Christopher Columbus Unit Study
Dateline: 10/8/05
Dh wants me to do a unit study on Columbus Day. I have
a real problem with the unit studies I have found since they
are all bubbly and happy and Columbus tames the savage country
and all that cheezy stuff. I am looking for something that isn't
"Columbus: The first US terrorist," but isn't "...
and we all lived happily ever after" either. Is there something
that is somewhere in between that explains what really happened
without traumatizing the kids?
~Dotchi
Our Yahoo
Group has been trying to help Dotchi out, as many are interested
in this subject, too. How do we help our young children understand
the impact of Columbus on America when it seems the materials
out there are either bleak or too white washed for children about
7 - 11 years old?
This page is an attempt to help parents see all sides of the
controversy so that they can better evaluate material they present
to their children regarding Columbus and his times, according
to the age and maturity of their children.
Here are some of the suggestions.
Dotchi, What about putting some basic stuff together yourself
such as just the facts m'am and only the facts kind of
thing? We have just finished discussing this in our native American
unit and early explorers in North America.... I just basically
said that there were others and told about them, the Bering Land
Bridge theory, other possible early explorers. Regarding Columbus
we just put him into perspective of so many others who came also.
I mean, we did talk about the fact that we (in the US) consider
Columbus the first because that is how our history books are
written but they had to think about what if the Vikings had stayed
or the Spanish had the whole country, etc.?
We live in the SW and for the most part we really discussed
the Spanish. They do not celebrate Columbus Day here except for
the federal employees. As for all the bad stuff that happened
later, I would only discuss things for their age and by sticking
with the facts. It gives them a good foundation to say they knew
who he was but that he was not the only one and not the first!
That way he becomes another person in history and not the end
all and be all of the new world!
I hope this is making sense I am writing on the fly making
dinner... Take care.
~Tabbi
I think the thing to point out is that whenever one culture
has "invaded" another, change happens. It is happening
right now in Iraq. It is happening in many states just as a result
of Cajuns moving in where there were no Cajuns before!
Did you read the story about the welcome party Salt Lake Mormons
threw for the Cajun hurricane refugees that came there? I'm just
trying to imagine the social scene of white Mormons trying to
figure out New Orleans blacks and having a Cajun food and music
fest. Could Salt Lake wind up being a new capital of jazz?
While we've come a long way to understanding and respecting
those of other cultures, we still have a long way to go. Talk
with you little children about how in your family you have certain
standards and traditions, and then ask them if their friends
have exactly the same or different ones. One family may have
a "thing" about doing chores and getting the house
neat each morning. While a neighbor could care less! In your
own neighborhood do SOME people think they are always RIGHT,
and lord it over others they feel are WRONG or DIFFERENT?
Oh! I just got the neatest book! I get samples every once
in awhile.
Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame
By Michael S. Class
In it, the author has taken deliberately posed photos of his
son and done a great job in PhotoShop of editing his son into
historic photos. On the cover he is walking on the moon With
Neil Armstrong. The story is told through the eyes of 12 year
old Anthony who discovers that the picture frame on his bedroom
wall has amazing properties. Anthony begins to live modern American
history. In the back of the book are tons of resources.
My thought was: help your son imagine being either one of
the sailors on Columbus' ships or one of the natives on the island
where he landed. Find some illustrations of Columbus online and
then take a photo of your child, cut it out, and place it in
the photo. It will take some doing to get the sizes of the people
right. What would it have been like to sail past what was thought
to be the edge of the earth... and not fall off?
Now the natives that Columbus met were in the middle of a
war with their neighbors. They wanted to "use" Columbus
and his men to aid them in this war. Columbus thought these folks
were going to give him tons of gold. No one is entirely innocent
of greed in this story. Any parallels with Iraq and oil are just
coincidence... or do we never learn the lessons of history?
Remember, though, that unlike schoolers, you can return to
a topic again and again through the years. You don't HAVE to
teach "Columbus" and then forget all about him. Little
kids will get some of the concepts and older ones more complicated
ones. The point is to understand that the study of history is
a lot like the TV show "Cold Case." New evidence shows
up, old clues make new sense, and our culture changes so we see
things differently.
~Ann Zeise
I don't know if this will help much, but I had the same concerns
last year. This is what we did. First, before covering Columbus,
we covered the Americas. And the Indians. Then, using books and
maps as aides, the summary went like this: Columbus was looking
for an easy way to get to the Indies (and why). He didn't know
the Americas were in the way. He 'bumped' into them. Since he
thought he was in the Indies, he called the people he met there,
"Indians." Eventually, he figured out he wasn't in
the Indies....and all that led to the eventual colonization of
the Americas by Europeans.
My kids were five at the time. Like you, I didn't want to
fill their heads with all the grizzly details. But hopefully,
nothing was inconsistent with their later learning that Columbus
kind of had exploitation on his mind. I guess only time will
tell.
I just browsed through the library books until I found a couple
that weren't making him out to be too heroic. They were there.
I don't recall the name of it, but there was even one (a picture
book), that was made up of some of his entries from the ship's
log. Kind of interesting.
Hope there is something here that can help.
~Sheri
Our teaching of Columbus and the Native Americans of the United
States of America went a little different. While we didn't tell
our son all of the details, we did find child-friendly sites
that talked about slavery of the Native peoples of this land
and the greed that Europe had. It is tough finding a balance,
but it is possible to both teach children about the disrespect
of indigenous peoples because of non-understanding religious
differences and a different relationship they had with the land
and each other, while protecting them from every aspect of what
that means.
I know my son was in a class making Thanksgiving Day crafts
for first grade and the teacher was talking about Columbus and
then the Pilgrims. Andrew ended up correcting her on her facts
and was able to give a full picture to the entire class of 1st
graders. While it may have changed the concept of the art project,
the class was better for it, as these lessons are the seedlings
for all future history lessons.
We are also Revolutionary War Reenactors as a family. The
lessons reenacting teaches children is amazing. I see little
4 and 5 year olds educating adults on factual information about
the British and the Colonials and what actually happened. I see
children of all ages, from birth on up, really able to take part
in history as a hands on lesson.
It is difficult knowing whether your child is ready for a
truthful discussion about history, but I would suspect most children
are and would be very open the countless dialogues after that.
~Betsy
Who Got There First?
Indians
Columbus
and the Native Americans
The Arawaks attempted to put together a resistance army, but
they faced Spaniards with armor, muskets, swords, and horses.
Mass suicides among the Arawaks began. From a school site. References
not sited.
The
Indians' Discovery of Columbus
It is by examining events from the perspective of the Indians
that we gain real insight into the tremendous culture clash that
occurred in the New World and that we can judge events more for
their impact on those conquered. By Christine Elmore.
Why Autonomous
AIM Opposes Columbus Day and Columbus Day Parades
Columbus personally oversaw the genocide of the Taino Indian
nation of what is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Consequently,
this murderer, despite his historical notoriety, deserves no
recognition or accolades as a hero; he deserves no respect as
a visionary; and he is not worthy of a state or national holiday
in his honor. by Glenn Morris and Russell Means.
Vikings
Columbus
might have been a Viking disciple
Olafur Egilsson, a former board member of Iceland's historical
society who believes that Columbus reached Iceland, thinks the
visit could have been crucial. "It might have given Columbus
confidence to know there were lands on the other side of the
ocean," he says.
Vikings
A TO Z EXPLORATIONS FOR KIDS
What is myth? What is fact? Learn about Scandinavian history,
play games, and explore with the Vikings.
Chinese
Did
Columbus discover Chinese food in America?
According to Menzies, the Chinese were the first to round the
Cape of Good Hope, to reach the Americas, and to circumnavigate
the world.
Columbus
Columbus
for Kids
A TO Z EXPLORATIONS FOR KIDS
Fun facts, games, and crafts for kids about Columbus.
Consequences
of Columbus
Whatever else may be said of Columbus, write the editors, he
had consequences, and those consequences "hold the key to
the meaning of Columbus' voyages." By Robert Royal, author
of 1492.
Did
Christopher Columbus see himself on an apocalyptic mission?
We tend to think of Christopher Columbus as an explorer, a discoverer.
... In reality, while that is all true, Columbus was also a man
of his day, which meant that he was a man who took apocalyptic
teachings, who took biblical passages very, very literally.
Don't Know Much About American History: Brave New World
Europeans didn't discover what they came to call the "New
World" any more than bears discovered honey. The land was
just new to them because they hadn't known it existed.
Just
Where Was Columbus?
Pinpointing the explorer's whereabouts on October 12, 1492.
Man's
Best Came with Columbus
If you are a fan of Ayn Rand, you'll like this commentary. Underlying
the political collectivism of the anti-Columbus crowd is a racist
view of human nature. They claim that one's identity is primarily
ethnic. By Michael S. Berliner.
Quotations
for Columbus Day
In all parts of the Old World, as well as of the New, it was
evident that Columbus had http://www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov/government/police/neighborhood_watch.aspd a fire in every mariner's heart.
That fire was the harbinger of a new era, for it was not to be
extinguished. ~Charles Kendall Adams
Original Sources (Translations from
Latin)
Christopher
Columbus: Extracts from Journal
This document is the from the journal of Columbus in his voyage
of 1492.
The
Columbus Letter
Concerning the Islands Recently Discovered in the Indian Sea.
The following is a literal translation from Latin. Although this
will be rather strange to modern readers, it has been done to
provide students with a flavor of the original text.
Christopher
Columbus, Letter to Luis de Sant' Angel (1493)
Then, as soon as their minds were reassured about us, every one
came, men as well as women, so that there remained none behind,
big or little; and they all brought something to eat and drink,
which they gave with wondrous lovingness.
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