Grade Levels: K-3

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This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP Jr. topic Christopher Columbus, and supports the standard of understanding that different people may describe the same event or situation in diverse ways. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Ask students:

  • What is something you know or have heard about Christopher Columbus?  

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

  • Play the Christopher Columbus movie.  
  • Click the pause button each time a question appears in Annie’s Notebook and discuss it as a class. Then play to see how Annie answers it. 

TIP: The pause button turns red to remind you to pause. 

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS

Students take the Easy Quiz or Hard Quiz, demonstrating what they learned about the topic while applying essential literacy skills.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about Christopher Columbus while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student or grade-level needs.

  • Draw About It: Draw a ship from the past, present, or future.
  • Activity: Follow directions to make one of Columbus’s ships out of paper. 
  • Talk About It: Describe causes and effects of Columbus’s voyages. 
  • Write About It: Write about ways Columbus was and was not heroic. 

More to Explore 

Biographies Unit: Continue to build understanding around historical figures by exploring more BrainPOP Jr. topics.

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