Pedro,
a young boy, is about to board the Santa Maria along with Christopher Columbus
and 40 others to make a journey to India where there are believed to be
palaces built of gold, fine silks and spices. This voyage takes place from
August 3,
1492 - February 14, 1493. As he waves good-by to his mother and wonders
if he will ever see her again. He was hired because he knew how to read
and write so he could record the daily events and keep a log for the captain,
Christopher Columbus.
Portrait of Christopher
Columbus
(attributed to Girlandaio,
Naval Museum, Genoa)
As we read
about this exciting journey, I ask that you keep a journal just as Pedro
does. I want you to put yourself in his shoes and imagine that you are
there. What is it like each day as they travel across the Atlantic Ocean?
You must use your five senses and tell me what you see, feel, hear and
experience as you become seasick and wonder if you will ever reach land.
Let's begin
to find out who the captain Christopher Columbus really is. Here is a biography
to help you understand why he would consider this crazy endeavor.
Did you know
that Columbus sailed the ocean blue,
in fourteen
hundred and ninety-two?
Let's recite
this poem to help us remember the date.
In fourteen hundred and ninety-two,
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
He took three ships with him, too,
And called aboard his faithful crew.
Mighty, strong and brave was he
As he sailed across the open sea.
Some people still thought the world was flat!
Can you even imagine that?
This
little saying will help you to remember that Columbus crossed the
Atlantic Ocean about 500 years ago.
Here is a
timeline
that will help you to see the important events in Columbus's life.
He was born
in Genoa, Italy in 1451.
He read books
about adventurers like Marco Polo and spent his time at the docks listening
to stories told by sailors. His brother was a cartographer and he liked
to study maps. At this time in history, people were looking
for a fast ocean route to the Indies. Columbus tried to persuade King John
of Portugal to pay for his voyage but he said No.
In 1485,
he moved to Spain where he asked King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to finance
the trip. At first they said no but they finally agreed to finance the
trip. Here is a great site with activities to learn more about the life
of Columbus.
Sebastiano de Piombo painted this portrait 13 years after Columbus's
death.
To read about this king and queen who became most famous for sponsoring the voyage, go to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.
The ships
Columbus sailed on were the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. Which
ship did Columbus captain? To find out click on ships.
To learn
and even listen to a song about the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria,
click on song.
There are
many vocabulary words or nautical terms included in Pedro's Journal. To
learn what these words mean, you can go to a nautical glossary.
At this site
you can learn all about the main parts of the Santa
Maria. Here you can see where the sailors kept watch, where they cooked
their food, and from where they steered the ship. This is a replica of
the original Santa Maria.
Where did
Columbus go on his first voyage? He set sail from Palo, Spain and landed
at the Canary Islands before attempting to cross the vast Atlantic.
Here is the
route which he took. On which island did he land first?
To read about
Columbus's first landfall, go to San
Salvador in the Bahamas.
On your map
record the route Columbus took on his first voyage.
Here is a
description
of what Columbus found on the first island.
Can you imagine
what it would be like to spend 2 months on a ship in the middle of the
Atlantic Ocean?
Did the crew
think they would be lost at sea never to return to their family and friends?
YES, so you
can imagine how excited they were when they finally spotted land!
As an extension
of this, I would like for you to put your feet in Pedro's shoes and create
a map of this new island you have found. It must include:
