Level S/44 The Voyages of Christopher Columbus€¦ · • The Voyages of Christopher ... (Columbus’s voyage of discovery, which took place in 1492 ... knew from personal experience

B e n c h m a r k e d u c a t i o n c o m p a n y

Theme: Early Explorers• The Voyages of Christopher

Columbus• Native Americans at the Time

of the Explorers• Explorers of the Americas

Social Studies

The Voyages of Christopher ColumbusLevel S/44

Skills & Strategies

Anchor Comprehension Strategies

• Identify Main Idea and Supporting Details

• Identify Sequence of Events

Comprehension • Makeconnections

• Summarizeinformation

• Usetextfeaturestolocateinformation

Vocabulary/Word Study Strategy • Contextcluestodeterminewordmeaning

Social Studies Big Idea • Thevoyagesoftheearlyexplorersin

pursuitofnewsailingroutes,riches,andthecreationofnewcommunitieshadmajoreffectsonthecolonizationoftheNewWorld.

TeACher’S Guide

Page 11: Synthesize Information • Administer Ongoing Comprehension Assessment

• Complete KWHL Chart

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A c t i v i t i e s

Using Navigators Chapter Books

Explicit Strategy InstructionUse the complete guide to model, guide, and support students as they apply comprehension and word-study strategies. Use portions of the guide to scaffold reading instruction for students who do not need modeled instruction.

Small-Group DiscussionIntroduce the book and model strategies. Have the group set a purpose for reading based on the introduction. Students read the book, or parts of the book, independently. Then have them use the Small-Group Discussion Guide as they discuss the book together.

Independent ReadingHave students select titles at their independent reading levels. After reading, have students respond to the text in reader response journals or notebooks.

Core Lesson Planning Guide

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use. No other part of the guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permis-sion in writing from the publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-4108-5249-62

Pages 4–6: Model Strategies: Introduction–Chapter 1• Monitor Reading Strategy: Make Connections

• Comprehension Strategy: Identify Sequence of Events

• Use Context Clues to Determine Word Meaning: Direct Definitions

Page 3: Prepare to Read• Build Content Background

• Introduce the Book

Pages 7–8: Guide Strategies: Chapters 2–3• Monitor Reading Strategy: Make Connections


• Use Graphic Features to Interpret Information: Maps

Pages 9–10: Apply Strategies: Chapter 4–Conclusion• Monitor Reading Strategy: Make Connections


• Use Context Clues to Determine Word Meaning: Direct Definitions

This five-day lesson plan shows one way to use the chapter book for explicit strategy instruction.

Build Content Background • Tell students that they are going to read about Christopher

Columbus and his voyages. Explain that voyages means trips or journeys.

• Display a KWHL chart as shown. Ask: What do you know about Christopher Columbus and his voyages? Brainstorm with students, and write their ideas in the first column of the chart.

• Ask: What would you like to know about Columbus and his voyages? How are you going to find out what you would like to know? Write students’ ideas in the second and third columns of the chart.

• Explain that some of the information in the book may be a review. Other information will help students find out what they would like to know.

• Save the chart for students to complete after they read the book.

Introduce the Book • Give students a copy of the book.

• Have them read the title and table of contents. Ask: How is this book organized? (introduction, four chapters, conclusion) Ask: What is the first chapter about? The third chapter? (Columbus’s voyage of discovery, which took place in 1492–1493; Columbus’s unlucky voyage, which took place in 1498–1500)

• Ask students to turn to page 32 and skim the index. Have each student select a topic that interests him or her. Suggest that students watch for that topic as they read the book.

• To introduce Key Words and Text/Graphic Features found in this book, use the book’s inside front cover.

Informal Assessment Tips

1. Assess students’ ability to preview the table of contents and index.

2. Document informal observations in a folder or notebook.

3. Keep the folder or notebook at the small-group reading table for handy reference.

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC The Voyages of Christopher Columbus 3

Meeting Individual Needs

For students who struggle with previewing the table of contents and index, model by locating the title and beginning page number of Chapter 1 in the table of contents. Then model looking up Arawaks in the index, asking students to read the page numbers listed there.

Display illustrations of Christopher Columbus and the ships that he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. Ask students to imagine what it must have been like to sail for months on one of these ships.

Display a globe or world map. Have a volunteer point to the continents of South America and Asia. Tell students that when Columbus reached the Americas, he thought he had landed in Asia.

Write the words voyage, colony, and discovery on the board. Call on volunteers to read each word, say the word in their native language, and use it in an oral sentence.

Prepare to Readnglish anguage earnersE L L

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K W H LWhat I know about Columbus and his voyages

What I want to know about Columbus and his voyages

How I will learn about Columbus and his voyages

What I learned about Columbus and his voyages

MoNIToR ReADING STRATeGy: MAke CoNNeCTIoNS

• Say: Good readers make connections as they read. They often make connections between what they read and their own lives. This helps them better understand what they are reading.

• Use a real-life example of making connections. Say: I recently read a book about the maps used by early explorers and sailors. That reminded me of a display of old maps I had seen in an exhibit. The maps used by the first explorers, including Columbus, don’t look like our maps today. I could make a connection between the information in the book and what I already knew from personal experience. That will help me remember what I read. Say: Yesterday we previewed the book The Voyages of Christopher Columbus. Today we will make connections as we learn about Columbus’s voyages.

• Read pages 2–3 aloud while students follow along. Say: I already know something about the first voyage of Columbus. I know that he landed in the Americas in 1492 and named himself the “discoverer” of a New World. I’ll write this information on a self-stick note and place it on the page where I made the connection.

During Reading SeT A PuRPoSe FoR ReADING

• Ask students to read pages 4–11 silently. Have them write any connections they make between the text and their own experiences on self-stick notes and place them in their books. Explain that they will share their connections after reading the chapter.

4 The Voyages of Christopher Columbus © 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

ABOUT THE STRATEGY Make Connections

What? Readers make connections when they link what they are reading to something they already know. Readers make three types of connections.1. Text-to-self: a personal connection

with the text2. Text-to-text: a connection between

the text being read and a previously read text

3. Text-to-world: a connection between the text and something in the world at large

Why? Making connections gets readers more involved with the text and helps them understand and remember what they read.

When? Good readers make connections before reading to set a purpose. They make connections during reading to monitor and clarify their understanding. They refer to connections after reading to reflect on what they have read and to deepen and extend their understanding.

How? Good readers pause and wonder about the text. They ask themselves questions that help make the three types of connections including:

1. Text-to-self: This reminds me of something I already know about. That is . . .

2. Text-to-text: This book has similar information to that in . . .

3. Text-to-world: What’s going on in this book is like what’s happening in the world right now in . . .

They note these connections in a journal or on self-stick notes.

Model Strategies: Introduction–Chapter 1

After Reading DISCuSS THe ReADING

• Ask students to share the connections they made with the information in the text. Point out that because these are connections to personal experiences, students are writing about themselves, and their notes should contain the words I, me, and my.

• Discuss with students how making connections with their own lives—their knowledge and their experiences—helps them better understand the text.

• Ask: What did you already know about the first voyage of Columbus? What information did the text add to what you know?

• For text-dependent comprehension practice, ask the questions for the Introduction and Chapter 1 found on the Comprehension Through Deductive Reasoning Card for this chapter book.

CoMPReHeNSIoN STRATeGy: IDeNTIFy SequeNCe oF eveNTS

• Explain that good readers are able to identify the sequence of events in what they are reading. They pay attention to the order in which events happen because they know that this will help them better understand and remember the events.

• Pass out the graphic organizer Identify Sequence of Events (blackline master, page 14). You may want to make a chart-size copy of the graphic organizer or use a transparency.

• Explain that as students read, they will complete the first two columns together. They will complete the last column in pairs or independently.


1. Watch students as they write connections on self-stick notes or in their journals.

2. In a folder or notebook, jot down what you see each student doing.

3. Students should be making connections with their own lives as they read. Document students who are and are not using this monitor reading strategy.



For students who struggle with this activity, model the strategy again and remind them that making connections between the text and their own experiences will help them better understand what they are reading.

Rapid readers can expand on their notes and write in their journals in more detail about their connections to the text.

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Introduction–Chapter 1 (continued)


Comprehension Strategy: Identify Sequence of events (cont.)

• Have students return to Chapter 1 and follow along as you model how to identify sequence of events. Use the information on the graphic organizer on this page to conduct a think-aloud.

• Say: I will skim Chapter 1 looking for the sequence of events in Columbus’s first voyage. He made several stops before he reached Hispaniola. On page 5, it says Columbus reached the Canary Islands. I will write this in the first box in my chart. After taking on supplies and repairing the ship, Columbus sailed on to the island he named San Salvador. I will write this in the second box on the chart.

• Continue the think-aloud, filling in the sequence of events for Chapter 1 and using the graphic organizer on this page. Then review the completed chart with students and discuss how identifying the sequence of events will help them remember what they have read.

use Context Clues to Determine Word Meaning: Direct Definitions

• Read aloud the first sentence of the second paragraph on page 6 containing the name San Salvador. Explain that the author gives a direct definition to help the reader understand the meaning of this name. Say: Look at the sentence that contains the words San Salvador. They are followed by the words which means. These words tell me that the next part of the sentence will define San Salvador. After reading the sentence, I see that the meaning of San Salvador is “Holy Cross.”

• Call students’ attention to the word reef in the first sentence on page 8. Say: The sentence following the word reef begins with the words A reef is. These words are clues that the sentence will define the word reef. After reading the sentence, I see that the meaning of reef is “a ridge or long, narrow strip of rock in the water.”

• Tell students that they will continue to use context clues to determine the meanings of unknown words as they read The Voyages of Christopher Columbus. Finding and learning the definitions of these words will help them understand the other new information in the book.

Reader Response

On page 8, it says that when Columbus sailed back to Spain, he brought gold and natives from Hispaniola with him. Columbus took the Indians captive. Why did he believe this was the right thing to do at the time? Write a response in your jour-nal and share your thoughts with a group member.

voyage of Discovery: 1492–1493

1492—Columbus lands in the Canary Islands

sails to San Salvador, an island in the Caribbean

lands in Cuba; searches for gold

lands in Hispaniola; sets up a colony

1493—sails back to Spain; makes one stop in Portugal

Before ReadingMonitor Reading Strategy: Make Connections

• Have students look at their self-stick notes or in their journals to review the connections they made yesterday. Ask them how making connections helps them understand the text. Discuss their responses.

• Say: Today we are going to make connections between the information in this book and information we can recall from other books or articles about Columbus.

• Read pages 12–13 aloud while students follow along. Say: As I read about the men who sailed with Columbus, the priests who went on the journey remind me of a book I read about missionaries who tried to change the beliefs of the natives. I can connect the information from that text to what I will read in this book about the men who sailed with Columbus. I will write what I remember about missionaries on a self-stick note and put it on page 12.

• Ask students to tell about any connections they can make between the information in Chapters 2–3 and other materials they have read about topics related to the content of these chapters.

During Reading Set a Purpose for Reading • Have students finish reading Chapters 2–3. Remind them to jot

down connections they make on self-stick notes and place them in the appropriate places in their book. Explain that they are making connections between this book and other books or articles they have read about Christopher Columbus and his voyages.

After Reading Discuss the Reading • Have students share their connections and talk about how

the connections helped them better understand the text.

• Ask: What have you learned about the voyages of Columbus from 1493–1496?

• Have students turn to page 17 and locate the checkpoint. Explain that talking about what we read is one way to understand and remember the information. Have students talk about the prompt.

• For text-dependent comprehension practice, ask the questions for Chapters 2–3 found on the Comprehension Through Deductive Reasoning Card for this chapter book.


Monitor ELL students as they read Chapters 2–3 to see whether they are jotting down connections. If they are not, it may be because they do not understand the strategy. Model it again, using information from Chapter 2. If students are writing connections, make sure they can explain how the connections link to the text.


For students who struggle with the strategy, model it again. Then assign them one section in Chapter 2 or 3 and ask them to think of one connection between the text in their section and something they have read before. Review how the two things are connected.

Rapid readers can review their connections and put them into groups. For example, they might group them according to whether the connections tell about things they have read in books, on the Internet, or in magazines and newspapers.

Guide Strategies: Chapters 2–3

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Chapters 2–3 (continued)

Reader Response

Columbus was blamed for the problems in Isabela and Santo Domingo, the colonies he founded. He was even arrested and put in chains! Do you think that Columbus was to blame? Write a response in your journal and share your thoughts with a group member.

Comprehension Strategy: Identify Sequence of events

• Review the graphic organizer and how to identify the sequence of events. Remind students that sequence is the order in which the events happen. Tell them that you are going to revisit Chapter 3 and identify the sequence of events during Columbus’s unlucky voyage.

• Say: Let’s skim the chapter and look for important events that hap-pened on this voyage. Remember that we want to write these events in the order in which they happened. On page 18, the text says that first Columbus left Spain in 1498. I will write this in the first box in the chart.

• Tell students to reread the first paragraph on page 19. Say: Columbus landed in South America and was the first European to set foot on the continent. I will write this in the second box in the chart.

• Continue skimming Chapter 3 with students. Record the sequence of events as shown on the graphic organizer on this page.

use Graphic Features to Interpret Information: Maps

• Explain that maps can be used for many different purposes. Some maps show countries, cities, mountains, and bodies of water. Other maps provide visual information that is related to a text. For example, the map on page 17 of this book shows the route that Christopher Columbus traveled on his second voyage.

• Explain that most maps have a compass rose, which shows direction, and a scale, which shows how distance is represented on the map. Point out the compass rose and scale on this map. Explain that on this map, an inch represents 400 miles.

• Have students locate the map on page 22. Ask: What does this map show? (the routes of Columbus’s third and fourth voyages) How can you tell which line represents the third voyage and which line represents the fourth voyage? (The line for each route is labeled.)


unlucky voyage: 1498–1500

1498—Columbus sails from Spain

lands in South America; first European to set foot on the continent

sails to Hispaniola; colonists and Indians fighting

Columbus arrested by Bobadilla, taken back to Spain

1500—Columbus returns to Spain in chains, is freed by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella


Apply Strategies: Chapter 4–Conclusion

Before ReadingMonitor Reading Strategy: Make Connections

• Have students look at their self-stick notes or in their journals to review the connections they made yesterday. Discuss how the connections helped them understand the text.

• Say: Today we are going to make connections between information about the voyages of Columbus and what we know about our world today.

• Read pages 23–24 aloud while students follow along. Say: It says here that hurricanes were a major threat to the safety of Columbus and his crew. He had to endure hurricanes while at sea and was not allowed to dock his ships at Santo Domingo. Hurricanes are still a threat to people’s safety. Can you name some areas of our country that have been hit by hurricanes in recent years?

• Ask students to tell about any connections they can make between the information in Chapter 4 and the Conclusion and what they know about the world today.

During ReadingSet a Purpose for Reading • Have students read the rest of the book silently. Ask them to

write down connections as they read. Encourage them to write at least two connections on self-stick notes and place them in their books. Remind students to think about ways they can connect the information in the text to information about the world today.

After ReadingDiscuss the Reading • Have students share their connections with the group. Discuss

how the connections helped them better understand the text.

• Ask: What connections did you make between the later voyages of Columbus and the world today?

• Have students turn to page 27 and locate the checkpoint. Explain that thinking about what we read is one way to under-stand and remember the information. Have students think about how they would answer the prompt.

• For text-dependent comprehension practice, ask the questions for Chapter 4 found on the Comprehension Through Deductive Reasoning Card for this chapter book.

Teaching Tips

After discussing the reading, have students remove the self-stick notes from their books and place the notes in their journals on a page titled “Make Connections.” Use this page to review making connections throughout the year.

Comprehension Strategy: Identify Sequence of events

• Review the graphic organizer with students. Have them turn to Chapter 4. Explain that they will identify the sequence of events in this chapter in pairs or independently.

• Ask if students have any questions before they begin. Monitor their work and intervene if they are having difficulty. Discuss students’ responses together.

• For more practice with identifying sequence of events, have stu-dents complete the blackline master “Identify Sequence of Events” on page 15.

use Context Clues to Determine

Word Meaning: Direct Definitions

• Remind students that sometimes they can figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words by reading other nearby words or sentences. Have students locate the word hurricane in the last sentence on page 23. Point out that the words a huge storm appear immediately before the word hurricane. These words give the meaning of the term before it appears in the sentence. After reading the sentence, it is clear that the meaning of hurricane is “a huge storm.”

• Ask students to find the word malaria in the fourth paragraph on page 25. Say: In this sentence, the definition of malaria comes before the word. The definition is signaled by the word called just before malaria. By going back to the beginning of that sentence, I find out that the definition of malaria is “a disease.”

• For additional practice, have students complete the blackline master on page 18.

Chapter 4–Conclusion (continued)



1. Watch students as they identify sequence of events. Ask yourself: How have students progressed with this strategy? What problems are they still having?

2. Watch students as they complete the graphic organizer. Ask yourself: Who is still struggling with this strategy? How can I help them?

3. Jot down your thoughts in your folder or notebook. For students who struggle with identifying sequence of events, review the strategy.

Reader Response

In his final voyage, Columbus survived a hurricane and malaria. Reread the section titled “Last Days” on page 29. Are you surprised by the way Columbus’s life ended? Write a response in your journal and discuss your ideas with a group member.

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1454—Vespucci born; goes on first expedition in 1499

1501—goes on expedition to Asia; finds he has discovered fourth continent

1505—returns to Spain; tells Columbus about new continent

1507—monks write America on continent in new geography books

1. caravels small ships with triangular sails or triangular and square sails, powered by wind

2. rudder a steering device attached at the back of a ship 3. stern the back of the ship 4. quadrant a tool that makes measurements using the stars 5. compass a tool that determines the direction a ship is sailing

Adventurous voyage: 1502–1504

1502—Columbus sets out to find a passage between Cuba and South America

sails across the Caribbean Sea, up and down the coast of Central America

Columbus is marooned in Jamaica

sails by canoe to Hispaniola

1504—Governor Ovando gives Columbus a ship; he is finally able to return to Spain

Administer ongoing Comprehension Assessment• Have students take Ongoing Assessment #19 on pages 68–69 in

the Comprehension Strategy Assessment Handbook (Grade 5).

Complete kWHL Chart• Refer to the KWHL chart students prepared before reading

the book.

• Remind students that the chart shows the facts they knew before they read the book. It then shows some questions they wanted answered by the text and some ideas about how to locate the answers. Now they must determine what they actually learned by reading the book.

• Encourage students to think about the four voyages of Christopher Columbus and to suggest information they learned from the book that complemented or extended what they already knew. As they recall information, work with students to record the information in the last column.

• When the chart is complete, have students check to see what questions in the W column were answered by information in the L column. Circle the unanswered questions, and write three more questions at the bottom of the chart. Have students choose one question and locate information to answer it. (They can look back at the H column for suggestions about where the information might be found.) Provide class time for students to share their research findings.



1. Score assessments and determine if more instruction is needed for this strategy.

2. Keep group assessments in a small-group reading folder.

3. Look closely at students’ responses. Ask yourself: Why might this student have answered the question in this manner? For in-depth analysis, discuss responses with individual students.

4. If needed, reteach this strategy and administer the second Ongoing Assessment #20 on pages 70–71 in the Comprehension Strategy Assessment Handbook (Grade 5).

5. Use ongoing assessments to document growth over time, for parent/teacher conferences, or for your own records.

Scaffold the graphic organizer activity by discussing one row of the chart at a time. Ask students to read aloud the information in each column for that row. Help them find the sections of the chapter book that answer each question (if it is answered in the text), and invite them to reread that section aloud. Students can discuss with a partner how they would research questions not answered in the text and report their ideas to the larger group.

Synthesize Information

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K W H LWhat I know about Columbus and his voyages

What I want to know about Columbus and his voyages

How I will learn about Columbus and his voyages

What I learned about Columbus and his voyages

Write a Personal ResponseInvite students to respond to the book in a way that is meaningful to them. The prompts below provide a variety of alternatives.

• Imagine you were a sailor on Columbus’s first journey. Would you stay in the colony at Hispaniola or return to Spain? Explain your answer. (text-to-self)

• How does Columbus’s treatment of the natives reflect the beliefs of his time? (text-to-world)

• What parts of this book confused you? (self-monitor)

• What did you think about while you were reading this book? (make connections)

• Describe what you felt as you read this book. Explain why you felt that way. (personal response)

• What did you like about this book? What did you dislike? Would you recommend it to a friend? Why or why not? (evaluate)

• What big ideas were discussed in this book? (synthesize information)

• Compare this book about Christopher Columbus to other books or articles you have read about the explorer. (text-to-text)

Write to a Text PromptUse the prompt below as a timed writing activity. Students have a maximum of one hour to draft, revise, and edit a response. Use the rubric provided in the sidebar to score students’ writing.

Write to a Picture PromptUse the following picture prompt to develop students’ visual writing abilities.

Reading/Writing Connections

Teaching Tips

Transfer personal response prompts to a piece of large chart paper and hang it in the room. Students can refer to the list throughout the year.

The prompt is well-developed. There is strong evidence of focus, organization, voice, and correct conventions.

The prompt is developed. There is adequate evidence of focus, organization, voice, and correct conventions. The prompt is somewhat developed. There is minimal evidence of focus, organization, voice, and correct conventions.

The prompt is weakly developed. There is little evidence of focus, organization, voice, and correct conventions.

Scoring Rubric

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Imagine that Christopher Columbus is setting out on a fifth voyage. What advice would you give him? Use information from the book to support your answer.

Look at the picture on page 13. Describe the interaction that is taking place in the picture. Write a response in your journal and share your thoughts with a group member. Use details from the picture to support your answer.


© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

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Directions: Use this worksheet to talk about the book.

Word Study: Write words you did not know. Discuss the meanings with your group. Use the text to clarify the meanings.

questions:Write two to three questions you had while reading this book. Discuss the questions and answers.

Make Connections:Write three connections you made with the text. Discuss them with your group.

Adapted from Literature Circles, Harvey Daniels (Stenhouse Publishing Co., 1994).

Rules for a Good Discussion:

1. Be prepared.

2. Pay attention to the person who is talking and do not interrupt him or her.

3. Think about what others are saying so you can respond.

4. Use inside voices.

5. Let everyone in the group have a turn to speak.

6. Be respectful of everyone’s ideas.

Adapted from Guiding Readers and Writers by Irene C. Fountas & Gay Su Pinnell (Heinemann Publishing Co., 2001).

Ways to Make Connections

Text-to-Self: This reminds me of a time when I . . .

Text-to-World: What’s going on in this book is like what’s happening right now in . . .

Text-to-Text: This book reminds me of another book I read called. . . . It was about . . .

Small-Group Discussion Guide


Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Date _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Identify Sequence of events

voyage of Discovery: 1492–1493

unlucky voyage: 1498–1500

Adventurous voyage: 1502–1504


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Identify Sequence of eventsDirections: Read the passage. Complete the sequence of events chart.

How America Got Its Name

Amerigo Vespucci was born in 1454. As a boy, he studied many

subjects, including Latin, math, grammar, astrology, and maps. At that

time, maps showed only three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe.

One of Vespucci’s first jobs was to equip seventeen ships for

Columbus’s second voyage. In 1499, King Ferdinand sent Vespucci to

Hispaniola on an expedition to investigate the complaints from the

colonies that Columbus had founded.

Vespucci departed on his own expedition to Asia in 1501. A year later,

he found that he had discovered a fourth continent. The land Columbus

had thought was the Indies was actually an entirely different continent.

When Vespucci returned to Spain in 1505, he told Columbus about

this new continent, but Columbus didn’t believe him. Monks who were

writing geography books in 1507 received a letter from Vespucci telling

them about the new continent. The monks wrote America on the

continent now known as South America. Scholars at the time argued

that Amerigo Vespucci stole the glory that Christopher Columbus

deserved.

Skills Bank

16 ©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

The Voyages of Christopher Columbus

Build ComprehensionIdEntIfy MaIn IdEa and SupportIng dEtaILS

explain • Create an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer “The Voyages of Christopher Columbus” or draw it on the board. Say: Nonfiction books have main ideas and supporting details. The main idea is the most important thing we learn. Details tell about the main idea. Sometimes the author tells the main idea. Other times readers use details to figure out the main idea.

Model • Say: We know from the title that the book is about voyages that Christopher Columbus took. The author does not state the main idea, though. We will use details to figure out the main idea. Ask students to read pages 4–7 and say: On these pages we read about Columbus’s first voyage. Columbus explored San Salvador, Cuba, and Hispaniola. This is a detail in the book. Write the information in the first Detail box on the graphic organizer. Ask students to read page 8. Say: On this page we read that Columbus founded a colony, La Navidad, on Hispaniola. Columbus founding La Navidad is another detail in this book. Write the information in the second Detail box on the graphic organizer.

Guide • Say: Let’s find more details. What details do we find on pages 12 and 13? (On his second voyage, Columbus found La Navidad destroyed and founded a new colony in its place.) What detail do we find on page 16? (Columbus’s brother founded Santo Domingo on Hispaniola.) What detail do we find on page 19? (Columbus was the first European in South America.) What detail do we find on pages 24 and 25? (On his last voyage, Columbus looked for a waterway across Central America but he didn’t find one.) What is one last detail we read about on page 29? (Columbus returned to Spain rich but not respected.) As students call out responses, add the words to the Detail boxes on the graphic organizer.

Apply • Review the supporting details, and then ask each student to work with a partner to figure out the book’s main idea. Remind them that the main idea is the most important thing they learn in the book. Once each partnership has shared, agree on how to word the main idea and add it to the graphic organizer. Finally, read the completed graphic organizer aloud and invite students to echo-read.

©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

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the Voyages of Christopher ColumbusIdentify Main Idea and Supporting Details

Main Idea: detail:

detail:

detail:

detail:

detail:

detail:

detail:

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use Context Clues to Determine Word Meaning:

Directions: Read the passage. Look for direct definitions of the boldfaced words. Complete the exercise at the bottom of the page.

Directions: Write the definitions of the boldfaced words. Use the passage to help you.

1. caravels

2. rudder

3. stern

4. quadrant

5. compass

Columbus’s Equipment

Christopher Columbus and other explorers made their voyages in

ships called caravels. A caravel was a small ship with triangular sails or

a combination of square and triangular sails. The ships were powered by

wind, and a steering device called a rudder was attached to the back of

the ship, the stern.

Most sailors used the stars, landmarks along the coasts, and special

tools to plan and follow their course. Christopher Columbus used a

quadrant and a compass. The quadrant took measurements using

the stars, and the compass determined the direction in which the ship

was sailing.

Notes


Notes


Documents

Level S/44 The Voyages of Christopher Columbus€¦ · • The Voyages of Christopher ... (Columbus’s voyage of discovery, which took place in 1492 ... knew from personal experience