Christopher Columbus

The 1492 voyage for Spain to the Caribbean, and the Taíno people who already lived there.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 32

Christopher Columbus was a sailor from Italy. He believed he could reach Asia by sailing west, across the Atlantic Ocean.
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain paid for his trip. In 1492, he set sail with three ships: the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María.
More than two months after leaving Spain, the crew saw land: islands in the Caribbean Sea. Columbus thought he was near Asia, in islands called the Indies, so he called the people Indians.
But the islands weren't new to everyone! The Taíno people already lived there. They greeted the sailors and traded with them. Words like hammock, canoe, and hurricane come from their language.
Columbus also did harmful things. He took some Taíno people to Spain against their will, and the Spanish forced others to work for them. Diseases from Europe made many Taíno sick.
Columbus made four voyages. He never reached Asia, but his voyages started lasting contact between Europe and the Americas.

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Social Studies:

SS3H2.b — Describe the accomplishments of: John Cabot (England), Vasco Núñez de Balboa (Spain), Hernando de Soto (Spain), Christopher Columbus (Spain), Henry Hudson (The Netherlands), and Jacques Cartier (France).
SS3H2.c — Describe examples of cooperation and conflict between European explorers and American Indians.