1) Christopher Columbus (arrived on San Salvador island near Cuba on October 11th 1492)

‘In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
He had three ships and left from Spain;
He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.’
(Anon)

Go to: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/c/columbus.shtml

Find the missing words to complete these sentences.  

Christopher Columbus was an _____________.
He sailed across the Atlantic _____________.
Columbus thought he had discovered the continent of _______________.
Columbus and his men landed on an island which they called ______________.
Columbus travelled back to Spain on a ship called the _______________.

Now rearrange the five first letters to find out the name of the city where Columbus was born.

2) The Pilgrim Fathers (landed on Plymouth Rock, America, on November 11th 1620)

‘Amidst the storm they sang,
And the stars heard, and the sea;
And the sounding aisles of the dim woods rang
To the anthem of the free.’
(by Felicia Dorothea Herman)

Go to http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/cgi-bin/res.pl?keyword=Pilgrim+Fathers&offset=0

Match each sentence half (A) with the correct continuation (B).

A
1) The Pilgrim Fathers ...
2) They had lived for ...
3) They sailed from Southampton in two boats ...
4) The voyage to the New World ...
5) William Bradford, William Brewster, Robert Cushman,  Miles Standish and John Carver were ...

B
a) ... called the Speedwell and the Mayflower.
b) ... settled in Massachusets
c) ... the leaders of the Pilgrims.
d) ... lasted three months
e) ... many years in Holland.

3) Abel Tasman (docked in Tasmania on 24th November 1642)

‘Hold me now, oh hold me now
Till this hour has gone around
And I'm gone on the rising tide
For to face Van Diemen's Land.’
(by U2)

                         
Go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abel_Tasman

Scroll down to the section titled First Pacific voyage and read the paragraph about Tasmania. Which of three of the following verbs describe a ship stopping next to land? 

a) plant  
b) anchor  
c) dock  
d) land  
e) skirt

Which one of the following four statements is correct?  

a) First he landed at Adventure Bay. Then, two days later he docked at Cape Frederick Hendrick. Next, he anchored at Blackman Bay and then finally at North Bay, where he planted a Dutch flag.

b) First he landed at Adventure Bay. Then, two days later he docked at Cape Frederick Hendrick. Next, he anchored at Blackman Bay. Finally he tried to land at North Bay, but the sea was too rough.

c) He didn't land at Adventure Bay because the sea was too rough. First he docked at Cape Frederick Hendrick. Next, he anchored at Blackman Bay and then finally at North Bay, where he planted a Dutch flag.

d) He didn't land at Adventure Bay because the sea was too rough. First he docked at Cape Frederick Hendrick. Next, he anchored at Blackman Bay. Finally he tried to land at North Bay, but the sea was too rough.

Finally, decide which of the following sentences refer to Christopher Columbus, which to the Pilgrim Fathers and which to Abel Tasman.

1) __________ thought that New Zealand was part of South America.
2) __________ thought that the Caribbean islands were part of Asia.
3) __________  sailed from England to the New World (now the USA).
4) __________  worked for the United East India Company
5) __________  started their journey in two boats but only one arrived at its destination.
6) __________ sailed from Spain to the Caribbean.

Fast finishers

Click here for our worksheet for fast finishers. An answer copy is provided for teachers as this is not part of the competition.