THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA

The cabin boy of the Pinta.

Pedro was twelve years old and he had always dreamed being a sailor. He was born in a small fishing town in which nothing ever happen, it was called Palos. But for several days, the small village was feeling strange, because three ships had arrived with many sailors. When Peter asked what was happening, he was told that a guy named Columbus and others captains named Pinzon and Child were preparing a big expedition.

Without thinking twice, Peter was presented at the port ready to embark. The sailors, hearing the boy's intentions, could not hold a laugh and they invited the small boy to go home. But he was not willing to lose that opportunity and the day of departure, he hid inside of one of the caravels, the Pinta. When he was discovered, they were too far from land and the captain decided that Peter could stay on board as cabin boy and scullion. Thus, Peter also made the trip in which the American continent was discovered.

What do you think really happened in the port of the small town?

Throughout the following activities, you will discover it. And you'll learn complete information about this important event in the history of Spain as well as their historical characters involved.

• Do you understand it well?

1.Look up in the dictionary the meaning of the word "cabin boy"
2. Who was Peter? Where was he born?
3. What happened in the port of Palos?
4. What did Peter do when they did not accept him as a sailor?
5. What do you think really happened in the port of Palos?

• An expedition is organized

Peter, once embarked, he worked as a cabin boy and scullion but it was also very intrigued with what was coming because he had always dreamed of being a great sailor and participate in an expedition by the sea. He didn´t know where they were going and what they will find. He will try in his spare time, learn the mystery of everything.

In groups of 3 students you will write a report where you will pretend you are Peter. Imagine you are finding what happened before the expedition, what is happening now and what would happen at the end. 

Grouping students

• Six working groups each formed of 3 students.
• Organization of work.
• 2 sessions in the computer room to access information through Internet and save it to any computer support.
• 3 sessions in the computer room to make the final product of the work requested.
• 1 session in the regular classroom for the exhibition of the work.
• 1 session in the regular classroom for evaluation.

Description of tasks to be performed

1. The cabin boy of the Pinta

• Read the story
• Answer some reading comprehension questions.
• This section will be performed by all students.

2. An expedition is organized

• Prepare a background report about the discovery by answering these questions: Who are the key players in the organization and development of the expedition
• Include a brief literature review of each.
• What causes motivates it? Commenting economic reasons (trade) and scientific reasons (technical advances: compass, astrolabe, caravel, oceanic maps).
• This section will be performed by 2 groups.
• Each of the components of the group choose one of these "inventions" and prepares a descriptive report with photographs.

3. The Colombus draft

Prepare a report based on your project, the expedition, with some comments on its development and finally describing one of the trips: the confirmation of a new world.

This section will be performed by 2 groups.

4. Colonial America: Indigenous peoples

Each student in each of the 2 groups dedicated to this part elaborates a fact sheet about one of these pre-Columbian peoples: Incas, Aztecs and Mayans, providing the following information:

• Name of the town:
• Political organization:
• economic organization:
• Culture and religion:

The evaluation of this activity will consist of two sections:

1. Evaluation of technical report. It will lead to a common grade for all group members.
2. Evaluation of Group work based on observations carried out by tutor as you develop the different processes of activity. This mark will lead to another individual rating.

Rating scale:

The interest of this activity resides in come near to one of the most important events in the history of Spain: "The discovery of America."

You will learn about  the concerns of the modern era in the social, political and economic context of the Spain of the Catholic Kings and you will make yourselves an idea of how a maritime expedition as the Columbus project was organized. 

-The WebQuest Page at San Diego State University: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/

Technological -Aula XXI Century: www.aula21.net

Scattered -Pages: fresno.cnice.mecd.es/~avaler3