Thematic Units - Explorers

Explorers

You will find various Web Sites on the top portion of this page.
Further down, you will find Lesson Plans .
At the bottom of the page, you will find Books that you can order directly from Amazon.com!

Web Sites

Exploration and Discovery
Australian Explorers Grades 4-12
"In 1788, with the arrival of the first fleet, little was known about this wide brown land which we now call Australia." Learn about the first people to explore this wonderful continent.

Destination Space Grades 5-12
Explore the final frontier! View images from the Hubble Telescope, learn about our attempts to reach mars, and tour the vast universe.

Dive and Discover Grades 3-12
Explore the wonders of the ocean floor. The site contains information about current expeditions and you are able to read daily updates.

Empire of the Bay Grades 5-12
"The story of the shrewd merchants and bold explorers of the Hudson's Bay Company, who tamed a wilderness and opened up the heart of North America." This is a great site based on the PBS broadcast. You can find lesson plans, a timeline, a quiz, maps, and much more.

Explorations of the South Continent Grades 5-12
Find 150 years of history dealing with the exploration of South America.

Explorer Poems Grades 1-5
Here is a collection of poems authored by a 5th grade class. They are not only fun to read, but they also contain a great deal of information about the specific explorer.

Explorers and Travelers Grades 1-5
A great site that include useful information and is an easy read for students. Some of the explorers include Lewis & Clark and Zebulon Pike.

Explorers of the Millennium Grades 4-12
This site will provide students with a wealth of information about the most important explorers of the past thousand years in a simple, easy-to-use format.

Explorers of North America Grades Intermediate
Online games that review European explorers of North America and what they discovered.

Exploring the West From Monticello Home Grades 5-12
A great resource on information about the expedition of Lewis & Clark. You can also find information of the exploration of the West.

Florida of the Conquistador Grades 5-12
Gold! Glory! God! Learn about the Spanish exploration of Florida. Find detailed information on Ponce de Leon, de Naravaez, de Soto and de Luna. There are several other links related to this subject.

Glossary About the Arctic Grades 5-12
An incredible collection of resources and information that relate to the interesting Arctic environment.

Liftoff to Space Exploration Grades 3-12
Find out what the past, present and future of space exploration has to offer.

Lunar Exploration Grades 5-12
Find a timeline, details about various lunar missions and excellent photos.

Meeting of Frontiers Grades 8-12
This is a "bilingual, multimedia English-Russian digital library that tells the story of the American exploration and settlement of the West, the parallel exploration and settlement of Siberia and the Russian Far East, and the meeting of the Russian-American frontier in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest."

The Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) Grades 5-12
The PVS was founded in 1973 to research how Polynesian seafarers discovered and settled nearly every inhabitable island in the Pacific Ocean before European explorers arrived in the 16th century. Learn about what they discovered.

South Pole.com Grades 4-12
By clicking on "Exploration of Antarctica" you will find the following: a timeline, information about the explorers, maps, and US programs.

Voyage of Exploration: Discovering New Horizons Grades 5-12
This site follows in the footsteps of some of the world's greatest explorers, reliving their adventurous expeditions into the unknown. Visitors will be taken on a journey through past centuries looking at these adventurers, the dangers they faced, where they went and their motivation for exploration.

Zoom Explorers Grades 4-12
This incredible site is a must visit! It provides information about the explorers by world regions, century, and by their individual names.

The Explorers
The American Experience: Alone on the Ice Grades 5-12
This site is based on the film about Richard Byrd, an Antarctic explorer. It includes information and maps about his incredible journey.

Balboa, Vasco Nunez de Grades 5-12
Learn about the journeys of this Spanish explorer, along with with other valuable links.

Cook, Captain James Grades 5-12
Cook is known as the "... the ablest and most renowned navigator this or any country that produced. He possessed all the qualifications requisite for his profession and great undertakings ..." Learn all about the voyages of Captain Cook.

Drake, Sir Francis Grades 5-12
These pages are focused on Sir Francis Drake, and in particular on his "Famous Voyage" - the circumnavigation of the world in the sixteenth century, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth.

Hudson, Henry - Explorer of the Hudson River Grades 5-12
Set out on his ship, the Half Moon, Hudson was looking for a quick way from England to the "islands of spicery". Learn more about his journey.

Kino, Father Eusebio Francisco Grades 5-12
Learn more about the early Spanish explorer that established various missions in the New World.

Lewis & Clark's Historic Trail Grades 5-8
Find detailed information about this duo's great expedition. The site provides: maps, a timeline, sample journal entries, and much more.

Lost in the Grand Canyon Grades 5-12
This PBS site is based on the "American Experience" film. Learn about Joseph Wesley Powell's adventure.

Verrazzano, Giovanni da Grades 5-12
Learn more about the man who explored the east coast of what is now the United States in 1525 and is best known for being the discoverer of New York Harbor and for mistaking Pamlico Sound for the Pacific.

Various Web Resources
Latitude - The Science of Sailing the World Grades 5-12
Learn how the explorers of the 1400's navigated their way across the world.

Origins of the Compass Rose Grades 6-12
This symbol has been included on maps since the 1300's.

Ships of Discovery Research Grades 5-12
Learn much more about the ships of the early explorers.

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Lesson Plans

A Journal of Discovery Grades Various
In this activity, students, turn a scientific eye on their own neighborhoods and make their own "discoveries."

A Study of the Portola Expedition 1769 Grades 6-9
During the first week, students will take on the identity of a person on the Portola expedition. Each day the students will be required to keep a journal for their character.

An Adventure to the New World Grades Middle School
Students create an "Explorer's Notebook" as they learn about explorers from the 15th and 16th centuries. Includes a hotlist of Internet sites students can explore!

Christopher's Crossing Grades 3-5
After playing this game, students will be able to answer questions about Christopher Columbus' first voyage.

The Discovery of the Americas: A Play About Early Explorers Grades Elementary
A hands on approach to teach students about everyone from the Stone Age Hunters to Magellan.

Early European Explorers Grades Upper Elementary
Students will broaden their understanding of the past and their historical roots, along with examining the economic motivations of the explorers.

European Explorers
A teacher resource.

Explorer Report Grades 5-12
A complete guide and assessment to a explorer report.

Explorer Sheet Grades Any
This is a printable sheet that will help your students collect information about a specific explorer.

Explorer Go Fish Grades 5-12
Create fun cards to teach the explorers of your choice.

Explorer Interviews Grades 5-8
Students will work in pairs researching an explorer and then interview each other.

Explorers, Fur Traders, the Mètis Peoples, Early Immigrants, and Treaties Grades 4-6
Students will examine the following concepts: history, explorers, traders, immigrants, push/pull factors.

Follow an Explorer Grades 5-8
A printable worksheet that guides students in completing a project about an explorer. Students research the explorer's personal background, route, and transportation.

From Sea to Shining Sea Grades 7-12
Students are engaged in a study of the colonization and westward expansion of the United States; noting the impact of the westward migration upon the lifestyle(s) of Native Americans, and upon the natural environment(s).

Lessons of the Explorers Grades K-12
A great number of lessons and resources from Education Planet.

The Indian's Discovery of Columbus Grades 2-5
This unit presents the conquest of Mexico and the downfall of the Aztec empire from the perspective of the Aztec "Indians" themselves.

Spanish Galleon Grades 5-12
A printable Spanish explorer's ship to cut and assemble.

Voyage of Doom Grades 5-12
From PBS, a website about the excavation of French explorer Robert Cavelier Sieur de la Salle's ship, the La Belle. Click on Teacher's Guide for classroom activities. Designed for use with PBS programming, but adaptable.

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Books

A Long and Uncertain Journey: The 27,000 Mile Voyage of Vasco Da Gama (Great Explorers)
by Joan Elizabeth Goodman

A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus
by David A. Adler

The Adventures of the Great Explorers (Megascope Series)
by Hubert Ben Kemoun

DK Readers: Antarctic Adventure, Exploring the Frozen Continent (Level 4: Proficient Readers)
by Meredith Hooper

Around the World in a Hundred Years : From Henry the Navigator to Magellan
by Jean Fritz

Aztecs, Mayas and Incas Mbu (Ladybird Explorers Plus)
by Fiona MacDonald

Beyond the Sea of Ice : Voyages of Henry Hudson (Great Explorers Book, 1)
by Joan Elizabeth Goodman

Cabeza De Vaca : New World Explorer
by Keith Brandt

Cajun Columbus
by Alice Hughes

Captain Cook : The Great Ocean Explorer (What's Their Story)
by Haydn Middleton