After watching Treasure in the Sea, a documentary about Channel Islands National Park and the video First Contact, about the voyage of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo to the Channel islands, groups research and then compare the experiences of other great explorers (Cortez, Columbus, etc.).

Concepts

early explorers, european explorers, explorers, spanish exploration, the age of exploration, california history

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Have class members develop a matrix that identifies the type of information they should search for (sponsor, purpose of mission, area of exploration, etc.) so that they may compare and contrast the explorers they research

Classroom Considerations

• Part of a series of lessons designed to accompany a viewing of First Contact and a study of Channel Islands National Park

Pros

• A link is provided to the film, Treasure in the Sea, a documentary about Channel Islands National Park
• Also includes a link to a National Park Service article about the history of Santa Cruz Island, the largest of the eight Channel islands

Cons

• The links to resources about Cortez and other primary and secondary sources do not work; however, information may be found online

Common Core

RI.5.6