Year 2 History 6.2.21

Lesson 1 LO: Create a fact file about Christopher Columbus.

Over the next few lessons, we are going to be finding out about two very famous explorers.

This is our first explorer!

Do you know who this is?

Do you think this person is alive now?

Why or why not?

What clues can you see in the picture?

This is a painting of a man called Cristoforo Columbus, but we know him as Christopher Columbus.

Christopher Columbus lived hundreds of years ago. He was born in Italy in 1451. His father was a wool weaver, and his family were very poor. Because of this, Columbus could not go to school.

There were lots of things that hadn’t been invented or discovered when Columbus was alive. There was no electricity which meant people had to use candles and oil lamps instead of electric lights or torches. There were no TVs, no radios, no phones, no computers and no internet.

People had to work very hard to earn their living at this time.

Most people lived in the country and farmed the land, but some lived in towns and cities. Rich people had servants and very big houses or castles.

People wore different clothes when Columbus was alive to the clothes we wear today. Poor people would wear simple clothes but wealthy people liked to show off how rich they were by wearing fine fabrics with jewels, feathers, hats and headdresses.

When Columbus was alive, people didn’t know how to use engines. This meant there were no cars, no aeroplanes, no motor boats and no trains.

People travelled on foot, on horseback, in horse-drawn carriages or on sailing ships.

Because travelling was difficult, people hadn’t explored the whole world when Columbus was alive. People had only just worked out that the world was round and not flat!

Columbus and lots of other people wanted to explore the world and become rich and famous.

Columbus became a sailor when he was just fourteen years old. In 1476, he joined the crew of a merchant ship. From them on, he was determined to become an explorer.

He taught himself maths, geography and astronomy. He become very good at making maps and soon he started to get an idea…

At the time, people could make a lot of money by travelling to Asia to get spices and silks to sell back in Europe, but it was very difficult to get there.

You either had to travel a VERY long way on land by foot or on horseback, or you had to travel EVEN FURTHER by boat by sailing around Africa.

Columbus thought he could find a quicker way by sailing west. No one had tried this before, but he thought that if the world was round, he would reach Asia by sailing west.

Because of the way maps were drawn at the time, he thought he would reach China in a few days.

Most people thought this was a really silly idea. They laughed at Columbus and said it would never work.

Columbus was very determined and would not give up on his idea, even though most people thought he was mad. He asked lots of people to give him enough money to fund his expedition. Eventually, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain agreed to give Columbus the money he needed.

We’ll give you money for your trip…

…but make sure you bring back lots of riches for us!

In 1492, Columbus was ready for his journey! He was off to explore the seas! He had three ships and a crew of 90 men.

Things to include in your fact file: When and where was he born?

What did he want to be?

What was he trying to find?

What did he do in 1492?