topics

Collections of lesson plans, ideas and resources for teaching popular topics.

Click a category to explore:

find a plan

Search for a Lesson Plan, then filter by Grade and Subject Area

Columbus Day

Columbus Day Lessons and Teacher Resources

Introduction:

Columbus Day became an official United States federal holiday in 1970. “Since 1971, the holiday has been commemorated in the U.S. on the second Monday in October, the same day as Thanksgiving in neighboring Canada. It is generally observed today by banks, the bond market, the U.S. Postal Service and other federal agencies, most state government offices, and some school districts; however, most businesses and stock exchanges remain open.” Some Italian-Americans celebrate their heritage on this day with parades or other festivities. Many states and cities with large Native American populations do not recognize Columbus Day or celebrate “Indigenous People’s Day” or “Native American Day” instead. Many countries celebrate Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World under the names DÃa de la Raza (Day of the Race) or Day of the Cultures, Day of the Americas, Discovery Day, Spanish Day (Spain), or DÃa de la Resistencia IndÃgena (Day of Indigenous Resistance – Venezuala). Wikipedia

How does your class celebrate Columbus Day?

Lesson Plans | Videos | Additional Resources

Lessons Plans:

With the poem “In 1492″, you can teach Columbus Day and poetry too! (LA K-1)

This lesson is called “Sink or Float?” and uses the book “Christopher Columbus” (Science K-1)
Here’s a Columbus Day song and game idea (Music 2-3)
In this lesson, students learn about Columbus Day from two perspectives (SS/LA 4-6)
Students write a postcard from the perspective of a Spanish sailor in this lesson about Columbus’ first encounter with the Taino Indians (SS/LA 4-5)
Here students write a letter about their “immigrant experience” after virtually exploring the Ellis Island immigration station (SS/LA 5)
These ideas explore the complex relationships between Native Americans and European Settlers (SS 6-8)
Students debate the benefits vs. effects of Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny in this well-developed lesson (SS 8-12)
Not many here yet. If you have any Columbus Day lesson plans to share, please add them to our site! You might also want to check our Native American Heritage Month page for a different perspective.

Videos and Other Media Resources:

Additional Resources: