Writing About Exploration: With Columbus on the Santa Maria
A) Have students turn to the first available left side page in their Interactive Student Notebook.
B) Distribute the printed version of the prompt and have students use glue
sticks to paste the prompt into their notebooks.
“Dear Diary”
Imagine that you are a sailor on one of Columbus’ ships. You are about to leave Spain for what you think will be India. You know the journey will last several months or more. You have heard rumors of dangers beyond the known world. You are leaving friends and family behind, putting your faith in Columbus as a sea captain. Write a journal entry dated “summer, 1492” to a family member describing why you are going on the voyage, and describe your fears and hopes. Then add another entry dated “October, 1492” describing what you and your shipmates found after landing in the New World. Add an illustration if it helps your reader understand what you wrote.
C) Allow students 10-15 minutes to write in their notebooks their reaction to the prompt.
D) If students have completed the writing previously, have them add to the material based on the experiential exercise.
Wrap-Up Activity (Closure): Debriefing the Experience of Columbus' Voyage
A) Have students share their paragraphs by summarizing what they wrote in
their notebooks.
B) Ask students verbally: