INSTRUCTIONS:

For each sentence, locate matching word at the top of the activity.
Type the correct word in the blank in the sentence.

1.Christopher Columbus was an explorer and an .

2.Hudson and Magellan both had a named after them.

3.European nations raced to claim in the Americas.

4.The compass was a tool that assisted explorers with .

5.Explorers helped nations learn what was beyond the .

6.Christopher Columbus started his first in 1492.

7.The could measure the angle of the sun at noon.

8.European nations wanted to find a way to China through the North American .

9.Protestants wanted to the Catholic Church.

10.Magellan attempted to the globe, but failed.

11.The sextant could measure better than the astrolabe.

12.Spain and Portugal signed a after Columbus's voyage.

13.A brought from America was responsible for the Potato Famine.

14.Spanish explorers went on many in the Americas.

15.Germs from the Europeans and killed millions of native people.

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INSTRUCTIONS:

For each vocabulary word in the left column, locate its definition in the righ column.
Type the number of the correct definition in the blank before the word.

1. one who envisions, organizes, operates, and assumes the risk of a business for profit

2. a narrow channel connecting two larger bodies of water

3. a region belonging to or controlled by a government or ruler

4. finding one's position and plotting a course, especially on the water

5. the farthest visible point where sky and earth or water seem to meet

6. an extended journey by ship, especially by sea, but also in space

7. an ancient instrument used to calculate positions of celestial bodies by which ships at sea could tell where they were

8. one of Earth's seven great land masses

9. to restructure, change, or improve something

10. to sail or travel completely around something

11. location or point north or south from the equator, measured in degrees

12. a formal contract or agreement between political entities, approved and signed by authorized representatives

13. a withering disease of plants, with eventual tissue death

14. journeys or trips organized for certain reasons or purposes

15. contaminated by germs that cause disease

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You will not be able to edit the results after submission.

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INFECTED

HORIZON

VOYAGE

BLIGHT

EXPEDITIONS

ASTROLABE

CONTINENT

LATITUDE

STRAIT

ENTREPRENEUR

NAVIGATION

TERRITORY

CIRCUMNAVIGATE

TREATY

REFORM

2. one who envisions, organizes, operates, and assumes the risk of a business for profit

3. journeys or trips organized for certain reasons or purposes

9. location or point north or south from the equator, measured in degrees

11. to restructure, change, or improve something

13. a formal contract or agreement between political entities, approved and signed by authorized representatives

14. a withering disease of plants, with eventual tissue death

15. an extended journey by ship, especially by sea, but also in space

1. to sail or travel completely around something

4. finding one's position and plotting a course, especially on the water

5. one of Earth's seven great land masses

6. an ancient instrument used to calculate positions of celestial bodies by which ships at sea could tell where they were

7. a region belonging to or controlled by a government or ruler

8. contaminated by germs that cause disease

10. the farthest visible point where sky and earth or water seem to meet

12. a narrow channel connecting two larger bodies of water

Hi! Our Vocabulary Activities work much better on a laptop or a desktop. Please try to use one of those devices when working on these activities. Thanks!

What would you be willing to risk in exchange for wealth, fame, and adventure? If you were a European explorer from the mid-15th to the mid-16th century, the risk might be danger, disease, or drowning. Ready to set sail with these brave souls and participate in a drama that changed the world forever?

For kids interested in the key actors in the drama, this issue is replete with details about the what, when, and where of their exploits. The "who" includes well-known players such as Christopher Columbus and Hernando Cortés as well as Vespucci, Verrazzano, and many more.

Visually oriented kids will enjoy the many maps depicting the explorers' voyages and regions of European control. Sequentially oriented kids will have fun delving into the time lines of important events from 1492 to 1620. Tech kids will want to read about the technology that made the voyages possible from the compass to the sextant to the chromometer and more. Kids who want more details can follow the adventures of Balbao, Cartier, and others by diving into the lively text. In the end, kids will develop a keen appreciation of how the movement of people between continents changed world cultures and ecosystems forever.

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8 Topics in this unit

  • Conquistadors and More

    If someone takes something that doesn't belong to them, what do you think of that pe ...

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  • The Backstory

    Would you be willing to risk everything for your country, like European explorers did? The ...

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    • 750L-890L
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  • The Technology

    The right tools can make any job easier. In fact, without the right tools, some jobs might ...

    • 560L-740L
    • 750L-890L
    • 900L-1040L

  • Early Exploration

    Have you ever heard the rhyme that starts, "In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus ...

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  • Inside a Caravel

    Imagine what it would be like to live on a ship for months and months. The boat is always ...

    • 560L-740L
    • 750L-890L
    • 900L-1040L

  • Later Explorers

    The journey west was hard, but it didn't stop people from wanting to discover and clai ...

    • 560L-740L
    • 750L-890L
    • 900L-1040L

  • Explorers at a Glance

    Europeans had soon mapped, charted, and claimed much of the world. Nations would never aga ...

    • 560L-740L
    • 750L-890L
    • 900L-1040L

  • A Changing World

    The explorers left behind a legacy of conquest, but that's not all they gave the wor ...

    • 560L-740L
    • 750L-890L
    • 900L-1040L
0 Videos in this unit

Vocabulary Activities for Exploring the Americas

Fill in sentences

Word matching

Crossword puzzle