Are you looking for literature to support classroom instruction about Explorers? Check out Our Editors’ Choices for titles recommended by the Education World team. Then it's your turn to share books that you enjoy or use in your classroom in the Our Readers’ Voices section below. With your help, we will build the best list on the Internet of Best Books for teaching about Explorers.
The Discovery of the Americas: From Prehistory Through the Age of Columbus
by Betsy Maestro
Author Betsy Maestro and illustrator Giulio Maestro begin at the beginning as far as we know it, with the crossing of the Bering Land Bridge more than 20,000 years ago. They carefully trace what is known of those Stone Age people, and include little-known points such as the possible visits of Phoenician explorers, Irish monks, Japanese fishermen, as well as the fairly well-documented Viking settlements. The arrival of Columbus takes place almost halfway through the book. Easy-to-use appendices give tables of dates, pre-Columbian cultures, European explorers, and other facts. (School Library Journal)
Explorers Who Got Lost
by Diane Sansevere-Dreher, Ed Renfro
During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, just about every explorer who sailed beyond the horizon to find new land thought he knew where he was going. But, in fact, most got terribly lost and stumbled on places no one had ever heard of. Explorers Who Got Lost is the telling of these Age of Discovery heroes. Their discoveries may have been unintentional, but what they found irrevocably changed the map of the world. Fast paced, exciting, full of facts and adventure, this book provides detailed information on the most influential explorers of the fifteenth century. The history, sociology, and even the superstitions of the time along with dozens of drawings, maps, routes, and diagrams of ships and navigational equipment are all included.
Now It's Your Turn!
We've shared a few Editors' Choices for teaching about this theme. Now it's your turn to contribute to the Readers' Voices section below. Do you have a book related to this theme that you and your students enjoy? Just click here to share it!
Don't miss our Editors’ Choices for Teachers and for Parents. We're waiting for you to add your Readers' Voices there too.
History News: Explorers News
by Michael Johnstone Way out west -- Christopher Columbus sets out in search of Japan and finds himself in a new land. This is just one headline in History News: Explorers News. People have been wandering the earth for 3,000 years. Now their astonishing discoveries and remarkable adventures are chronicled in this book. From the voyages of the ancient Polynesians and the Vikings to satellites in space, our quest to know our world is presented in a fascinating, accessible format. Part of the History News series.
Who Was Ferdinand Magellan?
by S. A. Kramer
When Portuguese sailor Ferdinand Magellan set sail from Spain in 1519, he believed he could get to the Spice Islands by sailing west through or around the New World. He was right, but what he didn't know was that the treacherous voyage would take him three years and cost him his life. Black-and-white line drawings illustrate Magellan's life and voyage, with sidebars and a timeline that enhance readers' understanding of the period.
The Lewis & Clark Expedition: Join the Corps of Discovery to Explore Uncharted Territory
by Carol A. Johmann
This book takes an informal, somewhat interactive and child-friendly approach to the Lewis and Clark expedition. Short sections, often with humorous headings, cover the background, people, main events, and aftermath of the famous expedition. Interspersed among the informational sections are crafts and activities and "Think About It" and "Try It" sections, all of which serve to increase reader involvement. There are many silly cartoons and occasional jokes as well as some archival art and artifacts, maps, and more serious line drawings. (School Library Journal) Part of the Kaleidoscope Kids Book series.
Add your voice to our list of books for teaching about Explorers.
The Education World Editors’ Choices above represent just a handful of the fine books that might be used to support classroom instruction about Explorers. Now we’re waiting for you to add to our list. Simply send us your review of a favorite book in 100 words or fewer and we will add it to the Readers’ Choices below.
History News: Explorers News
