FRAME THE LESSON
Explorers for Spain
TEACHER:
CLASS: 5th Grade
DATE: September 14
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline
Verb=Italicize
1A: explain when, where, and why groups of people explored, colonized, and settled in the United States, including
the search for religious freedom and economic gain
17D: describe the origins and significance of national celebrations such as Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor
Day, Constitution Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day;
M T W TH F
Resources/Materials:
Pearson’s 5th Grade Building
Our Nation TE
(p. 98-105)
24C: organize and interpret information in outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts,
timelines, and maps
Objective/Key Understanding:




Explain that the king and queen of Spain were motivated to send explorers to the Americas by a desire for
profit and to spread Christianity.
Describe how Columbus sailed west to reach Asia but landed on a continent unknown to most Europeans.
Summarize the efforts of Spanish explorers following Columbus to search the Americas for sources of
wealth.
Define colony and describe Spain’s colonies in the Americas.
Closing Product/ Question/
Informal Assessment:
Got it Questions
Rigor & Relevance (p. 105)
Vocabulary
You may want to assign the personal feelings Got It question as homework. Have students make a list of possible
personal feelings (positive and negative) before they begin writing. Decide how students can share their answers-in
pairs, in groups, or as a read aloud to the class. Discuss which writers seem the most excited and which seem the
most worried.
colony
Patron
conquistador
expedition
Circumnavigate
Critical Writing
You are in Spain and have signed on with Columbus for a voyage he is planning. Describe how you feel when you
find out that Columbus wants to sail west across the Atlantic Ocean
Stop and Check for Understanding- High Level Questions
Columbus Sets Sail (p. 98-99)
 Why were Europeans among the first people to explore the world by sea?
 What do you think Columbus will find when he sails west from Europe?
 Study the painting that shows the Taino meeting Columbus. What evidence do you see that Columbus and the Taino didn’t immediately trust each other?
 Read Columbus’s journal entry. Why would his crew be happy to see land and berries?
 Why did Columbus believe that he had reached Asia?
 What are some of the things Columbus might have needed to pay for to make his long journey?
 Would modern-day captains have the same bills to pay? How do you know?
 Why do you think the first town Columbus founded in the Americas was called La Isabela?
Cortes and the Aztecs (p. 100)
 How do you know that the newly discovered land between Europe and Asia was valuable?
 How do you know Cortes and his crew were more interested in claiming land than in exploration?
 Read the quote from Hernan Cortes. Is this an example of a fact or an opinion?
 Based on his quote, does Cortes seem to admire Moctezuma or look down on him? How do you know?
 How does Cortes’s actions contrast with his quote?
Ferdinand Magellan (p. 101)
 Why did Cortes and Magellan sail with such different purposes?
 Why was Magellan’s travel route along the coast of South America?
 What do you think Magellan is doing in the painting?
 Why didn’t Magellan realize that the journey to Asia from South America would be a long one?
 What positive and negative feelings did the crew members who completed the journey probably have when they arrived in Spain?
 Even though Magellan did not complete the journey, what did his trip prove about sailing to Asia?
Exploring the North (p. 102)
 The test says, “There he heard myths about a magical spring that could turn old people young.” What are myths?
 Why did Ponce De Leon choose the name Pescua Florida, which means “East flowers” in Spanish?
 What were some of the first reactions of American Indians who met the Europeans? How did their reactions probably change over time?
 According to the map, who explored farthest in what is now the southeastern United States?
 Why did the American Indians get into fights with the Spaniards?
Coronado’s Expedition (p. 103)
 What were both Ponce de Leon and Coronado looking for?
 What do you think Coronado is thinking in the image of him on this page?
 What can you infer about European exploration of the American Southwest before Coronado? How do you know?
 What does the word but in each fact sentence tell a reader?
 What was Coronado’s motivation to explore?
 Do people explore in search of riches today? What happens most of the time?
Settling in the Americas (p. 104)
 What did the Spaniards show by calling their colony in North America New Spain?
 Why did American Indians fight with the Spaniards?
 Why do you think that Spanish is the main language spoken in Mexico and most Caribbean islands today?
 List four reasons colonists settled New Spain.
 Did everyone benefit from the establishment of New Spain?
Engage
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Evaluate
Introduce the Key Idea & Vocabulary (p.98)
 Read to the class the Key Idea: “I will know that Columbus and other explorers sailed west hoping to reach Asia.” Tell students in this lesson
they will be learning about this quote and what it means to American History.
 Go online to access the Lesson Introduction and discuss the Big Question and lesson objective (p. 98).
 Students are to complete the Using the Words to Know Worksheet before reading the lesson.
Divide the class into groups. Each group is to read a section and be prepared to discuss and share findings with the class.
 Columbus Sets Sail (p. 98-99)
 Cortes and the Aztecs (p. 100)
 Ferdinand Magellan (p. 101)
 Exploring the North (p. 102)
 Coronado’s Expedition (p. 103)
 Settling in the Americas (p. 104)
Students are to read assigned sections and be prepared to share findings with class.
Columbus Sets Sail (p. 98-99)
 Christopher Columbus was a man with a bold plan. By the late 1400s, explorers had already reached Asia by sailing east from Europe.
Columbus wanted to find a new route to Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean.
Cortes and the Aztecs (p. 100)
 News of the discovery of a land between Europe and Asia spread quickly throughout Europe. Soon, other Europeans set sail for the Americas.
In the early 1500s, a group of Spanish soldiers, later called conquistadors, or conquerors, arrived.
Ferdinand Magellan (p. 101)
 In 1519, another explorer set sail from Spain. Ferdinand Magellan, an expert navigator, commanded five ships. Like Columbus, he hoped to
reach Asia by sailing west. Magellan traveled south along the coast of South America until he found a strait, or narrow waterway, leading to
the Pacific Ocean.
Exploring the North (p. 102)
 Spanish conquistadors explored other parts of North America in search for riches. Juan Ponce de Leon settled the island of Puerto Rico in
1508. There he heard myths about a magical spring that could turn old people young. The stories were not true.
Coronado’s Expedition (p. 103)
 Another Spanish explorer, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, also wanted to search for treasure in the Americas. While serving as a Spanish
leader in Mexico, he had heard rumors of a rich kingdom to the north called cibola. This mythical land was supposed to be filled with gold,
silver, and jewels. Others had looked for it, but none had found it.
Settling in the Americas (p. 104)
 In 1535, Spain established the colony of New Spain in North America. A colony is a settlement or area far from the country that rules it. New
Spain became an important part of the Spanish empire. Over time, New Spain would expand to include many islands in the Caribbean, as well
as large parts of North and South America.
Questions from the Stop and Check for Understanding- High Level Questions are to be used here.
(Please see this from above).
Students will demonstrate mastery by completing the Got It Questions:
 This painting shows the Tainos meeting Columbus and his crew at the landing. Circle details that show contrasts between the Tainos and the
Europeans.
 Write two more reasons for Columbus’s voyages in the ovals.
 This painting by a Spanish missionary in the 1500s shows a battle between Cortes’s soldiers and Aztec warriors near Tenochititlan. The
Aztec’s are using spears and wearing quilted cotton armor. Circle and compare the weapons and armor of the Aztecs to what the Spanish had.
Who had the advantage and why?
 Fill in the Venn diagram with information about the voyages of Cortes and Magellan
 Write a conclusion based on the facts.
 Fill in the missing effects in the graphic organizer.
 What conclusion can you draw about life for American Indians in New Spain?
 You are in Spain and have signed on with Columbus for a voyage he is planning. Describe how you feel when you find out that Columbus
wants to sail west across the Atlantic Ocean.
 Analyze what you’ve read about religious motivations for Spanish exploration. What can you infer about the religious freedom of Spanish
settlers in New Spain?
TEACHER:
CLASS: 5th Grade
DATE: September 15
M T W TH F
FRAME THE LESSON
Drawing Conclusions
Resources/Materials:
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline
Verb=Italicize
17D: describe the origins and significance of national celebrations such as Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day,
Constitution Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day;
24C: organize and interpret information in outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts, timelines,
and maps
Objective/Key Understanding:



Understand how to draw
conclusions based on evidence in a
text.
Use prior knowledge to help draw
conclusions.
Distinguish important details from
less important tones.
Closing Product/ Question/ Informal
Assessment:
Try It! (p. 107)
Rigor & Relevance (p. )
Pearson’s 5th Grade
Building Our Nation TE
(p. 106-107)
Skills Lesson Plan Sample Stop & Check for Understanding—High Level Questions
Preview the Sill (p. 106)
 What does the word conclude mean?
 What information id directly stated in informational text?
 How can you draw a conclusion about what you read in a text?
Practice the Skill (p. 106)
 Why is it useful to summarize reading details in your own words?
 Does the text directly state that the Spanish rulers helped Columbus for three reasons?
 How could you conclude that the details in the paragraph were reasons they helped Columbus?
 Read the section titled American Indian Economics on page 106 and fill in the empty boxes in
the chart on the page.
Try It (p.107)
 Remind students that summarizing involves presenting only the most important information in
your own words. Explain that they will need to summarize to fit the answers in the space
provided.
 Students are to answer questions 1-3 independently and then compare their answers in small
groups.
Engage
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Evaluate
Preview the Skill (p.106)
Ask them to explain what a conclusion is. Inform them that they are going to learn how to draw conclusions about informational texts. Students will answer the following questions:

What does the word conclude mean?

What information id directly stated in informational text?

How can you draw a conclusion about what you read in a text?
Drawing Conclusions (p.106)
A conclusion is a decision you make after you read facts and details in a text. When you read a text, analyze it by paying attention to important facts and details. Use what you already
know to draw a conclusion. Thinking about the details will help you better understand what you are reading.

Instruct students to read the paragraph on page 106 about Christopher Columbus.

Remind them to pay attention to important details that will help them draw conclusions.
Guide students through this activity to identify the details and the eventual conclusion.
Practice the Skill (p. 106).
Ask students to study the graphic organizer on page 106 about American Indian groups and the foods they ate and their economies. Students are to answer the following questions:
Instruction is then differentiated to meet the varied needs of students as follows:
Special Needs:

Ask students to share a decision they made today. Discuss what information they used to help make the decision. Explain that drawing conclusions in reading involves making
decisions based upon ideas you read in a text.
Extra Support:

Ask students to explain what important decision King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella and Christopher Columbus needed to make. How did they arrive at their decisions? Discuss
where students located the information that helped them answer these questions.
On-Level:

Have students complete a graphic organizer similar to the one on page 106 for each of the next sections of Lesson 2, drawing conclusions about Cortes and Magellan.
Challenge/Gifted:
Have students role-play a second meeting between Columbus and the Spanish rulers after he completed his fourth voyage to the Americas. What facts would Columbus present to help the
rulers conclude that they were right in becoming his patrons? What questions would they ask?
After students learn about working in teams, use the ELPS support note on page 98b to help the English Language Learners.
ELPS Strategy 2.C.2 & 4.C.4.
Review the meaning of compare and contrast. Remind students that when they compare things, they look for similarities. When they contrast things, they look for differences.
Beginning

Write the expressions pay attention and draw a conclusion on the board or chart paper. Ask what pay and raw usually mean. Then ask a volunteer to read the first paragraph
aloud while students listen for the two expressions. Discuss what the expressions probably mean based on context.
Intermediate

Have students work in pairs. Each student should read the first paragraph aloud to the partner. Ask them to work together to write definitions for the expressions pay attention
and draw a conclusion. Discuss their definitions.
Advanced

Read the first paragraph aloud to students. Ask them to listen for expressions that include the words pay and draw. Have them write a definition for each expression. Discuss
how they arrived at their definitions.
Advanced High

Explain that English contains many expressions in which common words take on a new meaning. Have students read the text and graphic organizer on page 106. Discuss what
the expressions pay attention and draw a conclusion mean. Have students point out and define another unusual expression used in the Conclusion box.
Try It (p. 107)
Have students work in groups or independently to complete the Try It Activity (p. 107. Alternatively, this activity can be assigned as homework. Reread and analyze the section
Columbus Sets Sail on pages 98-99. Students will answer/respond to the following:

Describe three important facts in the second paragraph.

Summarize each important fact in your own words.

Why did King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella help Columbus? Draw a conclusion and write it on the lines below.

List three important facts from the text on page 99 on a separate piece of paper. Think about what these facts have in common. What do you already know about these facts?
Write your conclusion on the lines below.
TEACHER:
FRAME THE LESSON
Columbian Exchange
CLASS: 5th Grade
DATE: September 16-17
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline
Verb=Italicize
22A: identify the similarities and differences within and among various racial, ethnic, and religious groups in the United
States
M T W TH F
Resources/Materials:
Pearson’s 5th Grade
Building Our Nation TE
24C: organize and interpret information in outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts, timelines,
and maps
(p. 108-113)
Objective/Key Understanding:
Closing Product/
Question/ Informal
Assessment:



Define the Columbian Exchange as an interchange of cultures and goods between Europeans, American Indians,
and African following Columbus’s explorations.
Analyze the consequences of the Columbian Exchange, both positive and negative.
Draw conclusions about the lasting impact of the Columbian Exchange on the cultures of Europeans, American
Indians, and African peoples.
Vocabulary
epidemic
Columbian Exchange
Got it Questions
Rigor & Relevance (p.
105)
devastation
Critical Writing
You are on of Columbus’s ships that land in the Americas. Write a letter to a friend telling about the strange and
wonderful things you’ve seen and tasted.
.
Stop and Check for Understanding- High Level Questions
Changing Ways of Life (p. 108)
 What does it mean to exchange something?
 During the Columbian Exchange, what are some examples of things that may have been exchanged culturally?
 How do you think American Indians felt about working on farms for Europeans?
 What will likely happen to the relationship between European settlers and American Indians?
 What makes you think that Europeans were happy about the decision to explore in the Americas?
Harmful Affects (p. 109)
 How do you think American Indians felt when the negative effects of meeting the Europeans included epidemics?
 An epidemic is an outbreak of disease that spreads quickly and affects many people. What is the definition of affects as it is used in this
sentence?
A Powerful Exchange (p. 110)
 How do you know corn, peanuts, and potatoes weren’t grown or eaten in Europe before the year 1500?
 What questions might an American Indians ask a European about pigs or chickens?
 How did American Indians’ lives change after horses were brought to America?
 Why did Europeans continue to explore after Columbus landed in the Americas?
New Crops, Changing Diets (p. 111)
 What did the Columbian Exchange help increase?
 According to the map, which continents were directly involved in the Columbian Exchange?
 What was the effect of Europeans growing potatoes and corn on their own farms?
 What was a result of Europeans growing huge amounts of sugar cane?
 What are some things still exchanged between Europe and the Americas today?
 Which food or animal that was exchanged had the most positive impact on American Indians? Which had the most negative impact?
Cultures Collide (p. 112)
 Compare and contrast this wedding with weddings you have been to, read about, or seen in movies.
 Even today, increased contact between cultures leads to what?
 The word collide in the section heading means “to crash” or “to come into conflict.” In what ways did European and American Indian cultures
crash into each other?
Engage
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Evaluate
Introduce the Key Idea & Vocabulary (p.108)
 Read to the class the Key Idea: “I will know that the Columbian Exchange resulted in the exchange of useful crops and animals, as
well as deadly diseases.” Tell students in this lesson they will be learning about this quote and what it means to American History.
 Go online to access the Lesson Introduction and discuss the Big Question and lesson objective (p. 108).
 Students are to complete the Using the Words to Know Worksheet before reading the lesson.
Divide the class into groups. Each group is to read a section and be prepared to discuss and share findings with the class.
 Changing Ways of Life (p. 108)
 Harmful Affects (p. 109)
 A Powerful Exchange (p. 110)
 New Crops, Changing Diets (p. 111)
 Cultures Collide (p. 112)
Students are to read assigned sections and be prepared to share findings with class.
Changing Ways of Life (p. 108)
 When Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas in 1492, he changed history. His arrival set in motion the Columbian
Exchange. This was a movement of people, animals, plants, cultures, and even disease between the Eastern and Western
Hemispheres. The Columbian Exchange led to powerful changes around the world.
Harmful Affects (p. 109)
 Native peoples suffered in another way as well. Without knowing it, Europeans brought disease germs with them that had a terrible
impact. Most American Indians had no defense against diseases such as smallpox, measles, and malaria. Epidemics occurred among
the native peoples.
A Powerful Exchange (p. 110)
 When Europeans first landed in the Americas, they found plants and animals they had never seen before. Foods from the Americas,
such as corn, peanuts, potatoes,, squash, and pineapples became part of their diet. Turkeys, guinea pigs, and llamas were also new to
them.
New Crops, Changing Diets (p. 111)
 The Columbian Exchange transformed the way people on both sides of the Atlantic farmed and ate. Spanish explorers learned about
potatoes and sent them back to Europe. American Indian farmers learned to grow European and African crops such as wheat, rice,
and sugar cane.
Cultures Collide (p. 112)
 Europeans, Africans, and American Indians had very different cultures. They wore different clothing, spoke different languages, and
practiced different religions. Each culture had their own distinct styles of music, dance, and celebrations.
Questions from the Stop and Check for Understanding- High Level Questions are to be used here.
(Please see this from above).
Students will demonstrate mastery by completing the Got It Questions:
 (p. 108). Spanish explorers melted down American Indian artifacts such as these to make gold bars to send to Europe. Explain how
you know these objects were valuable to native peoples.
 (p. 109). Write the effect of colonization of the Americas on each group of people.
 (p. 110). Circle foods and animals that are mentioned in the text on these two pages. List the ones sent from the Americas in the box
to the left of the map. List the ones sent from Europe, Africa, and Asia in the box to the right of the map. Identify two ways horses
created new opportunities for American Indians.
 (p. 113). Read the facts and fill in a conclusion on how the Columbian Exchange affected some native peoples.
 (p. 113). Write a conclusion based on these facts: (1) the introduction of horses changed how many American Indians lived; (2) the
introduction of potatoes changed how may Europeans ate.
 (p. 113). You are on of Columbus’s ships that land in the Americas. Write a letter to a friend telling about the strange and wonderful
things you’ve seen and tasted.
 (p. 113). European, Africans, and American Indians were living in the same place for the first time. Identify the difference s these
groups confronted.
TEACHER:
CLASS: 5th Grade
DATE: September 18
M T W TH F
FRAME THE LESSON
TEKS Review
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline
Verb=Italicize
1A: explain when, where, and why groups of people explored, colonized, and settled in the United States, including the
search for religious freedom and economic gain;
17D: describe the origins and significance of national celebrations such as Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor
Day, Constitution Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day;
22A: identify the similarities and differences within and among various racial, ethnic, and religious groups in the
United States;
24B: analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing,
contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and
conclusions; and
24C: organize and interpret information in outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts, timelines,
and maps
Objective/Key Understanding:
~ In this topic, students learned about the Early Americas and European Exploration. During these lessons and
activities, students will be able to show what they know by writing essays, holding discussions, and/or making
presentations to the class.

Students will answer questions about every TEKS on the TEKS Practice pages 114-117.
Resources/Materials:
Pearson’s 5th Grade Building
Our Nation TE
(p. 114-117)