Make the Age of Exploration fun, engaging, and easy to teach with this 12-page Social Studies activity bundle designed for 3rd–5th graders! Students explore key figures, major motives for exploration, and historical perspectives using four interactive, standards-aligned activities based directly on the included texts and worksheets.
This bundle includes reading passages, comprehension questions, a cut-and-play board game, graphic organizers, and a hands-on sorting activity—all perfect for whole-group lessons, centers, independent work, or homeschool use.
✨ What’s Included (12 Pages, 4 Activities):
1. Christopher Columbus Reading + Comprehension Questions
Students read a kid-friendly passage explaining who Columbus was, his four voyages, his mistakes, and the impact of his exploration—both positive and negative.
2. “Race to the New World!” Board Game
A printable board game where students learn about major explorers (Columbus, Cartier, Hudson, Magellan, Cortés), their routes, and real exploration obstacles such as storms, trade, ice, and conflicts.
Includes:
- Game board
- Player pieces
- Explorer fact cards
- Event cards
- Discovery tokens
3. Pocahontas Reading Passage + Venn Diagram
A beautifully written biography of Pocahontas with a Venn diagram comparing the real historical figure to the Disney version.
*Additional recommended resources: Disney's Pocahontas movie & The True Story of Pocahontas by Lucille Recht Penner (Step into Reading)
4. Gold–God–Glory Sort
Students read an explanation of the Three G’s—Gold, God, and Glory—then sort exploration motives into the correct category using cut-and-sort cards.
📘 Standards Alignment C3 Framework (Grades 3–5)
-
D2.His.1–6: Historical events, significance, context, and multiple perspectives
-
D2.His.14: Interpret historical sources
-
D2.Geo.4: Human-environment interaction
-
D2.Civ.2: Roles of individuals and groups
-
D2.Eco.1: Trade and economic motivations
Common Core ELA
-
RI.3–5: Informational text (Columbus & Pocahontas readings)
-
W.3–5: Opinion & explanatory writing (Venn diagram, questions)
-
SL.3–5: Discussion, comparing perspectives
-
L.3–5: Vocabulary and academic language
Typical State Social Studies Standards (Grades 3–5)
- Motives for exploration (Gold–God–Glory)
- Major European explorers and routes
- Indigenous perspectives and impact of exploration
- Early settlements (Jamestown & Pocahontas)
- Historical thinking: comparing sources & perspectives
🎯 Perfect For
- 3rd–5th Grade Classrooms
- Homeschool families
- Early American History units
- Centers, small groups, sub plans, enrichment
*These projects are from Unit 2 of our full-year Early American History curriculum.
