Every Day is a Holiday - Columbus Day
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
1. Who is Christopher Columbus?
2. What do you know about the discovery of the Americas?
3. What do you think Americans do on Columbus Day?
PRE-READING VOCABULARY TASK
Match the words on the left to the definitions on the right.
_____1. explorer a) to be worthy of a reward or recognition
_____2. anniversary b) found without looking for
_____3. discovery d) a date on which something happened in a previous year
_____4. inhabited c) to settle in and take over a new region
_____5. stumbled upon f) described or represented
_____6. controversial g) a person who travels to places that are not well-known
_____7. resistance h) the opposing of an idea or action
_____8. colonize i) causes much disagreement or debate
_____9. depicted j) lived in
_____10. deserve k) the finding of something new
Columbus Day
The second Monday of October is Christopher Columbus Day. The first large celebration of this
explorer was in 1792. This was the 300th anniversary of Christopher Columbus s so-called
discovery of the New World. Was Columbus the first person to step on
American soil? No. Indigenous people already inhabited the islands
he stumbled upon. When Columbus reached the Bahamas, he thought
it was India. He called the people Indians. This word was used
incorrectly until recent years to refer to Native Americans.
Not everyone thinks an annual party should be thrown in Christopher
Columbus name. In fact, Christopher Columbus is a very
controversial figure in history. In Venezuela, Columbus Day is called The Day of Indigenous
Resistance. Other nations call it Native Americans Day. When Europeans began to colonize the
Americas, native people were treated very poorly. The natives lost their culture and their land. Many
became very ill from disease. Traditionally, Columbus was depicted as a hero. He was named the
Admiral of the Ocean Sea. These days many schools teach the dark side of this historic period. Some
people think Columbus Day should be removed from calendars. For many Americans, this holiday is
nothing more than a long weekend of rest. Does Christopher Columbus deserve an annual parade?
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Every Day is a Holiday - Columbus Day
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. When does Columbus Day fall each year?
ORAL SUMMARY Pair Activity
2. In which year did Columbus  discover the New World?
Student A Read paragraph 1 again. Turn
3. Why did Columbus call the people in the Bahamas  Indians ?
your paper over. Summarize the main
4. Why is Christopher Columbus a controversial figure in history?
points to your partner.
5. How has the teaching of this historic period changed?
Student B Read paragraph 2 again. Turn
your paper over. Listen to your partner s
VOCABULARY REVIEW
summary of paragraph 1. Summarize the
main points of paragraph 2 for your
A. Fill in the blanks with one of the words from the list below.
partner.
1. James Cook was an ________________ in Hawaii.
Can you use any of the new vocabulary?
2. Columbus Day is an _________________that many native
people do not enjoy.
3. The ______________ of the Bahamas was not part of Christopher Columbus s original plan.
4. Christopher Columbus was met with _______________ when he treated the native people as slaves.
5. It was 1492 when Christopher Columbus ________________an island in the Americas.
explorer stumbled upon resistance anniversary discovery
B. Word Stress Circle the syllable that
contains the primary word stress.
Online Research
explorer
Activity
anniversary
discovery
What happened to
indigenous
inhabited
Christopher Columbus
stumbled upon
in Haiti on Christmas Eve, 1492?
controversial
resistance
colonize
depicted
deserve
CLASS OPINION
1. Can an explorer  discover land that is already inhabited?
2. Are indigenous people in your country treated poorly?
3. Why might Christopher Columbus be compared to Adolph Hitler?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright 2010. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only
be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [e-mail] for complete details.
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Every Day is a Holiday - Columbus Day
!! Don't miss our Famous People Lesson Plan on Christopher Columbus! (Found in
the Lesson Plan Library at ESL-Library.com)
Teacher s Answer Key
Pre-Reading Vocabulary Task:
1. g 2. d 3. k 4. j 5. b 6. i 7. h 8. c 9. f 10. a
Comprehension Questions:
1. Columbus Day falls on the second Monday of October each year.
2. Columbus  discovered the New World in 1492.
3. Columbus called the people in the Bahamas  Indians because he thought he had stumbled upon India.
4. Christopher Columbus is a controversial figure in history because native people lost a lot after his voyages. They
were not treated well.
5. The teaching of this historic period has changed in that Christopher Columbus is not depicted as a hero. The suf-
fering of the natives at the hands of Europeans is also taught.
Vocabulary Review B.Word Stress
A. Fill in the Blanks exPLORer
anniVERsary
1. explorer
disCOVery
2. anniversary
inDIGenous
3. discovery
inHABited
4. resistance
STUMbled upon
5. stumbled upon controVERsial
resIStance
COLonize
depICted
desERVE
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____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright 2010. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only
be photocopied by members of ESL-Library.com, in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [e-mail] for complete details.
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