Today we explored with Columbus farther South to Cuba and Haiti. We also learned about his return to Spain after his discovery of the New World and what a Coat of Arms is. We learned about another landform, mountains. The boys had fun making a mountain cake and eating it!
1. Review: read “A New World” on page 17 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.
2. Read: pages 38-43 in Columbus by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire.
3. Map skills: Columbus sailed from San Salvador on to Cuba and then to Haiti. Find Cuba and Haiti on a map. What type of landform are Cuba and Haiti? mountain
4. Comprehension questions:
Can you remember which ship crashed? Santa Maria
What did the Indians call Columbus and his men? White Gods
Where did they finally find gold? Haiti
What ship did Columbus ride on back to Spain? The Nina
What were some of the things that Columbus brought home with him to show the King and Queen? Parrots, strange fruits, sweet-smelling herbs, small chest of gold ornaments, and some Indians
Was Columbus a hero now? Yes
5. Discuss: When Columbus returned from his voyage he met with the King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, the king and queen gave Columbus the right to have his own coat of arms. A coat of arms is the official symbols of a family, state, etc. A coat of arms is a form of identification that goes back to before Roman times. Back then the coat of arms was used to identify groups of fighting men within the Roman legion. In the Middle Ages the coat of arms was used to identify each noble family. Each item chosen to be in the design had a meaning. After a family decided on a coat of arms the design was placed on shields, embroidered on tapestries, and carved in stone throughout the house. It was also placed on swords and banners, and on special occasions the design was burnt into the top of breads. The coat of arms that Columbus was assigned had a castle and a lion on it. A few years later he added the island and anchors as a reminder of his adventures.
Columbus’ Coat of Arms
Discuss: What the children would want on their coat of arms, the symbols should be reminders of significant events in their lives or of personal characteristics (sports, music, art, lion= courage, lamb= peace). We used “Columbus’ Coat of Arms” on page 25 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.
Sailing, Sailing
Review:What it would be like to sail on a ship for 2 months and why Columbus took a ship on his voyage rather that an automobile or airplane. We used the Sailing, Sailing color page to review this.
Mountain Cake
1. Columbus was looking for gold on the islands. The Indians told him there was gold in the mountains on Haiti. Mountains are another type of landform.
Define mountain-
Mountain: a high, raised part of the earth’s surface, higher than a hill
Today we learned where Columbus landed and about the natives that he met when he arrived in the New World. We learned about islands and that he was not in India like he thought he was. Today we read and had a lot of discussion time, we also had fun with a few art projects.
1. Review: read “King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella” and “Getting Ready” on page 12 and “Trouble on Board” on page 15 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.
2. Read: pages 31-37 in Columbus by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire.
3. Map Skills: On October 12 (Columbus Day), 1492 Columbus and his crew finally find land. They didn’t find Chinese people like they thought they would. He called the people Indians because he thought they must be in India. He named the island San Salvador. Find San Salvador on a map (hint: it’s part of the Bahamas). Find India and China on a map. Is San Salvador close to India or China. (no)
4. Comprehension questions:
How did the Pinta signal to the other ships that they have spotted land? Fired a cannon shot
What was the date when Columbus first spotted the New Land? October 12, 1492
How long did Columbus travel the ocean before they found land? Over 2 months
What are the first 2 things that Columbus did when he stepped on the land? Put the Spanish flag in the ground and thanked God
Columbus thought they had landed in India so what did he call the natives? Indians
What did Columbus name the island that they landed on? San Salvador
Did Columbus and his men find the gold and treasures that they hoped to find? No, just the nose rings that the Indian’s wore.
5. Discuss: In Columbus’ journal he wrote that the Indians would make good servants. Why did he feel like he was superior (better than) to the Indians? Even though he felt this way Columbus told his crew to treat the Indians fairly, but they were trading things that were worth only pennies for things that were worth more. What that fair treatment? Why?
Read “The Search Goes On” on page 18 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker. How do you think the crew felt when there was no gold for them to find? What are some of the things that they did find?
Columbus’ Discoveries
Review what Columbus wanted to find on his voyage across the ocean. Then talk about what he actually did find. We used “Columbus Discoveries” on page 19 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.
A Ship To Sail
We made a ship with “A Ship to Sail” on page 13 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker. We copied the ship onto cardstock and colored it. Next we folded it in half and glued styrofoam to the bottom of it. We were then able to float it in the water.
Columbus Maze
We had a simple Columbus Maze to help Columbus reach the island. At the bottom of the page it reviews the year that Columbus discovered the New World.
Island Snow Globe
1. San Salvador is an island. An island is another type of landform.
Define island- Island: a body of land completely surrounded by water.
On this day we learned about Columbus’ 3 ships the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. We learned what life was like for the sailors on the ships and actually measure out how big the ships were. J also learned about navigation in Columbus’ time and got to explore outside with a compass.
1. Review: read “At Home in Portugal” on page 9 and “Off to Spain” on page 10 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.
2. Read: pages 22-30 in Columbus by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire.
3. Comprehension questions:
Columbus left the port of Palos, Spain on August 3, 1492. He took three ships. Can you remember the names of the ships? (Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria) Which ship was the smallest? (the Nina) Which ship was the largest? (the Santa Maria) Which ship was the fastest? (the Pinta)
What did Columbus and his sailors hope to find? Gold and riches
Who did Christopher’s son stay with? The monks
What ship did Columbus ride on? The Santa Maria
What direction did they sail? West
Columbus’s sailors wanted to turn around and sail back to Spain, what did they threaten to do to Columbus? Throw him overboard
Why did Columbus finally change the direction that they were traveling to the Southwest? To follow the flock of birds
4. Map Skills: How did Columbus navigate on the Ocean?
Columbus kept a logbook (journal) of where he thought they were. He kept track by checking his maps, following his compass, and watching the stars. He used dead reckoning to get where he wanted to go. Dead reckoning was a system of using a compass and the North Star to keep on course.
Define-Navigation is the art of getting from one place to another, safely and efficiently.
Maps- In Columbus’ time they had not yet developed a way to measure distances at sea, also they hadn’t come up with a way to portray the round earth on a flat map. This made the maps of the time very inaccurate. The size of each land mass on the maps were more of a reflection of their importance for trade routes than actual geographical size. The charts and maps had a compass rose indication bearing between trading ports.
Compass- Early mariners found the compass inconsistent; probably because they didn’t understand variation (a compass points to the magnetic north pole, not true north). They could not explain the variations and couldn’t put much trust in the compass readings when navigation unknown sea. Columbus’ compass was checked against the North Star or pole star.
Sun and stars- Navigators of the time could determine latitude (north/south direction) by observing the height of the sun during the day and the North Star at night. Ships could follow the east/west movement of the sun to determine the direction the wished to travel. However, the navigators had no way to accurately determine longitude. Once the ship was out of sight of land they had no idea how far east/west they were. They made estimates based on the time it took them to get there.
5. Discuss: read “They’re Off!” on page 14 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker. Have the students find the Canary Islands on a world map. Have them note how far Columbus had gone in 3 weeks and how much farther he had to go.
Compass Calculations
Go outside and explain how a compass works. Think and talk about how a compass could have helped Christopher Columbus. What direction was he going? Since a compass always points north, how did it keep Columbus headed in the right direction?
Give students various directions to follow such as: take 8 steps north, then 5 steps west, then 10 steps south and see where you end up?
Ask them which direction they need to go to get to the car? Or back to the house? Or to the trampoline? Students use the compass to figure out the directions they should go.
Measuring Columbus’ Ships
1. Discuss the size of the 3 ships:
Christopher Columbus’ fleet consisted of three vessels obtained in a tiny Spanish coastal port. The Pinta and Nina were caravels: boats that were longer for a given width to give them a streamlined configuration. The Pinta was three-masted with square-rigged sails; the Nina, though the smallest, had four masts and was lateen-rigged (triangular sails).
Santa Maria:
Class and type: Nao
Tons burthen: 108 tons (119 short tons)
Length: Est. at 17.7 m (58 ft) on deck, and about (22 m) 72 ft length over all.
Beam (width): 5.85 (19.2 ft)
Draught: 2.92 m (9.6 ft)
Complement: 40 men*
Pinta:
Class and type: Caravel
Tons burthen: 60 – 70 tons
Length: 17 m (56 ft) on deck
Beam (width): 5.36 m (17.6 ft)
Draught: 2.31 m (7.6 ft)
Complement: 26 men
Nina:
Class and type: Caravel
Tons burthen: 50 – 60 tons
Length: 15.24 m (50 ft) on deck
Beam (width): 4.85 m (15.9 ft)
Draught: 2.07 m (6.8 ft)
Complement: 24 men
Materials:
3 pieces of white construction paper
Marker
tape
ball of yarn
9 long sticks (2ft-5ft)
tape measure or yard stick (something to measure with)
Procedure:
Cut each piece of white paper into a large triangle flag, write the name of each ship on one, and tape them to the top of the 3 largest sticks.
Start at a tree and measure out the length of the largest ship first (Santa Maria length over all) and put the flag stick in the ground (you can soften the ground with a cup of water).
Then go the the middle of that measurement and measure the width, putting a stick in the ground at each end of the width.
Tie the yarn to the tree and run it along the outside of the 3 sticks in the ground to form a kind of outline of the ships deck.
Repeat with the Pinta and then the Nina.
If you have 24 in your class you can have them all stand in the Nina outline and ask them if they feel crowded? Would they like to eat, sleep, and work in that space for over 2 months? Measuring Columbus’ Ships
Tips:
This demonstration can be done with just the Santa Maria if you don’t have the time to do all of the ships.
Ships In A Bottle
We used a 2 liter soda bottle for this activity. We printed out the Ships In A Bottle on cardstock. Next we cut the end of the bottle off and taped the ships in where we wanted them. Then we put int blue shredded paper for the water. I taped the bottle back together with clear packing tape so you could still see the ships through the bottle.
Eating Like Sailors
For snack food, have something that the sailors might have eaten on Columbus’s voyage such as; dried fruit, cheese, honey, almonds, etc… Eat snacks on the floor using their hands to eat with (like the sailors)
Make hardtack (sea biscuits):
6 parts flour 1 part water
Knead dough until thoroughly mixed. Roll out on a floured surface until about 1/8 inch thick (or there about). Cut into squares about 3 by 3 inches.
Pierce the hard tack 12 times with the tip of a knife, making sure hole goes all the way through the dough.
Bake at 325 for at least an hour, turning over the hard tack once. Check to see that it is cooked through completely. Take out & let cool overnight to get that real hard & dry feeling.
Columbus and Crew Viewpoints
Help your students understand the different viewpoints of Columbus and his crew. Teacher reads Columbus and students read the crew. Encourage them to read their parts with feelings. For this activity we used “Columbus and Crew Rap” on page 16 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.
Sailors Journal
Columbus recorded the date and how many miles he traveled in his logbook. The crew on his ship were hungry, scared, and ready to go home. Pretend you are a member of Columbus’s crew. Write a journal entry describing what you have seen and how you are feeling.
Today we learned how and why Columbus left Italy. We also studied early beliefs about the earth being flat and how they thought the world map looked 500 years ago. We had fun with making and floating our own boat crafts and writing letters to the King and Queen of Spain.
1. Review: read “A Boy Named Christopher” on page 6 and “A Sea Battle” on page 8 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.
2. Read: pages 13-21 in Columbus by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire.
3. Map Skills: We have read about several places so far. Can you name some of them? Find Spain, Asia, and Portugal on the map. What ocean was Christopher in when he got to Portugal? Atlantic Ocean Back then it was called the great Western Ocean.
4. Comprehension questions:
What country did Columbus first sail for? Portugal
Did the Portuguese believe the earth was flat or round? Round
Had anyone ever sailed far into the Atlantic Ocean yet? No
What country did Columbus think he would come to if he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean? Asia (Point on the globe with your finger and make line from Portugal going west to Asia saying that Columbus thought all the land would be the Atlantic Ocean)
The King of Portugal wouldn’t support Columbus’ journey, so what country did Columbus go and ask the King and Queen for help? Spain
Who did Christopher and his son have to stay with for a while? The monks at the little cloister (monastary)
5. Discuss: read “Explorers Exploring” on page 7 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker. Have students find China on map. Then have him find Africa. Ask students if they think going around Africa would have been the best way to get to the East from Portugal? Were there any other possible ways to get there?
Read “It’s a Small, Small World” on page 10 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker. Show on the globe how they thought the world was (but covering the Americas with your hand) and saying that they thought it was all ocean.
Columbus’ Letter to the King and Queen of Spain
Discuss: What country did Columbus first sail for? (Portugal) Columbus believed he could sail across the Atlantic Ocean to Asia, but he needed ships and men to do it. He requested the help of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Let’s pretend you are Columbus writing a letter to the king and queen requesting their help. Include what supplies you would need (food, water, ships, etc.) and three reasons why they should help you.
Egg Cup Ships
Materials:
3 cardboard egg cups
Brown acrylic craft paint
Paintbrush
¼ cup modeling clay or play dough
6 toothpicks
1 sheet white paper
Scissors
White craft glue
Directions:
Paint the 3 egg cups inside and out with brown paint and set aside to dry.
Cut sails from white paper. You will need 6 large sails (1.5” x 1”) and 18 small sails (.5” x .75”).
Set aside three of the toothpicks for the large sails. Break or cut the other three toothpicks in half, so that you have 6 halves.
Put a line of glue through the middle of one of the small sails. Place the cut or broken end of one of the toothpick halves onto the glue line.
Roll it in the glue to cover both sides, then place another sail on top, sandwiching the two sails together. Flatten the sails together with your fingers and set aside to dry.
Repeat step number 5 with each toothpick half and 2 small sails (each).
Following the guide in step number 5, make the larger sails. For each large sail you will need a toothpick, 2 small sails and 2 large sails. Glue the small sail to the end of the full toothpick, and then glue the larger sail beneath it, leaving a small gap between the top and bottom sail. Then set those aside to dry too.
Roll a small amount of clay in your palm, enough to line the bottom of the egg cup. Place in the egg cup and flatten to cover bottom.
Put one large sail and 2 small sails into the clay, one small sail on either side of the large sail.
Making a Map
Discuss: The people of Columbus’ time thought that they could sail west around the world to get to the Indies. They didn’t know about the 2 big continents that were in there way. Draw a map to show what was really across the ocean between Europe and China?
Materials: I used “Making a Map” on page 11 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.
For the first day of our Christopher Columbus unit study we became more acquainted with his early life. We learned that he was from Italy over 500 years ago and that he loved to sail. We read a little from the book Columbus by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire each day of this unit.
1. Read: pages 4-13 in Columbus by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire.
2. Map Skills: Have the students find Italy on a world map or globe, then the city of Genoa. Ask them what sea Christopher Columbus would have sailed on as a boy? Ligurian Sea What bigger sea did this lead to? Mediterranean Sea
3. Review: what we have learned about Columbus so far.
Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy
He lived over 500 years ago
He believed the world was round while others believed it was flat
He left his father’s house at age 13 to become a sailor
4. Comprehension questions:
Where was Christopher Columbus born? Genoa, Italy
What did others believe would happen if they went out to far in the ocean? They would fall off the earth
What did Columbus believe about the world? It was round
What did the boy Christopher hold and look at to help him understand that they earth was round? An orange and a butterfly
How did he help his father with his business? Sailed up and down the Genoese coast and delivered the things that he father had woven
How old was he when he left his family to be a sailor? 13
Who attacked and sunk Columbus’s ship? A fleet of pirates
5. Discuss:
Have you ever ridden in a boat, was it fun?
What kinds of boats can people travel in today? Canoe, raft, kayak, rowboat, motorboat, sailboat, paddleboat, tugboat, submarine, cruise ship, etc…
Discuss what the purpose is of each kind of boat and how do they move across the water?
Which boat would you like to travel in and why?
Where would you go?
Who would you take with you?
Would you work on the boat or just enjoy the ride and let someone else to all the work?
How long would you want to be gone?
Orange Jello Boats
Directions: 1. Just cut an orange in half 2. Scoop out everything inside making sure not to break the rind 3. Pour in jello refrigerated it 4. Once it is set, cut it in half again 5. Add the sail with a toothpick and small paper
Sailing Song
Have the children sing this song a few times doing the actions, pretending to be Christopher Columbus.
To the tune of “My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean”
I wonder what’s over the ocean.
~Lean forward to the left as you shade eyes with hand and look far away.
I wonder what’s over the sea.
~Lean forward to the right as you shade eyes with hand and look far away.
Someday I’ll sail over the ocean
~Move hand in wavey motion.
That will be an adventure for me!
~Jump up and raise hands over head.
Sailing, sailing,
~Move hand in wavey motion.
In a ship over the sea, the sea.
~Point forward.
Sailing, sailing,
~Move hand in wavey motion.
That will be an adventure for me!
~Jump up and raise hands over head.
Landform Peninsula
1. Discuss Italy:
Columbus is from Italy. Do you remember where Italy is on the map? What is Italy shaped like? a boot Italy is surrounded by water on 3 sides, that makes Italy a peninsula.
2. Define Peninsula:
Peninsula: A peninsula is a body of land that is surrounded by water on three sides. A peninsula is a type of landform.
Define Landform: Landform: A description of the Earth’s shape and origin. As we continue to learn about Columbus we will discuss other types of landforms.
3. Directions:
Supplies: flour, salt, water, poster board and paint
Make an outline of Italy on poster boards. Make sure to include the surrounding water.
Mix 2 parts flour, 1 part salt, and 1 part water into a dough.
Shape dough to form your map.
Place dough on aluminum pan and bake at 300° for 1 hour.
Allow to cool.
Paint your salt map now that it is cooled.
While painting your map review the terms peninsula and landforms.
In this unit study we learned about Christopher Columbus and his journey to America. We also learned a little geography and about some different landforms including peninsulas, islands, and mountains. We used the books Columbus by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire and Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker to accompany our daily lessons. This unit study was made for elementary students and has 7 days worth of lessons. I did this unit study with my 1st grader and recommend it for Kindergarten- 3rd grade.
Books can be read by the child or by the parent to the child, depending on the child’s reading level. I don’t think that a child is ever too old to be read to.
Books I used in the lessons…
Columbus by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire
Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.
In 1492 by Jean Marzollo
Other age appropriate books…
Christopher Columbus by Lisa Wade McCormick
Christopher Cloumbus by Stephen Krensky
What’s So Great About Christopher Columbus by Amie Jane Leavitt
Christopher Columbus by Marion Dane Bauer
You Wouldn’t Want to Sail With Christopher Columbus! By Fiona Macdonald
Christopher Columbus by Jan Gleiter and Kathleen Thompson
I placed letter stickers in the bottom corner of the canvas to spell a word. Then I had the kids choose their colors of paint and make long strokes of paint all the way across the canvas.
After they were happy with their canvas, I gently peeled off the letter stickers.
We celebrated 100 Day with cousins, from tots to first grade but I would recommend it for around Kindergarten age. We had fun counting to 100 over and over by counting candy, jumping jacks, seconds, inches, and lots more. We read lots of books, had a snack, completed a writing activity, and covered a ton of math concepts.
Ask the children which color has the most? Which color has the least? How many red jelly beans are there?
100 Jumping Jacks
The children jumped and counted 100 jumping jacks.
100 Piece Puzzle
The children worked a 100 piece puzzle together.
100 Quiet Seconds
The children all laid down and tried to be quiet for 100 seconds.
Name 100 Animals
We started out with the children naming as many animals as they could as I wrote them down. I tried to write down exactly what each child said so that they would feel that their ideas are just as important as others. For example if a child suggests dog and another child suggests Dalmatian I wrote them both down even though a Dalmatian is a dog. When the children started running out of ideas we used the animal books for some help.
Show the children on the yard stick what an inch looks like.
Write each child’s name on a piece of masking tape and give it to him.
Tell the children to put the tape on the floor where they think 100 inches would be from where they are standing.
Measure out 100 inches to see how the children did.
Counting Money
Materials:
100 Pennies
10 Dimes
1 Dollar Bill
Directions:
Have the children count out 100 pennies by putting them into piles of 10.
Count the piles of 10 by tens to get to 100.
Trade out each pile of 10 for a dime and then count how many dimes it takes to get to 1 dollar.
Show a 1 dollar bill.
You can also count quarters with older children.
Fruit Loop Necklace
Materials:
Yarn
Fruit Loops
Directions:
Each child counts out 100 fruit loops.
Children string the fruit loops onto the yarn.
Tie the ends of the yarn together to form the necklace.
Make 100 Day Hash
Materials:
Miss Bindergarten Celebrates 100 Days of Kindergarten by Joseph Slate and Ashley Wolff
10 small cup or bowls plus one for each child
Pretzels
Popcorn
Mini Marshmallows
Cherrios
Chocolate Chips
Peanuts
Oyster Crackers
Almonds
Raisins
Chex Cereal
Directions:
You can use the ingredients that I used, the ones in the book, or make up your own.
Put each ingredient in a different bowl (10 bowls).
Each child takes 10 pieces from each ingredient bowl and places them into his own bowl to make 100 pieces.
Sorting Number Cards
Have the children put number cards in order from 1 to 100. You can use any cards you have to make your own with index cards. I used the A Beka Numbers Flashcards.
I Wish I had 100…
I made a simple writing page for the children that said…
I wish I had 100 ______________ because _____________.
On the first day of school I couldn’t _____________, on the 100th day I can.
100 Fingers and Toes
Materials:
Poster Board
Paint
Paper Plates
Bath Tub of Garden Hose for cleaning
Children (we used 5 children)
Directions:
5 children times 10 fingers each and 10 toes each makes 100.
Set the children around the table and set a paper plate in front of each child. Pour a little paint onto each plate.
Set the poster board on the table in the middle of all the children.Each child makes a right hand print on the poster by dipping their hand in the paint on the plate and then sticking in on the poster. Then each child does it again with their left hand.
Then have the children wash their hands in the tub or with the hose. Put the poster board on the bathroom floor or outside if it’s nice out. Have the children one at a time place their right foot in the paint and then on the poster and then their left foot. Rinse their feet in the tub or with a hose immediately to avoid unwanted paint in the house.
After the paint dries, count the fingers and toes by 5’s (there should be 100).
