Synopsis
The Best News Show Ever team, led by anchorwoman Isabelle Scurvy, has discovered a flood of people sailing away from Europe for uncharted destinations. Why are they leaving? What are they hoping to find? To get the answers, our scrappy reporters will track down Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, Jacques Cartier and John Cabot, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, Montezuma and Atahualpa, soldiers of De Soto and Coronado, Ferdinand Magellan and Francis Drake, and the British colonists who settled Virginia. And don't forget Leif Ericson, who's on a mission to remind us that the history books don't always play fair.
Preview the script and songs!Key Concepts
European Explorers mentions and reinforces the following curriculum:
- Leif Ericson: Norse exploration and temporary settlement c.1000.
- Prince Henry the Navigator: Portuguese exploration of Western Africa to spread Christianity, create new maps, and discover a trade route to the East (fall of Constantinople in 1453; Vasco de Gama)
- Christopher Columbus: his four voyages and mistaken identifications (the Reconquista; the Line of Demarcation)
- Amerigo Vespucci: his exploration of the coast of Brazil and the new continent(s) named after him (Pedro Cabral)
- John Cabot and Jacques Cartier: the search for a Northwest Passage (importance of spices for food preservation and preparation)
- Vasco Nunez de Balboa: the challenge of crossing Panama to encounter the Mar del Sur (later called the Pacific)
- Montezuma (Aztecs) and Atahualpa (Incas): conquistadors, gold, and disease (Cortes in Mexico and Pizzaro in Peru)
- Vasques de Coronado and Hernando de Soto: the search for gold and attempts at colonization in the interior of present-day U.S. (La Salle; Champlain; Seven Cities of Gold)
- Ferdinand Magellan and Francis Drake: circumnavigation of the globe
- British colonization of Virginia: Roanoke, Jamestown, Plymouth (Walter Raleigh)
Places Mentioned
- Africa
- Constantinople
- India
- St. Lawrence River
- Italy
- Portugal
- Hispaniola
- Mar del Sur/South Sea
- Spice Islands
- Caribbean
- Asia
- Mississippi River
- Greenland
- Newfoundland
- Panama
- Mediterranean Sea
- England
- China
- Bahamas
- Canada/New France
- Cuba
- Japan
- The Indies
- Granada
European Explorers in the New World is a great complement to your curriculum resources in elementary and middle school history. And, like all of our plays, this show can be used to improve reading, vocabulary, reading comprehension, performance and music skills, class camaraderie and teamwork, and numerous social skills (read about it!) -- all while enabling students to be part of a truly fun and creative experience they will never forget!
Aligned with national standards! View the standards and vocabulary.Publication Info
Author: John Heath (Book and Lyrics) and Mike Fishell (Music)
ISBN:
978-1-886588-56-1
© 2012
Bad Wolf Press, LLC
Verified owner Brenda O’Connor (verified owner) –
My students really enjoyed the format of the play. There are also plenty of parts for a larger class.
Marisol (verified owner) –
I am a fifth grade teacher and used this as an introduction to our European Explorers unit. Students learned so much from the play. Students from all academic levels enjoyed and succeeded. It was a great success and I will definitely be purchasing more for next year.