Channel Islands Film
First Contact: Lesson Plan 4 - Grades 5-6
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...
Curated OER
Form and Theme in the Traditional Mexican Corrido
Students examine the traditional Mexican musical form of corridos. In this cross curricular history and music lesson, students analyze the lyrics of popular corridos and the corridos' importance in Mexican culture. Students will...
Curated OER
Writing Exercise: The Spanish in North America
Bring writing into your history course with this exercise on Spanish development and conquest in North America. Five short-answer prompts get learners writing about various aspects of Spanish influence. They consider the origin of the...
Curated OER
Corridos About the Mexican Revolution
Students explore the meaning behind Mexican corridos. In this Mexican Revolution lesson, students discover details about the war and its leaders as they read, analyze, and write their own corridos.
Curated OER
"Chocolate" Reading Comprehension-- Informational Passages
In this reading for information worksheet, students read a one page text about the history and origins of chocolate. Students answer 5 comprehension and 5 vocabulary multiple choice questions.
Curated OER
Read "El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez"Americo Paredes version
Students see examples of other types of written stories. They are introduced to the ballad in literature. Students obtain ideas for their own family story. They discuss how ballads can relate true stories through music. Students discuss...
Curated OER
What's Your Brand?
Learners explore the history of branding livestock and discover it began as early as 2000 BC. They discuss reasons for branding and then design their own brand from pipe cleaners. Students dip their brand into paint and print it on...
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The Conquistadors
Eighth graders identify conquistadors and discover how they were funded. After gathering information on Cortez and Pizarro, 8th graders create a Venn Diagram to compare the two conquistadors. They examine characteristics of the Spanish...
Curated OER
Discoverers and Explorers Crossword
In this world history worksheet, learners answer 10 clues to fill a crossword puzzle with words associated with world explorers and discoverers. They work across and down with names of explorers and the places they explored.
Curated OER
Early European Explorers Map
Fifth graders create an explorer's map. In this explorers lesson students use a map of the world as reference to draw their own map of Europe, North America, Central America, and the Caribbean Islands. The students use their maps to show...
Curated OER
Clash of Cultures and Marching North
Each of the 23 slides that comprise this presentation are intended to enhance or support lessons on shifts in religion and the colonization of the Americas. Students are guided through the changes in religion that ultimately lead to the...
Curated OER
Democracy Sense
Students define democracy and distinguish representative from direct or pure democracy. Then, with the focus on representative government, students will discuss and trace voting patterns in the United States.
Curated OER
Is London Bridge Really Going to Fall Down?
Students discover what forces work together to hold up a suspension bridge. They see various bridges around the world, and learn the basic principles that enable each bridge to support itself. Groups design their own bridge, testing how...
Curated OER
Six Billion and Beyond
Students consider the idea of a world with Six Billion people and subsequent results and ramifications. Then students will gather data regarding the state of these diverse nations and then create a presentation as a culminating activity.
Curated OER
Famous Explorers
In this social studies worksheet, students find the words that name famous explorers and the answers are found at the bottom of the page.
Curated OER
Comparing Visual Interpretations and Actual Events: War & Battle
A Venn Diagram is used to compare artistic and historical representations of a single event. Young analysts view the provided images, read textbook descriptions, and discuss the validity of each representation in terms of bias and...
Curated OER
Writing Police Reports
Students discover police procedures by filling out crime reports. In this government instructional activity, students discuss the benefits of historical reports pertaining to criminals and victims. Students listen to an...
Curated OER
Writing Police Reports: Emergency!
Young scholars practice writing emergency reports. In this emergency reports lesson, students participate in a visit from a police officer or emergency technician. Young scholars then write a historical report based on the fictional...
Curated OER
Mexican Masks
Learners explore the Mexican mask-making tradition and create maks that tell stories. They desribe how art tells stories and examine early Mexican culture in California.
Other
Heritage History: Montezuma
Historical information about Montezuma II, ruler of the Aztecs at the time of the Spanish Conquest. The information is taken from heritage history books written for young people.
Other
Timeline Index: Cortez, Conqueror of Mexico 1519
A chronology of the life of Hernando Cortez up to the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs.
The History Cat
The History Cat: Age of Exploration: The Spanish Conquest of Mexico
Lengthy description of the life of Hernan Cortes, the Spanish conquistador who brought down the Aztec Empire in Mexico. How this came to be is explained, with many details of the sophistication of Aztec civilization.
Internet History Sourcebooks Project
Fordham University: Modern History Sourcebook: Hernan Cortes
Fordham University gives the text of Cortes' second letter to King Charles V, describing the Aztec capital city, Tenochtitlan, and the people who lived there.
Mariners' Museum and Park
Mariners Museum: Exploration Through the Ages
This website focuses on exploration and offers links to Ancient Exploration, Medieval Exploration, The "Age of Discovery" and Modern Exploration. It also provides pictured links to four explorers: currently they are Christopher Columbus,...