Land Ho!

Land Ho! - Lesson 6.1

Imagine you and your family are just arriving to a land you've never lived on before. There are no cars, buildings and stores. What do you do first, find food or build a shelter? But then you see a tribe of people that you do not know. You say hello but they do not understand you, what do you do?

Why did people come here?

The first European explorers came to America to find new trading routes to Asia because Asia was far away. They traveled by ship across the Atlantic Ocean and ended up in the new land of North America. More people began to move here because they wanted a better life and wanted to be free. How would you feel moving to a new country?

What do we call the explorers new to the New World?

Early Europeans can be called immigrants to North America. An immigrant is a person who leaves their country to go live somewhere else. Do you know anyone who is from another country but moved to America?

What was life like?

The Native Americans began to teach the Europeans ways to hunt, fish, and farm. They even began to learn each others language. Soon the explorers started to take control of the Native Americans land and build towns of their own. Life was hard because they had to build everything, find food and survive. What do you think would be the hardest part of moving somewhere new?

Letter Home

Imagine you are an explorer from the new world and you have decided to move here. Write a letter to someone back home telling them why you had to leave home and what life was like when you arrived. Describe the Native Americans you encountered when you arrived.