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Columbus – Song Project
Read the page entitled “10 Things You May Not Know About Columbus and His Day”. Use it to
create a new and improved song about Columbus.
Your song will be written on a piece of poster board. It must include:
1.) A title
2.) A rhyme scheme
3.) Information pertaining to at least 5 of the “10 Things You May Not Know About Columbus
and His Day” (*SEE BACK).
4.) Illustrations that border your lyrics
Popular children’s songs about Columbus
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue
Christopher Columbus, with three ships and crew,
Discovered America in fourteen ninety two.
Ferdinand and Isabella, the rulers of Spain
Financed the journey...with hope of wealth and fame.
(to the tune of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm")
Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.
Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.
With three tall ships, 120 men,
sailing on, sailing on, sailing on, on, on, on -Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.
CHORUS
Christopher Columbus, admiral of the sea.
Sailed west to the Indies...made a great discovery.
A new continent which came to be
This land of America, land of America,
Home for you and me!
He proved the earth was round, not flat, in 1492.
He proved the earth was round, not flat, in 1492.
With three tall ships, 120 men,
sailing on, sailing on, sailing on, on, on, on -He proved the earth was round, not flat in 1492.
With compass to guide them, they sailed Westerly.
Courageous men ventured into unknown seas.
Thirty-three days they traveled...imagine their joy
A watchful sailor shouted, ‘there's land ahoy!'
CHORUS (repeat twice)
Scoring Rubric: Staple this rubric to your project before you hand it in.
-Clever Title
/2
-Rhyme Scheme
/3
-5 references to the reading
/15
-Creativity/Ascetic appeal/Overall Appearance /10
Total
/30
10 Things You May Not Know About Columbus and His Day
1. Columbus was not the first to discover the New World.
Since Native Americans were already in America when Columbus landed, they are now recognized as discovering it. What is less
known is that the Norse (also called the Vikings) also predated Columbus' discovery. Thousands of years earlier Nordic explorers had
traveled down the eastern coast of Canada, setting up colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland.
However, to Columbus' credit, these previous discoveries were so little known that even the best educated Europeans were unaware of
the existence of America prior to his travels. Therefore, Columbus' voyages did mark Europe's official discovery of the Americas as well
as the beginning of its effort to explore, colonize, and trade with the New World.
2. Columbus coined the term "Indian."
Columbus believed he had arrived at an island of the East Indies, near Japan or China. Because of this belief, he called the islanders
Indians. People realized within 30 years that Columbus had not reached the Indies (he actually landed in the Caribbean Islands), but
the name Indian continued to be used.
3. Christopher Columbus wasn't actually named Christopher Columbus.
Christopher Columbus, an Italian mariner and navigator, was actually named Cristoforo Colombo. Americans refer to him as Columbus,
the Spanish call him Cristobal Colon, and in Portugal he is referred to as Cristovio Colombo.
4. The District of Columbia is named after Christopher Columbus.
In 1800, the city of Washington was officially named the District of Columbia after Columbus and became the capital of the United
States. In 1892, a statue of Columbus was raised at the beginning of Columbus Avenue in New York City.
5. Columbus did not set out to prove the Earth was round.
Contrary to popular belief, most educated individuals in the 15th century, and especially sailors, already knew that the Earth was round.
However, Columbus and his peers did still believe that the Earth was much smaller (1/4 of its actual size) and consisted of mostly land,
not water.
6. Queen Isabella of Spain did not pawn her crown jewels to pay for his voyage.
This is another popular myth. Although the queen may have suggested this at some point, Columbus' expedition was financed by other
supporters.
7. Sailor Juan Rodriguez Bermejo was the first to spot land.
Between the evening of Oct. 11, 1492, and the morning of Oct. 12, sailor Juan Rodriguez Bermejo on the Pinta called out, "Land, land!"
However, Columbus said that he had seen a flickering light hours earlier and claimed the reward Isabella had offered to the first person
to sight land.
8. If Columbus hadn't been Italian, Americans might not have a Columbus Day.
Out of pride for their native son, the Italian population of New York City organized the first celebration of the discovery of America, Oct.
12, 1866. The next year, more Italian organizations in other cities held banquets, parades and dances on that date. In 1869, when
Italians of San Francisco celebrated Oct. 12, they called it Columbus Day.
9. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited publicly for the first time during Columbus' 400th anniversary.
The words to the first version of the 'Pledge of Allegiance' (then titled 'The Pledge to the Flag') was published in the Sept. 8, 1892, issue
of 'The Youth's Companion.' A month later more than 12 million school children recited the words for the first time in schools across the
nation to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America.
10. Not everyone thinks Columbus is a hero.
Although traditional historians view Columbus' voyage as opening the New World to Western civilization and Christianity, many
revisionist historians view him as a villain. They believe his discoveries marked the beginning of the destruction of Native American
peoples and culture. In recent years, many people who view Columbus Day as a celebration of conquest and genocide have rejected
this holiday and replaced it with Indigenous Peoples Day.
http://reference.aol.com/article/_a/10-things-you-may-not-know-about/20051005180309990001