This unit is ©Copyright 2004 by Cindy Downes. All rights reserved. Permission is given to homeschooling parents to use these units free of charge in their own homeschool only. These units may not be reprinted in any other form, for any other purpose (commercial or otherwise) without permission from Cindy Downes. Contact her at contact@oklahomahomeschool.com.

Eight Week Unit - Sixteen Lessons

This unit is based on The Checklist and is designed to be completed in eight weeks, completing two, 1 - 2 hour lessons per week; however, you can customize it to any length, depending upon how much material you cover and how long you take to cover it. Read over General Directions for Cindy's Unit Studies for information on how to teach the unit.

Textbooks:

• The World of Columbus and Sons by Genevieve Foster (Read aloud)
• Explorers of North America (History Pockets) by Evan-Moor.

Directions: Each lesson, read The World of Columbus & Sons, watch a video, and/or research on the internet. Then complete a History Pocket lesson for the day. If time, select any other activity(ies) or independent reading suggestions below.

Independent Reading Suggestions, purchase or borrow from library:

• America In The Time Of Columbus From Earliest Times To 1590 by Sally Isaacs, nicely illustrated, (J 970.01 I73am 1998), 5+
• Read biographies of: Balboa, John Cabot, Jacque Cartier, Coronado, Cortes, Vasco de Gama, Hernado de Soto, Sir Francis Drake, Henry Hudson, La Salle, Jacques Marquette, Ponce de Leon, Amerigo Vespucci
• Christopher Columbus (Our People Series) by Judy Alter. 32 pgs, color, ISBN 1567661610, 3-6
• In Their Own Words: Christopher Columbus by Peter Roop (J 92 C72r 2000), 128 pgs. illus, 4-8+
• Snorri and the Strangers by Nathaniel Benchley. 59 pgs. I Can Read History series. (R Ben) 1-3+
• Where Do You Think You’re Going, Christopher Columbus, by Jean Fritz. ISBN 0698115805.

Suggested Videos:

• Do a search on library catalog for “explorers and video”. Select any explorer video to watch.

Internet Activities and Research:

• Explorers of 1500s.
• Explorers of late 1500s.
• Explorers game from Quia.
• Henry Hudson Links, 3rd+
• Timeline of Explorers, 3rd+
• Explorer Links, 3rd+
• Early Explorers lesson plan (pdf) from Independence Seaport Museum. Grade 1-6.
• What Columbus ate on his voyage.(If this doesn't work, go to the main website and click on recipes and dining. The file is in there. This is a long piece, but very interesting.)

Optional Activities:

• Marco Polo for Kids by Janis Herbert, Good reading & a few activities. ISBN 1556523777.

• Video: Christopher Columbus from Nest Entertainment (movie trailer).

• Explorers, Thematic Unit by TCM. Hands on activities, reading, and composition projects. The books used in "Explorers" (that will need to be purchased or borrowed) are: "The Log of Christopher Columbus' First Voyage to America" "The Usborne Book of Explorers"

• History News: The Explorers Now you can read all about it in this special edition "newspaper" chronicling top stories of great explorers. From the Phoenicians' first forays, to the Trieste's 6-mile descent to the deepest ocean floor, large-format news articles tell the story of great discoveries with full-color illustrations, maps, and special interest columns. 32 pages, ISBN 0763603147.

• Columbus Adventurous story of Columbus who fearlessly sailed across the Atlantic at a time when people believed the world was flat. Beautiful illustrations. Recommended for ages 4 to 11. ISBN 0964380331.

• Explorers Timeline Characters Timeline Characters on a durable vinyl wall chart. ISBN 0970902727.

Be sure to enter these topics on your copy of The Checklist.

Please let me know if any of these links do not work. Email: contact@oklahomahomeschool.com.

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