1. Critiquing Christopher Columbus

2. THIS…???

3. Or This…?

4. Take out a sheet of paper
On the FRONT:
Draw a line down the center
LEFT side: Partner A
RIGHT side: Partner B
On the BACK:
Divide it into THREE columns
LEFT: Source #1 – History Channel
MIDDLE: Source #2 – BBC
RIGHT: Source #3 – Zinn

5. brainstorming: Columbus
Partner A: 30 seconds to verbally list all things you think you know about or associate with Christopher Columbus
Partner B records list
Partner B: 30 seconds to verbally list all things you think you know about or associate with Christopher Columbus (yes- it’s harder to go second!)
Partner A records list

6. Sourcing
When reviewing ANY source…Your job is not to just merely answer the questions, but to provide evidence from the reading that supports it using either:
a direct quote
a paraphrase

7. History Channel: Columbus
How does the History Channel portray Columbus, his actions, and his legacy?
Record 5 examples (4:17 min video)

8. BBC- Columbus
How does Tirado describe Columbus’ legacy? Include 2 pieces of evidence he uses to support his claims.
How does this account support what you already know about Columbus and the History Channel’s perspective?
What other perspectives might be helpful in telling the story of Columbus’ legacy?

9. Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress
Excerpts from:
Howard Zinn- A People’s History of the United States”
author, historian, activist, social critic
How does Howard Zinn provide a different perspective on Columbus?
Include 3 pieces of evidence he uses to support his claims.

10. Think about your info gathering for Zinn’s reading by using these guiding questions:
What was Columbus’s initial impression of the natives?
What methods did the Spanish use to force the Indians to find gold? 
What observations does Las Casas make about the treatment of Indians?
What were Las Casas’ observation about working conditions of the Indians?
What information does Las Casas provide on the number of Indians and how they died due to maltreatment?

11. Hero or Villain? Working as a group of four:
Create a t-chart (Hero v. Villain)
List ideas and evidence from the film clip and two readings to support the two perspectives of Columbus’ legacy.
Then, select three pieces of evidence for each side and write them on the stickies
Attach your stickies to the board
Read the stickies of other groups and add to your T-Chart

12. Discussion
Do you think Columbus should be labeled a hero or a villain? Why?
Given all of the sources we watched and read, are Columbus Day celebrations still appropriate? Why or why not?