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Lesson Plan

Explorer Letters

Step into the shoes of an explorer. Students will learn more about the lives and accomplishments of important explorers, and they'll demonstrate their knowledge through a creative writing assignment.
Need extra help for EL students? Try the Main Idea and Supporting Details pre-lesson.
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Need extra help for EL students? Try the Main Idea and Supporting Details pre-lesson.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to explain the most important accomplishments of an explorer.

Introduction

(5 minutes)
  • List the following names on the board: Ibn Battuta, Zheng He, Amerigo Vespucci, Marco Polo, and Leif Ericson. Tell students that all of these people have something in common—see if they can guess what it is.
  • Tell students that all of these people are explorers. Ask students if they know of any other explorers. Add these to the list.

Beginning

  • Provide a definition for the key term "explorers" in (L2) and/or in students' home language (L1).

Intermediate

  • Have ELs discuss what they know about explorers with a partner and then share out as a whole group. Allow them to use L1 or L2.
  • Provide a word bank for students to use when discussing what they know about explorers.