Lesson #3 – Civic Engagement
Preparer: Kathleen Swift
Audience: Intermediate Elementary: 21 third graders at D.J. Montague Elementary School
Standards:
SOL: 3.3 a) The student will study the exploration of the Americas by describing the
accomplishments of Christopher Columbus, Juan Ponce de León, Jacques Cartier, and
Christopher Newport.
Objective and Its Purpose:
1. After a class discussion about Ponce de León’s life and positive and negative leadership
characteristics, the students will be able to list at least two positive actions or leadership qualities
and at least two negative actions or leadership qualities that Ponce de León demonstrated, in
order to understand that Ponce de León and other Spanish explorers had both positive and
negative legacies in the Americas.
2. Given wooden spoons, pipe cleaners, felt, glue, feathers, paper, and markers, the students will
create dolls of Juan Ponce de León that includes a prop that shows that the student understands
one of the positive or negative qualities discussed about Ponce de León.
Materials/Space/Time: wooden spoons, feathers, felt of various colors, pipe cleaners, scissors,
paper, markers, liquid glue, chart paper, social studies notebooks, document camera, example
dolls; 21 students; classroom divided into 4 table groups, students will be assigned partners for
later part of lesson; 50 minutes
Lesson Description:
Introduction: Begin the lesson by having the class brainstorm what they already know about
Juan Ponce de León from previous lessons in the unit. Write the students’ answers on the board
(possible answers include that he was an explorer, he sailed with Columbus, he was Spanish, and
that he explored Puerto Rico and Florida). Once the students have finished, inform them that
Ponce de León was also a governor and military leader in addition to being an explorer.
Content Focus: Go through the biography of Ponce de León on the PowerPoint using the
information on the Background Information page. Have chart paper at the front of the room with
a table with two columns. One column should be labeled “Good”, and the other labeled “Bad.”
Have the students copy this chart into their social studies notebooks. Explain that while going
through the PowerPoint, the class will write down good and bad leadership characteristics. Do
this each time there is an astrix. Refer to the notes on the PowerPoint for specific information on
these characteristics. Have the students write these points in their notebooks as they are written
on the chart paper. Next, look at the first exert from the patent the king wrote to Ponce de León.
Explain that the class will be looking at two parts of the same document, and that even though
they is from the same document, it can still show how Ponce de León was both a good and bad
leader. Explain that this is a patent that the king wrote to Ponce de León giving him permission
to explore Florida, and orders on what to do there. Define what a patent is. First read the passage
to the class, then ask the questions listed in the notes on the PowerPoint. The students will not
understand the whole passage, but should be able to look at very small sections of it with help
from the teacher. Discuss how Ponce de León was a good leader, based on the biography
information and this primary source. Answer should include that he was willing to make
economic and personal sacrifices for his country and that he helped gain land for Spain. Make
sure the students add to the list in their notebooks. Next go over how Ponce de León was a bad
leader, by looking at the next exert. Again, read the passage out loud and then focus on the
instructions in the notes on the PowerPoint. Discuss how Ponce de León was a bad leader, based
on the biography information and this primary source. Possible answers should include that
Ponce de León enslaved and killed Native Americans. Have the students add to the list in their
notebooks again. Now divide the class in half using their table groups. Show the class the
example dolls on the document camera. Explain that the first doll shows how Ponce de León was
a good leader, because it has a compass, which represents the sacrifices he made for his country
to help expand its territory. The second doll shows how Ponce de León was a bad leader because
the sword represents how Ponce de León fought and killed many Native Americans. Put the next
slide on the screen and explain to the students that they will be making their own dolls. Tell one
half of the class that they will be making dolls that represent Ponce de León’s good
characteristics and tell the other half that they will be making dolls that represent Ponce de
León’s bad leadership characteristics. The students making “good” dolls need to select one of the
bullet points from either the list in their notebook or the one on the screen, and give the doll
something that represents that characteristic. The students can use the examples from the slide,
but they should be encouraged to come up with their own (especially the gifted students). Switch
to the next slide and give the students making “bad” dolls the same instructions. Project the last
slide to remind the students what Ponce de León looked like. Tell the students they must write
what characteristic they are portraying on paper and tape it to the bottom of their spoon after they
are finished with the doll. Now, demonstrate for the students how to make the doll by wrapping
the pipe cleaner around the spoon. Pass out the spoons and tan pipe cleaners. Next, show the
students where the other materials are located, and tell them they can use whatever they like, as
long as it resembles Ponce de León and includes something about the good or bad leadership
characteristics. Tell the students to begin working on the dolls, and make sure to walk around
and provide assistance when necessary. Some students will need help cutting.
Closure: Once the students finish their dolls, or about 10 minutes before the end of the lesson
(whichever comes first), have the students stop. Assign the students partners. One partner should
have made a “good” doll and the other should have made a “bad” doll. If the students have not
finished their dolls, tell them they will have time to finish during the mornings for the rest of the
week. Ask the students to share how they represented their leadership characteristic on their doll
with their partner, and defend why they chose their prop for the doll. The students can sit
anywhere in the classroom they like. After about 5 minutes, or when the conversations start to
die down, have the students return to their seats. Have the students share what they included on
their doll with the class. Call on students randomly and ask them to share. After one student
shares, see if anyone else in the class had a similar idea, and talk about why this is a good
representation of that characteristic. A few minutes before the end of the lesson, pass out the exit
tickets.
Evaluation:
Formative: Observe the students’ participation in the conversations with their partner and with
the whole class. If possible, keep a tally or notes during the lesson. If another teacher is in the
classroom, have them help with this. Make sure the students are keeping a list of the good and
bad leadership characteristics in their social studies notebooks.
Summative: The students will each make a doll that looks like Ponce de León. Each doll will
have something on it that represents either a good or bad leadership characteristic (whichever
they were assigned). The dolls will be assessed on if the teacher can tell that effort was put in,
and if the doll includes a good representation of the chosen characteristic.
The students will also be assessed through an exit ticket given at the end of the lesson.
Background Information:
Noble family: someone from an upper class with a rank or title (“Noble”)
Mutiny: rebellion or fight against an authority (“Mutiny”)
Colonize: to settle an area and form a colony (“Colonize”)
Massacre: killing a large number of people, often unnecessarily (“Massacre”)
Patent: an official document from a government giving a certain right (“Patent”)
Allotment: a portion of something is shared or given (“Allotment”)
Early life: Juan Ponce de León was born in Spain to a noble family. He grew up to become a
soldier, and fought in a war in Spain (History.com Staff, 2009).
The Americas: At the end of the war, in 1493, he went to the West Indies on Christopher
Columbus’s second trip. About ten years later he was a captain in the military. He led his
soldiers in battle to defeat a Native American mutiny. As a reward for his success, he was made a
governor of part of Hispaniola (today called Haiti and the Dominican Republic) (History.com
Staff, 2009). However, he had won the battle by helping with a famous massacre of the Native
American tribe (Bio.com).
Puerto Rico: Ponce de León asked for permission to explore Puerto Rico because there were
rumors that it had a lot of gold. The Spanish king gave him permission, and after Ponce de León
returned from his first trip, having found a lot of gold and spent a year settling the colony, he was
named governor of Puerto Rico (Bio.com)
Florida: The king wanted Ponce de León to explore more, and claim more land for Spain, so
Ponce de León decided to search for the “fountain of youth.” Ponce de León had heard that there
was a fountain on an island called Bimini, and if a person drank water from this fountain, they
would be able to become young again. Ponce de León also thought there was gold on this island.
In March 1513, Ponce de León set sail, and eventually found the coast of what is now Florida.
Ponce de León thought he had landed on an island, and named the land Florida based off of the
Spanish word for Easter (he landed close to Easter), and because the land had a lot of plants and
flowers. When Ponce de León returned to Puerto Rico, he was named governor of Florida and
was given permission to colonize it. He was also ordered to make an army to fight the Native
Americans in Puerto Rico before returning to Florida (History.com Staff, 2009).
The Last Trip: Ponce de León returned to Florida in February 1521, in order to colonize it. He
brought 200 people with him, and intended to enslave the Native Americans in order to provide
word for his colonists (Davis, 1935). However, soon after arriving, the Spanish were attacked by
Native Americans. No one is sure exactly what happened, but Ponce de León was very badly
hurt by an arrow, and soon died after the settlers sailed back to Cuba (History.com Staff, 2009).
Leadership Strands: Defining Leadership through Ponce de León
The students will define what Ponce de León’s good and bad leadership qualities are.
This will help them define what a good civic leader is by both understanding how he was a good
leader, and thinking about how he could have been a better leader. He had many examples of
being a responsible citizen, but few examples of respecting individual worth and human dignity
Civic Dispositions:
Assuming the personal, political, and economic responsibilities of a citizen:
Good: role as governor, defending the colonists, finding new land for Spain, finding gold for
Spain, following orders, making a new colony, personal and economic sacrifices
Bad: motivated by greed
Respecting individual worth and human dignity:
Bad: Killing and enslaving Native Americans
Resources:
Davis, T. F. (1935). “History of Juan Ponce de Leon’s Voyages to Florida: Source Records.”
Florida Historical Society Quarterly 14(1), 10-12.
History.com Staff. (2009). “Juan Ponce de León.” History.com. Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/juan-ponce-de-leon.
No author. (2014). “Juan Ponce de León.” Bio.com. Retrieved from
http://www.biography.com/people/juan-ponce-de-le%C3%B3n-9444105.
No author. (2014). “Juan Ponce de Leon.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved from
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/469533/Juan-Ponce-de-Leon.
No author. (No date). “Juan Ponce de León.” WikiCommons. Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ponce_de_Le%C3%B3n#mediaviewer/File:Juan_Ponc
e_de_Le%C3%B3n.jpg.
No author. (No date). “Allotment.” Dictionary.com. Retrieved from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/allotment?s=t.
No author. (No date). “Colonize.” Dictionary.com. Retrieved from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/colonize?s=t.
No author. (No date). “Mutiny.” Dictonary.com. Retrieved from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mutiny?s=t.
No author. (No date). “Noble.” Dictionary.com. Retrieved from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/noble?s=t.
No author. (No date). “Patent.” Dictionary.com. Retrieved from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/patent?s=t.
Exit Ticket
1. What was one leadership role that Juan Ponce de León held:
a. Nobleman
b. Governor
c. Explorer
d. Sailor
2. List two ways that Ponce de León was a good leader:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. List two ways that Ponce de León was a bad leader:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Exit Ticket
1. What was one leadership role that Juan Ponce de León held:
a. Nobleman
b. Governor
c. Explorer
d. Sailor
2. List two ways that Ponce de León was a good leader:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. List two ways that Ponce de León was a bad leader:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Sample Table for Chart Paper:
Good
Civic leader - governor
Defending Spanish colonists
Found land for his country
Brought back gold for his country
Followed orders from his government
Started a new colony for his country
Made sacrifices to help his country
Bad
Fighting/killing Native Americans
Greedy
Enslaved Native Americans
Reasoning/examples of civic dispositions:
Governor: Political responsibilities of a citizen
Defending colonists: Political responsibilities of a citizen
Found new land: Political responsibilities of a citizen
Found gold: Economic responsibilities of a citizen
Following orders: Political responsibilities of a citizen
New colony: Political and economic responsibilities of a citizen
Sacrifices: Personal, political, and economic responsibilities of a citizen
Fighting/killing Native Americans: not respecting individual worth and human dignity
Greedy: Not assuming responsibilities of a citizen
Enslaved Native Americans: not respecting individual worth and human dignity
Sample Dolls:
Good leadership characteristic:
Bad leadership characteristic: