Christopher Columbus: Comparing Perspectives

Read Aloud: The teacher will read a book aloud titled, Encounter by Jane Yolen
As the teacher reads, she will stop to assess student understanding. Students will take notes in their social
studies notebooks as the teacher reads aloud. After the teacher has read the book, the students will write
reactions in their notebooks before the class engages in a short discussion.

Independent Reading: Students will read a short except from the journal of Christopher Columbus.
Students will think about the reaction of Columbus, his crew, and the Taino when they first encountered one
another.








Connect and Apply:
Prior Knowledge: The teacher will spark prior
knowledge about Columbus by asking-
- Who is Christopher Columbus?
- Why is he famous?
- What do you think about Christopher
Columbus? Was he successful?

The teacher will invite students to think about
perspective by asking:
- Whose perspective is usually left out when
we learn about Christopher Columbus?

Objective:
Students will be able to:
Understand how history can be represented
by multiple points of view
Compare and contrast the journey of
Columbus from the Tainos and the
explorers points of view
Write a short passage from the perspective
of either the Tainos or explorers
Teaching Point:
Today we are going to think about
perspective as we learn about Christopher
Columbus. Just like we have discussed
perspective during reading, we are going to
think about the exploration of Columbus from
multiple points of view.
Active Engagement: Students will work independently
to complete a venn diagram comparing and contrasting the
experience of the Taino men and women to the experience
of Columbus and his crew. Students should include cultural
differences, as well as, the positive and negative effects
of European exploration.










Closure:
Students will share their venn
diagrams with their classmates.
Homework: Take a Stance
Students will complete a writing activity by answering the following prompt:
Write a short passage taking a stance on Christopher Columbus exploration.
Pretend you are one of the Taino people or a crew member on Christopher
Columbus ship. Describe your thoughts and feelings as you encountered
people from a different culture.
Standards:
New Jersey Social Studies Standards
6.1.A.2. Use critical thinking skills to interpret events,
recognize bias, point of view, and context.
6.1.A.8. Compare and contrast competing interpretations of
current and historical events.

Common Core English Language Arts Standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.6 Analyze multiple accounts of the
same event or topic, noting important similarities and
differences in the point of view they represent.