notes, a computer, SMART board, and the SMART board presentation.
III. Lesson Duration: 60 minutes
IV. Procedures:
(15 minutes) Introduction: I will call the students to the meeting area. I will tell them that, "today we will be learning all about Christopher Columbus!" I will ask the students:
1. What do you already know about Christopher Columbus? I will call on volunteers.
2. Looking at this book's cover, do you have any predictions about what might happen in this story? I will call on volunteers. I will read the book “A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus” by David A. Adler to the students.
During the book, I will ask the following comprehension questions:
1. On page 8. I will ask the students, “why did people dream of sailing east, around Africa to the Indies, China, and Japan?”
2. On page 9. I will elaborate and say that Christopher Columbus thought he could get to the Indies, China, and Japan faster by sailing west!
3. On page 19, I will ask the students, “What did he encounter when he reached the island that he named San Salvador?”
4. Today, I will be giving you a foldable; I will show them my example (it looks like this). You will write your name on the cover page, and the date. Next, I will hand the Christopher Columbus page, we will go over this page together and fill-in the blanks (this document is attached below).
(42 minutes) Instructional Strategies:
a. I will dismiss the students back to their seats, and I will have a student pass out the cover page of the foldable titled, "The Exploration of the Americas." I will tell the students to write their name on their cover page and the date.
b. While they are writing their name and the date, I will turn-on the projector, and bring up the SMART board presentation on my computer and make sure it is visible on the SMART board. When everyone is finished writing, I will ask a student to hand out the Christopher Columbus page to each student, afterwards, I will turn off the lights so the SMART board is visible.
c. I will ask the students to find the picture of Christopher Columbus on their page, and I will tell them that we will be filling in the blanks on their page together. I will call on volunteers to come up to the SMART board and drag the answers into the blank. The rest of the students will fill-in the correct answers at their desk.
d. When they are finished filling-in the blanks, I will ask them to take out their crayons and glue. I will tell them to take a moment to color in their picture of Christopher Columbus (remember we saw a picture of him yesterday). Also, I will ask them to glue their cover page to the back of the Christopher Columbus page ( I will demonstrate how to glue it down). I will ask them to leave it on their desks to dry.
e. Next, they will watch BrainPOP Jr. about Christopher Columbus. Click here to view the video. During the video, hand out a sticky note to each student and ask them to take out a pencil. Tell the students that as they are watching Annie and Moby explain more about Christopher Columbus, they should write down their favorite interesting fact they learned about Christopher Columbus from the video. Play the video.
f. After the video, I will go around the room and ask each student to share his or her favorite interesting fact that they wrote down.
g. I will tell the students to gently put their sticky-note and foldable into their social studies folder, and put away their crayons, glue, and their pencil.
(3 minute) Closing: I will ask the students (thumbs up for true, thumbs down for false):
- True or False: Columbus was searching for a western sea route to Asia.
- True or False: Columbus discovered the New World
- True or False: Columbus was sponsored by France
- True or False: Columbus named the island he landed on Florida.
I will tell the students that Christopher Columbus brought over one thousand men to the New World! And tomorrow we will be learning about Juan Ponce de Leon, an explorer who sailed with Christopher Columbus on his second journey back to the New World! Juan Ponce de Leon was also from the country Spain. We will find out what he was searching for and what he discovered tomorrow! It is one of my favorite places and it is where I was born!
V. Assessment:
a. Informal observations of my comprehension questions that I asked during the book, and the fill-in the blank answers on the SMART board. I will walk around and check off each students foldable (during the video) to make sure they wrote the correct answers in the blanks, and I will listen when they share their interesting fact from the video. I will assess my closing true or false questions to check for understanding.
VI. Differentiation/Modifications:
a. We will be filling-in the blanks together as a class using the SMART board.
b. I will walk around and check to see if each student is filling in the blanks correctly. I will help them as needed.
c. I will have a word bank for my special friends to look at, so they don’t get confused by looking at the SMART board and back to their foldable and fall behind.
For Multiple Intelligences:
a. My visual learners will benefit from seeing the pictures in the Christopher Columbus book, filling-in the blanks on their foldable, and following along with the SMART board. They will also benefit from watching the video on BrainPOP Jr.
b. My bodily-kinesthetic learners will benefit from coming to the SMART board and dragging the words to fill-in the blanks.
c. My musical learners will benefit from singing the Christopher Columbus poem.
d. My intrapersonal learners will benefit from working by themselves on their foldable and filling-in the blanks on their own.
e. My linguistic learners will benefit from listening to the Christopher Columbus book, poem, listening to the other students' interesting facts and by watching the BrainPOP Jr. video.
VII. Extension Activities:
a. Guided Reading: A readers theatre printout called, "Columbus's Mistake."
b. Writing: Explorer's Journal. They should decorate their cover page today, and write their first journal entry: Ask them to describe themselves? What country are they sailing from? What are they looking for? Where are they headed to in the New World? How many ships and men are with them? How long do they expect to be sailing for?
b. Science: How did Christopher Columbus sail his ship all the way from Spain to America? Experiment with wind by making a wind-sock, then use a compass to figure out which way the wind is blowing. Check out the experiment here!
FOLDABLE: BOOKLET COVER PAGE | |
File Size: | 613 kb |
File Type: |
FOLDABLE: COLUMBUS AND PONCE DE LEON PAGE | |
File Size: | 769 kb |
File Type: |
christopher_columbus_.notebook | |
File Size: | 1637 kb |
File Type: | notebook |