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Handout
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools

Loon Lake Elementary School: Hernando De Soto

For Students 3rd - 5th
A biography of Hernando De Soto (1500?-1542), a Spanish explorer who led the first European expedition to reach the Mississippi River. His group arrived at the river in 1541 during a search for gold. De Soto also took part in the Spanish...
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Handout
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools

Loon Lake Elementary School: Cabeza De Vaca

For Students 3rd - 5th
A biography of Cabeza de Vaca (1490-1557), a Spanish explorer in both North and South America. This site has a Google widget that will translate the page into many languages.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Expedition to Galapagos

For Students 9th - 10th
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.
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Website
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools

Loon Lake Elementary School: Vasco Nunez De Balboa

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief biography of Spanish conquistador, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, featuring his successful voyage for Spain to the western coast of South America in the early sixteenth century.
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Graphic
University of Texas at Austin

University of Texas: Exploration and Settlement Before 1675

For Students 9th - 10th
A great map showing the explorations of Spanish, French, and English explorers in North America between 1530 and 1675. A detailed key identifies each explorer and route. From the Perry-Castaneda Collection
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Lesson Plan
Texas State Historical Association

Texas State Historical Association: European Exploration [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th - 8th
An activity guide where students refer to the Texas Almanac, which is free to download, for information needed to complete assigned tasks. In this lesson, students are asked to research Spanish and French explorers and create a 'living...
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Unit Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Parallel Histories: Atlantic and Gulf Coasts Settlements

For Students 9th - 10th
Insights, primary and secondary source material and timeline on early exploration and Spanish settlement of Florida and the Atlantic Coast.
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Article
Other

Brown Quarterly: Hernando De Soto Expedition

For Students 9th - 10th
An overview of the career of Spanish conquistador Hernando De Soto including a brief analysis of the effects his explorations in the southern portions of North America had on the natives of that region.
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Handout
Mariners' Museum and Park

Exploration Through the Ages: Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo

For Students 9th - 10th
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...
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Handout
Other

Texas Bob: The First Europeans in Texas: 1528 1536

For Students 9th - 10th
One of the first Europeans to penetrate the interior of Texas, read Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca's account of his shipwreck and eventual return to the Spanish Court.
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Interactive
Mariners' Museum and Park

Mariners Museum: Exploration Through the Ages

For Students 9th - 10th
This website focuses on exploration and offers links to Ancient Exploration, Medieval Exploration, The "Age of Discovery" and Modern Exploration. It also provides pictured links to four explorers: currently they are Christopher Columbus,...
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Website
Other

Ships of Discovery: Columbus's Lost Ships

For Students 5th - 8th
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....
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Handout
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools

Loon Lake Elementary School: Hernando Cortes

For Students 3rd - 5th
A biography of Hernando Cortes (or Cortez) (1485 -1547), a Spanish adventurer who conquered what is now central and southern Mexico. His seizure of land, power, and wealth made him the greatest Spanish conqueror in the Americas. His...
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Handout
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools

Loon Lake Elementary School: Panfilo De Narvaez

For Students 3rd - 5th
A biography of Panfilo de Narvaez (1470: 1528), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who was famous for the exploration of Cuba and for leading an ill fated expedition to Florida and North America. This site has a Google widget that will...
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Website
Curated OER

National Park Service: Cabrillo National Monument

For Students 9th - 10th
This website contains a wealth of information concerning the life of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the National Monument that was built in his memory, and his discovery of California.
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Graphic
Curated OER

Route Which the Spanish Take to Come to the Bay of St. Louis

For Students 9th - 10th
Two eighteenth-century maps and four accounts of the mutual perceptions, suspicions, and observations between Spanish and French explorers on the Gulf Coast.
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Handout
New Advent

Catholic Encyclopedia: Juan De La Cosa

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief biography of Juan de la Cosa who sailed with both Columbus and Vespucci. His famous chart of the world is the oldest representation of the New World. Please note that "The Catholic Encyclopedia," is a historic reference source...
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Unit Plan
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Jamestown, Quebec, Santa Fe: Three North American Beginnings

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore the origins of Canada and the United States as Jamestown, Quebec, and Santa Fe celebrate their 400th anniversary.
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Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Contact: First Impressions

For Teachers 9th - 10th
English, Spanish, and Portuguese maps and letters of about the voyages of Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, and Portuguese explorer, Gaspar Corte Real, which describe impressions of the lands explored.
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Website
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies: Daniel Boone

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out about one of America's greatest legends, Daniel Boone. (In Spanish)
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Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Rivalry Ii, American Beginnings: 1492 1690

For Students 9th - 10th
Two eighteenth-century maps and four accounts of the mutual perceptions, suspicions, and observations between Spanish and French explorers on the Gulf Coast.
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Other Worlds the Voyage of Columbus

For Teachers 9th - 10th
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.
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Handout
Other

San Diego History Center: Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo (? 1543)

For Students 9th - 10th
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.
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Handout
Nebraska Studies

Nebraska Studies: Horses Change Native Lives

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn how Spain's introduction of horses dramatically impacted the lives of the Native Indians.