North America Erik the Red and the World's Largest Island

Non-fiction: North America – Erik the Red and the World’s Largest Island

North America Erik the Red and the World’s Largest Island

Imagine if your father killed somebody and your whole family was forced to leave home and live in another country. Now imagine if you killed two people years after that and were forced to move yet again. Sound like a terrible life? Maybe. But it was also the one lived by one of the most famous explorers in history. Erik Thorvaldsson, also known as Erik the Red, was born in southern Norway in 950. He lived there until Erik was 10 when his father was found guilty of murder. The whole family was exiled1 and forced to live in Iceland. Erik lived there until he was 32. Sadly, Erik followed the bad example of his father and murdered not one, but two men. This crime got him banished2 from Iceland for three years. Erik had to leave the country. If he didn’t, anyone in Iceland had the legal right to kill him. With nowhere to go, Erik decided to head for a place he’d never seen. He went to a large island near Iceland that had never been settled by Europeans. Erik spent the next three years exploring the island. It was mostly covered in ice and it was impossible to farm there. However, the presence of native Inuit people proved that it was possible to survive, and even flourish,3 on the cold, icy island. Though they couldn’t grow crops like corn, the Inuit were very successful hunters. They ate the meat of whales, seals and fish. They also used animal skins to create warm clothing. And, if one didn’t want to live in a snowy climate, there were many warmer areas on the coast. In these areas, there were large meadows full of trees and berries, as well as many opportunities for fishing. Erik had many enemies in Iceland and didn’t want to return. He decided to start a settlement on the island he had explored. He named it Erik had many enemies in Iceland and didn’t want to return. He decided to start a settlement on the island he had explored. Greenland, even though it was largely covered in

1 exiled: kicked out of a place and forced to live elsewhere; banished. 2 banished: thrown out of, sent away; exiled. 3 flourish: do very well, thrive, be successful.

Non-fiction: North America – Erik the Red and the World’s Largest Island

ice. Erik hoped that more people would want to settle in a place with such a tempting name. He returned to Iceland just long enough to convince family and friends to make the trip to Greenland with him. Erik then went back to Greenland with 14 ships carrying about 500 people. More people came to Greenland as Iceland began to get too crowded. The settlements Erik established4 grew. However, in 1003 a mysterious disease swept the colony and killed most of its members, including Erik. Though some survived, Erik’s colony was finally wiped out in the fifteenth century. They were killed either by disease or the native people of Greenland. No one knows for sure what happened. Even though the majority of Greenland’s population these days is Inuit and Erik and his descendants are long gone, the memory of the fiery-haired explorer will forever live on.

4 establish – start or begin

Questions: North America – Erik the Red and the World’s Largest Island

Name: ______Date: ______

1. Which of the following events happened last in Erik’s life?

a. Erik spent three years exploring a large island. b. Erik settled in Greenland with family and friends. c. Erik lived in Norway with his family. d. Erik murdered two men in Iceland.

2. The Inuit were able to flourish in the cold climate of Greenland by

a. growing crops like corn and beans. b. hunting and fishing. c. hibernating during the winter. d. gathering delicious fruits in Greenland’s many forests.

3. The residents of Iceland might have thought Greenland was a “tempting name” because

a. green was a meaningful symbolic color to the people of Iceland. b. it might have made them think that there were wealthy native people living there already c. green was the official color of Iceland. d. settlers would have thought a country called “Greenland” would have a lot of healthy plants and a nice climate.

4. Why are there no descendants of Erik the Red presently living in Greenland?

a. Erik murdered everyone in his colony. b. Everyone in Erik’s colony decided to go back to Iceland. c. Everyone in Erik’s colony died in the fifteenth century. d. Erik died of a mysterious disease in 1003.

5. Why was Eric forced to move twice in his life?

a. In a search of an adventure. b. As punishment for crimes committed by his father and him. c. As a result of his father’s new job d. In order to live closer to family.

Questions: North America – Erik the Red and the World’s Largest Island

6. What is one adjective that you think describes Erik the Red’s personality? Explain your choice using at least one specific detail from the text.

______

7. Describe how the Inuit survived on an island that seemed to be a difficult place to live.

______

8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.

______Erik had many enemies in Iceland, and didn’t want to return, he decided to start a settlement on the island he had explored.

a. Finally b. Subsequently c. Since d. Furthmore

9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below.

Erik’s colony on Greenland consisted of 500 family members and friends who were looking for an adventure or a new start.

What? Erik’s colony

(consisted of) What? ______

Where? ______

Why (were they part of the colony)? ______

10. Vocabulary Word: establish: start or begin.

Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: ______

______4