Student Name: Class: “You’ve Been Lied To: The REAL Christopher Columbus” Expert Pack: Grades 9-10 Table of Contents Text #1: Christopher Columbus’ Soldiers Chop the Hands off of Arawak Indians Who Failed to Meet the Mining Quota (Artistic Engraving)………………..…………………………………..14 Text #2: History vs. Christopher Columbus (Short Film)………….……………………………………...15 Text #3: Truth about Christopher Columbus and Columbus Day (Film).......…………………...16 Text #4: Did Columbus Really Discover America? (Short Film)……………………………………….17 Text #5: Christopher Columbus: The Age of Discovery (Informational Article) ……….…...18 Text #6: The Four Journeys of Christopher Columbus (Map)………..…………………………….....24 Text #7: EXCERPT FROM: “The Journal of Christopher Columbus” (Primary Source)…......25 Text #8: EXCERPTS FROM: “The Devastation of the Indies: A Brief Account” (Primary Document: Historical Account)….…..…………………………………………………………………32 Text #9: Time to Abolish Columbus Day (Informational/Opinion Article)………..……………..40 Extended Reading 1: Columbus Day (Comic and Text)…………………………………………………..47 Extended Reading 2: Debate.org (Interactive Website)…………………………………………………..48 Extended Reading 3: Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong (History Text)………………………………………………………………………………..49 Extended Reading 4: A Young People’s History of the United States: Columbus to the War on Terror (For Young People Series) (History Text)…………...…………………….. ……………..50 Extended Reading 5: “How Columbus Sailed Into US History, Thanks to Italians”…...… ....51 Appendices……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..52 Page 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS The Table of Contents lists of the texts in order of their suggested reading, including text complexity information and a brief synopsis of the text. A note on complexity analysis: The expert packs were created using both quantitative and qualitative considerations. The Reading Maturity Metric was used to calculate the quantitative analysis, including the CCSS grade band ratings. The CCSO rubric for informational texts was used to conduct the qualitative assessments and ratings align to the CCSSO rubric. Reading Maturity Metric: http://www.readingmaturity.com/rmm-web/#/ CCSSO Rubric: included at the end of the Table of Content Text Complexity Information Brief Synopsis Text 1: Quantitative: N/A Visual Art This image reveals some of the Christopher atrocities that Columbus Columbus’ Soldiers perpetrated on the Native Chop the Hands off "They would cut an Indian's hands and Americans of the Caribbean. of Arawak Indians leave them dangling by a shred of skin ... Student should closely examine it Who Failed to Meet [and] they would test their swords and and document what they see. the Mining Quota their manly strength on captured Indians Students can also read and analyze and place bets on the slicing off of heads the quote that accompanies the Author: Theodor de or cutting of bodies in half with one blow. image. Bry ... [One] cruel captain traveled over many leagues, capturing all the Indians he could Genre: Artistic find. Since the Indians would not tell him Engraving who their new lord was, he cut off the hands of some and threw others to the Cost/Access: $0.00 dogs, and thus they were torn to pieces." ‘ - Bartolomé De Las Casas, https://commons.wik imedia.org/wiki/File: Christopher_Columb us%27_Soldiers_Cho p_the_Hands_off_of_ Arawak_Indians_who _Failed_to_Meet_the_ Mining_Quota.jpg Page 3 Text 2: Quantitative: N/A Video Filled with facts and developed by History vs. TED Ed, this well-produced cartoon Christopher Qualitative: puts Columbus Day on trial: two Columbus Purpose: Slightly Complex. One clear cartoon lawyers and a judge purpose for this film, explicitly stated. consider both sides of the Author: - Alex Christopher Columbus debate. Gendler, TED Ed Structure: Moderately Complex. Information presented very quickly, images Genre: Short Film occasionally essential in order to make meaning Cost/Access: $0.00 Language: Moderately Complex... Mostly https://www.youtube contemporary, contains some Tier 3 .com/watch?v=GD3d academic language giDreGc Knowledge Demands: Moderately Complex. The video provides ample information and can be approached without domain-specific knowledge. Text 3: Quantitative: N/A Video Documentary excerpt interviewing Truth about professors – focuses on the Christopher Qualitative: “message from God” aspect and Columbus and Purpose: Slightly Complex. One clear the wrongness of this symbol. The Columbus Day purpose for this film, with information excerpt allows students to consider clearly presented the arguments laid out in the Author: Excerpt from previous video while listening to the documentary Structure: Moderately Complex. researchers and historians discuss The Canary Effect Information presented very quickly, the issue. attention to the speakers and what they Genre: film are presenting essential order to make meaning Cost/Access: $0.00 Language: Moderately Complex... Mostly contemporary, contains some Tier 3 https://www.youtube academic language .com/watch?v=DWdl Ak3739g Knowledge Demands: Moderately Complex... The video provides ample information and can be approached without domain-specific knowledge. Text 4: Quantitative: N/A Video Did Columbus really discover Did Columbus America? This fast-paced History Really Discover Qualitative: Channel video explores this America? Purpose: Slightly Complex. One clear question, and the myths Page 4 purpose for this film, with information surrounding the traditional story of Author: History.com clearly presented Columbus’s journeys. Genre: Short Film Structure: Slightly Complex. Information presented in a clear, chronological way. Cost/Access: $0.00 Language: Slightly Complex... Contemporary, student-friendly language; http://www.history.c contains some Tier 3 academic language om/topics/exploratio n/columbus-day Knowledge Demands: Moderately Complex... The video can be approached without domain-specific knowledge, but is supported by the two previous videos as students move into reading about the subject. Text 5: RMM 8.9 Introductory text from the History Christopher CCSS: 6-10 Channel on Columbus’ overall life. Columbus: The Age Dale Chall: 10.66 This piece explains that he did not of Discovery Flesch-Kincaid 11.5 discover America and explores the controversial legacy of his Author: History.com Qualitative: exploration. Purpose: Slightly Complex. Explicit and Genre: Informational focused. Article Structure: Moderate Complex. Cost/Access: $0.00 Subheadings enhance understanding and support connections between ideas; organization is sequential. http://www.history.c om/topics/exploratio Language: Moderately Complex. Largely n/christopher- conventional and contemporary columbus/print vocabulary; sentence structure is relatively accessible, with some occasional complexity. Knowledge Demands: Very Complex. The article is intended to provide information, but the descriptions of the journey require an understanding of the world map. Students should be encouraged to use an atlas or globe for clarification. Text 6: Quantitative: N/A Map depicting the four journeys of The Four Journeys Christopher Columbus; supports Page 5 of Christopher Qualitative: N/A the reading students completed Columbus about the later voyages in the previous article. Author: Genre: Map Cost/Access: $0.00 https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Voyages_of _Christopher_Colum bus#/media/File:Viaj es_de_colon_en.svg Text 7: RMM: 9-10 This excerpt, taken from the actual EXCERPT FROM: CCSS: 9.3 journals of Christopher Columbus, “The Journal Of Dale-Chall: 7.85 outlines his first encounters with Christopher Flesch-Kincaid: 10.4 Indigenous people, as well as his Columbus” Qualitative: intentions in the region. Students Purpose: Very Complex. Purpose can be will need to read closely to uncover Author: Christopher inferred through reading, but presents the nuance behind what Columbus Columbus both abstract and straightforward themes is outlining. Genre: Primary Structure: Moderately Complex. No text Source features or graphics; organization is generally chronological and narrative Cost/Access: $0.00 Language: Very Complex. The language is http://www.american not contemporary and text contains journeys.org/pdf/AJ- archaic speech patterns, vocabulary, and 062.pdf domain-specific references; sentence structure is, at times, complex Knowledge Demands: Very Complex. Relies on an initial understanding of the arrival of Columbus and the Spaniards, prior understanding of Indigenous peoples would support visualization of Indigenous peoples as well as Columbus, his boats, and the arriving Europeans. Text 8: RMM: 10.1 A slave owner turned Dominican EXCERPTS FROM: CCSS: 9-12 friar, Bartolome de Las Casas “THE Dale-Chall: 8.44 traveled to the Caribbean and DEVASTATION OF Flesch-Kincaid: 11.4 witnessed the events taking place. Page 6 THE INDIES: A He became convinced that the BRIEF ACCOUNT” Purpose: Moderately Complex. Text does actions taken by the Spaniards were not have an explicit purpose but it can be unjust, and became a champion for Author: Bartolome inferred through reading. the Indigenous peoples in the de Las Casas, 1552 region. In this text, he outlines the Structure: Moderately Complex. No text many atrocities that the Spaniards Genre: Primary features or graphics; organization is committed in the Caribbean, both Document: Historical generally chronological and narrative during Columbus’s time, and after. Account Language: Very Complex. The language is This text has been excerpted for the Cost/Access: