Curated OER
Clash of Cultures and Marching North
Each of the 23 slides that comprise this presentation are intended to enhance or support lessons on shifts in religion and the colonization of the Americas. Students are guided through the changes in religion that ultimately lead to the...
Curated OER
Distinguished Discoveries: Florida quarter reverse
Florida's state quarter has an image of a space shuttle and a Spanish Galleon on its reverse side. Pupils will examine the state quarter and think about how the Spanish explorers and Space explorers are the same and different. The class...
Curated OER
Spanish Conquistadors
A Conquistador is a Spanish name derived from the Reconquista, a period of reclaiming land from the Muslims. However, it became a call of conquest! Here are 17 slides that depict key conflicts between the Spanish and Native Mexican...
Curated OER
Spanish Explorers and Conquistadors
Prior to taking a test of the Spanish explorers and conquistadors, have students review with this informative PowerPoint. Fifth graders will feel more prepared after using this slideshow as a guide to their studying.
Curated OER
Early Explorers
Fourth graders examine how the early explorers from Spain and England competed in their search for riches and new lands. They read and discuss text from their book, participate in a debate, and create a poster.
Library of Congress
Loc: Teaching With Primary Sources: Hispanic Exploration in America [Pdf]
This is a great lesson plan from the Library of Congress that shows how to use primary sources in the examination of the Spanish Conquistadors in America. The lesson offers many possible activities for students to use with the primary...
PBS
Pbs: The Conquistadors
A huge website that provides a virtual field trip exploring the Spanish adventurers who quested for gold and land in the New World. The site has information on Pizarro, Orellana, Cabeza de Vaca, Cortes as well as extensive information...
Other
Eldritch Press: Cabeza De Vaca's Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America
Read this fascinating account by Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, one of four survivors who traversed Florida and the Southwest for eight years, from 1529-1537.Read the preface which gives a background to this narrative before delving into...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History: Expedition to Galapagos
Accompany scientists on an exciting trip to the Galapagos as they make a film on the islands for IMAX. Featured are a fantastic photo journal and video footage.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Exploring Borderlands:christopher Columbus
This passage features explorer Christopher Columbus as an author documenting his travels and experiences through letters and such. Click on "Christopher Columbus Activities" for related artifacts and activities.
British Library
British Library: The Search for the Northwest Passage
Detailed third grade lessons help students understand what skills and knowledge were required in order to become an explorer. Includes specific lessons on John Cabot, Jacques Cartier, and Henry Hudson.
Mariners' Museum and Park
Mariners' Museum: The Ages of Exploration: Age of Discovery
This Age of Discovery page presents naval artifacts and explorers of the 15th century to the early 17th century. It looks at European explorers who journeyed to North and South America, the search for the Northwest Passage, and...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Harcourt: Biographies: Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca
Gain insight into the life and adventures of Spanish explorer, Cabeza de Vaca, whose expeditions led him to Texas and Mexico.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Other Worlds the Voyage of Columbus
This site has a lesson plan designed for grades 9-12. The lesson plan deals with understanding the culture from which Columbus came, Renaissance Europe, and the culture he found in the New World.
Library of Congress
Loc: 1562 Map of America by Diego Gutierrez
Read about the life and work of Spanish cartographer Diego Gutierrez, who mapped the Americas in 1562. Also view his map, which was the largest and most detailed map of the region for a century.
University of South Florida
A Short History of Florida: Ponce De Leon: Florida's First Spanish Explorer
Read about Juan Ponce de Leon, his exploration of Florida, and his fruitless search for the "Fountain of Youth."
Other
Encyclopedia of Arkansas: Hernando De Soto (1500? 1542)
Read about Hernando de Soto's travels throughout Arkansas in his quest for gold and silver.
PBS
Pbs: Hernan Cortes and the Fall of the Aztec Empire
Learn about the fall of the Aztec Empire. You can use the navigation tool at the left to click into more information on the Aztecs and the Spanish conquest of Cortes. Uses popups.
Other
Ships of Discovery: Columbus's Lost Ships
We all know about the Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria, but what about the rest of Columbus' ships? He was a busy man after the initial discovery. This site is by a group of archaeologists who try to find historic underwater wrecks....
Soylent Communications
Notable Names Databas|nndb: Ferdinand Magellan
A concise biography of Portugal native, Ferdinand Magellan, famous for circumnavigating the Earth in the sixteenth century.
Mariners' Museum and Park
Exploration Through the Ages: Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo
Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo is known for exploring the California coast and claiming the land for Spain, but he did so many other things prior to that.See why Cabrillo wa so important to the Spanish in the New World.Be sure to click on...
Other
San Diego History Center: Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo (? 1543)
After a description of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo's activities in Mexico and Guatemala, there is a day by day description of his sailing expedition up the coast of California.
Mariners' Museum and Park
Age of Exploration: Christopher Columbus: The Second Voyage
A report of Christopher Columbus' second voyage to the New World. Find out what islands he visited in the Caribbean, and discover how successful he was in finding riches.
A&E Television
Biography: Ferdinand Magellan
A biography on the life and voyages of 16th century Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, who was the first to circumnavigate the globe, although he did not survive the journey. Magellan was Portuguese but he commanded a Spanish fleet.