Complete Lesson Plan for
K-W-L Strategy

SOL:  3.2  The student will describe the discovery of the Americas by Columbus and other European explorers and also the first permanent Spanish, French, and English settlements in North America, with emphasis on the people (explorers and sponsors), their motivations, the obstacles they encountered, and the successes they achieved.

Today, we are going to talk about an explorer named Christopher Columbus.  First, I am going to hand out a K-W-L strategy sheet, that we are going to complete together.  I am going to write what you say on the class strategy sheet and I want you to copy down what I write.

What am I going to write under this column?  You are going to write what you think you already KNOW about Christopher Columbus.

        Possible Answers:
        an explorer
        set sail in 1492
        Nina, Pinata, Santa Maria
        holiday named after him
        came from Spain
        was in search of land

Remind students that they do not have to write their ideas in complete sentences because they are brainstorming different ideas about what they know about already about columbus.

Second, I want you to us to make a list of questions about Christopher Columbus and things that we want to learn about him.  These questions will help us focus when we read the selection on Christopher COlumbus.  What do you want to learn about Christopher Columbus?

        Possible Questions
        Why did Columbus come to the Americas?
        Who sent Columbus to the Americas?
        How did he get to the Americas?
        Why is there a holiday named after him?

Next pass out the text selection, if in a worksheet format.  Once I have handed out the sheets, we read the selection as a group (this can be done individually).

As we read, we will answer our questions and write down other important information that the author may talk about.  If other questions come to our mind, as we read, we amy write them down in the L column.

        Interesting Facts
        the 3 ships: Nina, Pinata, Santa Maria
        trip sponsored by Queen Isabella for $14000
        88 men traveled with Columbus
        came searching for jewels, gold, spices

Learning Log Entry
    Christopher Columbus was an explorer from Spain.  Queen Isabella sponsored his trip to what he thought were the Indies but it was actually the Americas.  He discovered land on October 12, 1492.  Columbus commanded 3 ships, the Nina, the Pinata, and the Santa Maria.  Columbus never did find the gold, jewels, and spices he sought.