Handout
University of South Florida

A Short History of Florida: Ponce De Leon: Florida's First Spanish Explorer

For Students 3rd - 5th
Read about Juan Ponce de Leon, his exploration of Florida, and his fruitless search for the "Fountain of Youth."
Unit Plan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies: Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca

For Students 3rd - 8th
Gain insight into the life and adventures of Spanish explorer, Cabeza de Vaca, whose expeditions led him to Texas and Mexico.
Unit Plan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies: Hernando Cortes 1485 1547

For Students 5th - 7th
Furnished is a brief summary of the life and explorations of Spanish explorer, Hernando Cortes. Take a look at the photos and maps of his journey of what today is called Mexico.
Website
PBS

Pbs the West: Cities of Gold

For Students 9th - 10th
This PBS site recounts the efforts of Spanish explorers to find the fabled gold of the New World.
Lesson Plan
Success Link

Success Link: Explorer Poetry Booklet

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
After a study of explorers in the Americas, students write poetry to show what they know about individual explorers. This lesson plan gives guidelines, ways to adapt the lesson, a graphic organizer, and scoring guide.
Website
British Library

British Library: The Search for the Northwest Passage

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Detailed third grade lessons help students understand what skills and knowledge were required in order to become an explorer. Includes specific lessons on John Cabot, Jacques Cartier, and Henry Hudson.
Handout
Mariners' Museum and Park

The Mariners' Museum: Exploration Through the Ages: Alonso Alvarez De Pineda

For Students 9th - 10th
Little is known about Alonso Alvarez de Pineda's life except for the last year. Read about his explorations for Spain and his contributions to the Spanish empire.
Website
Enchanted Learning

Enchanted Learning: Little Explorers Spanish English Picture Dictionary

For Students Pre-K - 1st
This engaging picture dictionary encourages reading and vocabulary building among your young students whose first language is Spanish. There are also coloring activities which can be printed out.
Website
Enchanted Learning

Enchanted Learning: Little Explorers Spanish English Picture Dictionary

For Students Pre-K - 1st
This engaging picture dictionary encourages reading and vocabulary building among your young students whose first language is Spanish. There are also coloring activities which can be printed out.
Handout
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools

Loon Lake Elementary School: Hernando De Soto

For Students 3rd - 5th
A biography of Hernando De Soto (1500?-1542), a Spanish explorer who led the first European expedition to reach the Mississippi River. His group arrived at the river in 1541 during a search for gold. De Soto also took part in the Spanish...
Handout
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools

Loon Lake Elementary School: Francisco Vasquez De Coronado

For Students 3rd - 5th
A biography of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado (1510-1554), a Spanish explorer. In 1535, Coronado sailed to Mexico with Antonio de Mendoza, the viceroy of Mexico. Coronado became governor of New Galicia province, northwest of Mexico City...
eBook
Other

Eldritch Press: Cabeza De Vaca's Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America

For Students 9th - 10th
Read this fascinating account by Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, one of four survivors who traversed Florida and the Southwest for eight years, from 1529-1537.Read the preface which gives a background to this narrative before delving into...
Website
Ducksters

Ducksters: Explorers for Kids: Spanish Conquistadors

For Students 1st - 9th
Investigate the life of Spanish Conquistadors on this website.
Handout
Enchanted Learning

Enchanted Learning: Ferdinand Magellan: World Explorer

For Students 3rd - 5th
A short biography of Ferdinand Magellan.
Handout
University of South Florida

Floripedia: A Florida Encyclopedia: De Narvaez, Panfilo

For Students 3rd - 8th
Information about the Spanish conquistador, Panfilo de Narvaez, taken from a 1904 book, A History of Florida. The page includes some recall questions interspersed with the original text.
Website
Enchanted Learning

Enchanted Learning: Vasco Nunez De Balboa

For Students 4th - 8th
Learn about the life and times of Spanish conquistador and explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa.
Handout
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools

Loon Lake Elementary School: Hernando Cortes

For Students 3rd - 5th
A biography of Hernando Cortes (or Cortez) (1485 -1547), a Spanish adventurer who conquered what is now central and southern Mexico. His seizure of land, power, and wealth made him the greatest Spanish conqueror in the Americas. His...
Website
Mr. Nussbaum

Mr. Nussbaum: Hernando De Soto Biography for Kids

For Students 3rd - 8th
Information about de Soto's life and explorations in the New World.
Website
University of South Florida

Exploring Florida: Hernando De Soto Arrives and Explores Florida

For Students 3rd - 8th
A description of Hernando de Soto's explorations, focusing primarily on his expedition in Florida.
Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: Mayan Religion: Gods and Sacrifice

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the religious practices followed by the Maya, including human sacrifice, a ritual that horrified the Spanish explorers.
Handout
Other

Panama History: Juan De La Cosa

For Students 9th - 10th
Article detailing the life of Juan de la Cosa who sailed with Christopher Columbus.
Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Rivalry Ii, American Beginnings: 1492 1690

For Students 9th - 10th
Two eighteenth-century maps and four accounts of the mutual perceptions, suspicions, and observations between Spanish and French explorers on the Gulf Coast.
Website
Ducksters

Ducksters: Spain History and Timeline Overview

For Students 1st - 9th
Kids learn about the history and timeline of the country of Spain including Roman rule, the Moors, the Renconquista, kings and queens, explorers, war with Britain, and the Spanish Revolution.

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