This is the last day of our Christopher Columbus Unit. Today we reviewed a lot of map skills that we learned throughout this unit. We have come to the end of our Christopher Columbus Unit. There are many more lessons in Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker that we didn’t do. Be sure to look through them before the end of the unit to see if there are any that you want to add to your own Columbus study.
1. Review: read “The Second Voyage” on page 27 and “A Voyage Over and Another Begun” on page 29 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.
2. Read: pages 52-end of the book Columbus by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire.
3. Discuss: An eclipse is the total or partial covering of the sun or moon by another planet, sun or moon. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth so you can’t see the sun for a short time; a lunar eclipse when the earth passes between the sun and the moon so you can’t see the moon for a short time.
4. Comprehension Questions:
How did Columbus get the Indians to start bringing them food again? He told them that God was angry with them and was going to take away the moon, when really it was just an eclipse.
How long were Columbus and his men shipwrecked in Jamaica? A year
Columbus spent the rest of his life in Spain. Was he happy that he found a New Land or sad that he never found his way all the way around the earth to the East (Asia)? Disappointed that he never found the East
5. Map Skills: review with a globe the places that Columbus had come across in his journeys.
Genoa, Italy
Portugal
Spain
San Salvador, The Bahamas
Spain
Haiti
Spain
Orinoco River, South America
Spain
Jamaica
Spain
Columbus Word Jumble
We used the Columbus Word Jumble to review some of the new words that we learned about in this unit study.
Columbus Poem
Read the poem “In 1492 Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue” or the book In 1492 by Jean Marzollo.
In 1492 Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue
In fourteen hundred ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
He had three ships and left from Spain; He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.
He sailed by night; he sailed by day; He used the stars to find his way.
A compass also helped him know How to find the way to go.
Ninety sailors were on board; Some men worked while others snored.
Then the workers went to sleep; And others watched the ocean deep.
Day after day they looked for land; They dreamed of trees and rocks and sand.
October 12 their dream came true, You never saw a happier crew!
“Indians! Indians!” Columbus cried; His heart was filled with joyful pride.
But “India” the land was not; It was the Bahamas, and it was hot.
The Arakawa natives were very nice; They gave the sailors food and spice.
Columbus sailed on to find some gold To bring back home, as he’d been told.
He made the trip again and again, Trading gold to bring to Spain.
The first American? No, not quite. But Columbus was brave, and he was bright.
Columbus Word Search
We used this Columbus Word Search as a fun way to review a few more words that we learned for this unit study. Ask student what each of the words means after he finds them in the word search.
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
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.
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.
