What motivated Europeans to explore the New World, and what effects did their exploration have on Native American populations? The second installment of a 16-part American Passages series prompts pupils to watch a video and read several...

The moment Christopher Columbus's ships touched the shores of a New World, the old world changed forever. But has it been for the better? High schoolers consider the effectiveness, benefits, and drawbacks of the Columbian Exchange with a...

Intrepid explorer or ruthless exploiter? This is the perfect video to accompany the observation of Columbus Day in your class, as well as in considering whether Christopher Columbus should or should not be credited with the discovery of...

Sail with Christopher Columbus on a biographical reading adventure. Young explorers learn about the life of Sir Columbus as they hone their comprehension skills through guiding questions, shared reading, and fluency practice. Included in...

New ReviewHow would the story of the discovery of America be different if indigenous people told it through their eyes? Individuals compare the conventional account of this moment in history to an account given by one of the native peoples. After...

What is the connection between greed and mercantilism? Historians consider this question by analyzing a fairy-tale like story about King Midas from the nineteenth century. The background information and excerpt help pupils understand the...

What did it take to embark on a journey to unknown lands? Perhaps ambition, but also money! Christopher Columbus had to approach more than one European monarch for financing before he could sail the ocean blue. A read-along play and...

Who was Zheng He and why haven't we heard of him? Scholars consider the question as they compare his vast expeditionary force to that of Christopher Columbus. Young historians then ponder the intersection of science, economics, and...

Back in 1492, when Columbus sailed the ocean blue, he discovered more than a new world! Part 16 in an ongoing History of Science series explores the Columbian Exchange and other major events in the Spanish colonial period. Viewers learn...

Did you know that horses have two sets of teeth?  There is much to learn about horses, of course, and those interested in equine science will learn much from a 10-lesson agricultural science course that covers not only equine dental and...

What does parsley have to do with the 1937 Haitian Massacre? Introduce viewers to the tragic events surrounding Rafael Trujillo's ordered slaughter of Haitians living along the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The video...

Christopher Columbus: hero or villain? Prepare class members for the debate with activities that asks them to think critically about how history is reported.

Looking for resources that explore alternative perspectives of the Christopher Columbus story? Check out the images, videos, cartoons, primary source documents, and other texts in a packet designed to spark debate.        

What did Christopher Columbus have to say about his exploration of the Caribbean? Young historians have a chance to examine Columbus' own words about his voyage to Cuba and Santo Domingo. After reading Columbus' report, pupils respond to...

Christopher Columbus did not have a lot of evidence to prove that he was in India, but language arts pupils have plenty of evidence to prove that he wasn't. Delve into the world of European exploration with a reading activity about...

Learn the life of Christopher Columbus with the help of a timeline. Young historians interpret Columbus' life story from birth to death, and answer questions to reinforce comprehension. 

Reinforce historic knowledge of Christopher Columbus with an activity book compiled of a variety of coloring pages, puzzles, questions that spark discussion, and learning games. 

Get the inside scoop on the European explorer, Christopher Columbus, with a response to reading learning exercise that requires scholars to answer who, what, why, when, and a variety of other questions about the word crew.  

Sometimes the most important details of an informational text aren't within the text at all. Teach your class how to read timeline with a set of activities that prompts them to find specific dates and events on the timelines, as well as...

Youngsters gain ample reading comprehension practice while studying the history of Christopher Columbus with this great workbook! It includes word puzzles and comprehension checks of multiple assessment styles, including multiple choice,...

Bring history to life with this collection of hands-on early explorer activities. From creating a flip book about the Vikings' exploration of North America to a reader's theater performance about Christopher Columbus' search for the...

When Christopher Columbus landed, he found many things to comment on. Have your class read this letter that he wrote to Luis de Sant Angel in 1493. The text is split up into sections. Each section is paired with two to three...

Learners discover the Age of Exploration by comparing and contrasting the explorations of Zheng He, Christopher Columbus, and Vasco da Gama in this engaging history episode. The narrator discusses who may be considered the greatest...