Worksheet
Curated OER

Overcoming Problems: John Smith

For Students 4th - 8th
In this John Smith worksheet, learners read a one page article about the problems John Smith faced in the 1600's. Students complete 7 short answer questions about the article.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Reading Comprehension: Oregon

For Students 5th - 8th
In this reading comprehension worksheet, students read a 2-page article regarding Oregon and respond to 10 true or false questions regarding the selection.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Idaho

For Students 3rd - 6th
In this Idaho reading comprehension worksheet, students read a 2-page selection regarding the state and they answer 10 true or false questions pertaining to the selection.
Website
Mariners' Museum and Park

Mariners' Museum: The Ages of Exploration: Age of Discovery

For Students 4th - 8th
This Age of Discovery page presents naval artifacts and explorers of the 15th century to the early 17th century. It looks at European explorers who journeyed to North and South America, the search for the Northwest Passage, and...
Unit Plan
Wisconsin Historical Society

American Journeys: Eyewitness Accounts Early American Exploration/settlement

For Students 9th - 10th
A collaborative project of the Wisconsin Historical Society and National History Day, this site contains over 18,000 pages of primary source, eyewitness accounts of North American exploration starting with the Vikings.
Website
Other

Radford University: Prelude to European Settlement of Virginia

For Students 9th - 10th
This site traces the early voyages of explorers from Portugal and Spain who were trying to find new resources.
Graphic
Curated OER

Etc: Early Explorers of the Atlantic Coast, 1492 1620

For Students 9th - 10th
A map of the Atlantic coast of North America from the Labrador Peninsula and Gulf of St. Lawrence south to the Santee River in the Carolinas, showing the European explorations and settlements in the region between 1492 and 1620. The map...
Website
University of Groningen

American History: Essays: Europe's North South Conflicts Reach the Americas

For Students 9th - 10th
An essay detailing early English and French exploration and settlement in the New World to challenge Spanish control.
Handout
Texas State Historical Association

Texas State Historical Association: Early European Exploration and Development

For Students 9th - 10th
A chronological timeline of early European exploration and development in Texas spanning from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries.
Lesson Plan
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: America in Class: Early Visual Representations of the New World

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A lesson that examines how Native Americans were portrayed by artists in the sixteenth century, whose aim was to convey their appearance to a European audience, and thereby encourage investment in future New World explorations. By...
Handout
Other

Texas Bob: The Journey of Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca

For Students 9th - 10th
An English translation of Cabeza De Vaca's first-hand account of his journey and quest to claim territory from Florida to Mexico for Spain.
Activity
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: Daniel Boone First Saw the Woodlands of Kentucky

For Students 3rd - 8th
Explore the wilderness of Kentucky with Daniel Boone. Here is a brief summary of his travels. Also features a portrait of Boone, a photograph of his cabin, and a beautiful engraving of Cumberland Gap.
Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: The First Europeans

For Students 9th - 10th
The first Europeans to arrive in North America -- at least the first for whom there is solid evidence -- were Norse, traveling west from Greenland, where Erik the Red had founded a settlement around the year 985. In 1001 his son Leif is...
Graphic
Curated OER

Etc: Early Voyages of Spaniards in the West Indies, 1512 1580

For Students 9th - 10th
A map of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean showing the voyage routes of the early European explorers in the region between 1512 and 1580. The map shows the routes of Alonzo de Ojeda to Darien Colombia, Balboa to the Pacific, Juan Ponce de...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: Native Cultures in the Americas

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
This lesson is part of a project-based, hands-on unit in which children discover the native cultures that existed in the Americas prior to the arrival of explorers. The students will "become" part of their assigned culture through...
Article
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: Johnson's Task, Unify Space Program

For Students 3rd - 8th
Russia was ahead in the "space race" in 1961. In this article, the Library of Congress discusses how President Kennedy assigned Lyndon Johnson the task of uniting the different parts of the U.S. space program into NASA.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: Hispanic History Milestones: Timeline

For Students 9th - 10th
The American Hispanic/Latinx history is a rich, diverse and long one, with immigrants, refugees and Spanish-speaking or Indigenous people living in the United States since long before the nation was established. America's Hispanic...
Graphic
Curated OER

Etc: Dev of Colonies and Early Western Explorations, 1700 1775

For Students 9th - 10th
A map of eastern North America showing the early development of the European colonies and westward exploration to the Mississippi River. The map shows the routes of several early explorers with dates of exploration, including La Salle,...
Article
Mocomi & Anibrain Digital Technologies

Mocomi: Christopher Columbus

For Students 4th - 8th
Explores the early life of Christopher Columbus and how he discovered America.
Graphic
Curated OER

Etc: Routes of Spanish Explorers, 1513 1565

For Students 9th - 10th
A map of southern North America, Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico east the Mississippi Delta showing the routes of the early Spanish explorers Ponce de Leon (1513), De Narvaez (1528), and Hernando de Soto (1535-1542).
Graphic
Curated OER

Map Showing the Land Bridge That Joined North America and Asia

For Students 3rd - 8th
This page, and the one after it, have a collection of the earliest maps of Canada by all the best known explorers.
Handout
Nebraska Studies

Nebraska Studies: Horses Change Native Lives

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn how Spain's introduction of horses dramatically impacted the lives of the Native Indians.
Unit Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Parallel Histories: Atlantic and Gulf Coasts Settlements

For Students 9th - 10th
Insights, primary and secondary source material and timeline on early exploration and Spanish settlement of Florida and the Atlantic Coast.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: French and Dutch Exploration in the New World

For Students 9th - 10th
An overview of the French, Dutch, and English explorers in the late 1500's and early 1600's.