Christopher Columbus
When I was in elementary school, what I remember most about Columbus Day was the poem: “Columbus sailed the ocean blue in fourteen hundred ninety two.”
We made cut outs of the Columbus’ three ships- the Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria. Our social studies textbooks had a few drawings of Columbus landing on the island of Hispaniola and that was the extent of our learning. The best part was the fact that we had a day off from school. We also heard about a great parade in New York City. (FYI- President Franklin Roosevelt Declared in 1937 that Columbus Day should be observed on October. 12th.)
But what is Columbus’ legacy? What should we really know about him and his voyage that began on August 3,1494? According to the Dictionary of Cultural Literacy Columbus was “an Italian explorer responsible for the European discovery of America in 1492. He had sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain under the patronage of the king and queen, Ferdinand and Isabella, hoping to find a westward route to India.” ( Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, E.D. Hirsch.c.1993 p.198). There are those who wish to focus on the dark side of Columbus pointing to the way the indigenous inhabitants he encountered were treated or the diseases that the men brought with them from Europe. How you wish to treat the subject may very well depend on what grade level you are teaching and how much investigation you and your students wish to make.
Today classroom teachers can find a myriad of materials to make the teaching of Christopher Columbus but interesting and fun. There are games, puzzles, worksheets.
The History Channel Web site www.history.com has a variety of clips about Columbus, his voyage and his motivations for the trip.
The site Apples 4 The teacher (http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/columbus-day/) offers a number of games and activities primarily for elementary students. Here you will find a reading list of books about Columbus as well as poems, a skit, as well as a fact sheet.
ABC Teach also has a web site (http://abcteach.com/directory/seasonalholidays/columbus_day/) that will provide additional resources and printable teaching materials for use in the classroom.
Finally Teacher Vision (http://www.teachervision.fen.com/columbus-day/teacher-resources/6607.html) has lesson plans and suggestions to help make Columbus Day a meaningful experience for your students.
Happy Columbus Day
Image courtesy of Library of Congress
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