Utilize these printables, lessons, and activities to teach your students about the many explorers who have contributed to society. From voyages across the Atlantic to missions in space, these diverse figures transcended social and physical boundaries and changed how we view our world. You'll find plenty of resources for Columbus Day in October and everything you need to integrate this cross-curricular topic into classes on math, language arts, science, history, geography, or art.
Whiteboard Compatible Mini-Lessons
These 15 minute lessons will introduce your students to famous explorers and explorations throughout history.
Printables
Keep your students engaged when learning about explorers with these printable reading warm-ups, questions, activities, and more!
- Nonfiction Reading Warm-Up: Sacagawea Biography
- Wonders of the World Questions
- Learn About Lewis and Clark
- Daniel Boone Biography: A Reading Warm-Up
- The Gold Rush Reading Warm-Up
- Amelia Earhart's Solo Flight
- Explorers of North and South America
- More Explorers Printables
Lesson Plans
Help students understand the impact of explorers with these lesson plans on maps, voyages, wonders of the world, and much more!
- Chart Columbus's Voyages
- Map Making, Floor Plans & Map Reading
- Exploring Explorers
- Wonders of the World
- Who Writes History? Rethinking Columbus Day
Quizzes
Test your students' knowledge of voyages and famous explorers.
Explorer Biographies
Learn about each explorer in more detail with our explorer biographies.
- Just Where Was Columbus?
- Explorer Research Project
- Davy Crockett Biography: A Reading Warm-Up
- Ferdinand Magellan
- Matthew Henson, Explorer
- Peary, Henson, and the North Pole
- William Bradford Biography
- Sacajawea
- Columbus Sails the Ocean Blue
- Sacagawea Biography: A Nonfiction Reading Warm-Up
- Thor Heyerdahl Biography
- James Cook
Geography Activities
Chart voyages, familiarize students with maps and ask questions with our breadth of geography activities!
Digital Books
Expand your lesson with these digital books about explorers, including what they ate, navigation techniques and much more!
Art Activities
Use fun art activities to help students learn about explorers and test their math skills!
Math Activities
Help students understand dimensions and number problems with these fun math activities!
Language Arts Activities
Explore further with these reading warm-ups, literature guides, discussion questions and more!
- The Tempest
- Wonders of the World Questions
- Pedro's Journal Literature Guide
- Who Writes History? Rethinking Columbus Day
- Mount Everest Timeline
- Early European Settlements Reading Warm-Up
- Sacagawea
- Spanish Explorations Reading Warm-Up
- Myths About Explorers
- Exploring Explorers Vocabulary
- Daily Journal Topics: Exceptional Explorers
- Kingfisher Young Knowledge: Maps and Mapping Teacher's Guide
- Explorers of North America Word Power
- 20th-Century Explorers Word Power
Space Exploration Resources
Not all great explorations take place on land. Teach your students about the great voyages in space, the first people to travel to space, how to track the space station and more with the resources below!
- The Great Space Race
- Disaster in the Air: Challenger Space Shuttle
- A Day in Space Sub Kit (Grades 5-6)
- The First Man in Space
- Early Astronomers
- Dr. Mae Jemison Coloring Page
- Tracking the Space Station
- More Popular Space Exploration Resources
Columbus Day Resources
Columbus Day occurs on the second Monday in October. To find lessons, printables, and activities for all grades on this controversial explorer, browse the teaching resources below.
