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Teacher's Guide for CALLIOPE: Around the World with Captain Cook

Teacher guide prepared by: KC Smith, Florida Heritage Education Coordinator and Florida History Fair Coordinator, Museum of Florida History, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State.
Vocabulary
Definitions of terms related to articles in this issue are presented on pages 14, 15, and 19. However, students may encounter other words that are unfamiliar, especially those associated with nautical and geographic concepts. Among these are:

navigation * circumnavigation * furl / unfurl * backstaff * apprentice * chart * (to) refit * (to) survey * (to) run aground * berth * caulker * continent * eclipse * Antarctic Circle * replica
Tell students that, during the course of their reading, they must list and define five unfamiliar words. After the reading activity, discuss the new words as a group.

Reading for Comprehension
Group discussion about the articles in this issue will give rise to observations, opinions, and thoughtful questioning on the part of students. The following questions can guide their exploration of facts and concepts.

"The Sea Beckons" (pp. 3 - 5)
  • Describe James Cook's life as a child and teenager. How were his experiences different from the lifestyles of modern youths?


    • "The Enlisted Seaman" (pp. 6 - 7)
  • What role did Cook play in England's capture of Quebec?


    • "The Voyage of a Lifetime" (pp. 8 - 13)
  • What were Cook's two assignments when he began his first voyage?

  • How did Cook intend to keep his crew members healthy on the voyage?

  • Who was Joseph Banks, and what role did he play during Cook's first voyage?


    • "Sailing the Seas" (pp. 16 - 19)
  • What aids to navigation did Cook have and how were they useful?

  • What is the difference between latitude and longitude?

  • What observations about native residents of the Pacific Islands impressed Cook?


    • "The Second Voyage" (pp. 20 - 23)
  • What was the primary purpose of Cook's second voyage?

  • Why did Cook take two ships on his second voyage? Was this an effective strategy?

  • What did Cook accomplish on this expedition?


    • "The World of Captain Cook" (pp. 24 - 25)
  • Compare the map of Cook's voyages to a modern globe or world map. What are the modern names of places that he visited?


    • "An Air of Duty and Discipline" (pp. 26 - 27)
  • Why did Cook maintain a strict policy of discipline on his ships?

  • What happened to an individual who disobeyed the policy of discipline?


    • "Life on Board / Kudos for a Healthy Crew" (pp. 28 - 32)
  • How did sailors spend their days on Cook's ships?

  • What other (unstated) activities did they probably pursue?

  • How and why did Cook ensure the health of his crew members?


    • "More Than Making Maps" (pp. 33 - 35)
  • In addition to exploring for and mapping new lands, what other purposes prompted Cook's expeditions?

  • What types of scientific information and evidence were collected?

  • Why were artists important members of the expedition?

  • In addition to specimens and artworks, what other records were made during Cook's expeditions? Why were they valuable?


    • "Captain Cook's Final Voyage" (pp. 38 - 40)
  • Why were Europeans interested in finding a northwest passage?

  • What route did Cook follow to search for a northwest passage?


    • "A Fatal Blow" (p. 41)
  • What was the cause of Cook's death?


    • "Elizabeth Cook and her Children" (p. 42)
  • How was Elizabeth Cook's life as a wife and mother different from the lives of wives and mothers in modern times?


    • "Endeavor Sails Again" (p. 46)
  • Why was building a replica of Endeavor a challenging task?


    • "The Cook Legacy" (pp. 47 - 49)
  • What were the primary accomplishments of Cook's three voyages?

  • Why were his accomplishments regarded as important events in history?


    • Activity: Timeline of Discovery
    Captain Cook's three voyages extended from 1768 to 1780. To help students appreciate the magnitude of his discoveries during this short period, have the students create a timeline and mural that represents his accomplishments.
    Objectives
    Students will:
  • gather written and visual evidence of Cook's achievements; and
  • create a timeline and mural that records the high points of Cook's expeditions.


    • Materials
    7-foot strip of butcher paper (preferably white)
    index cards
    pencils and colored markers
    scissors and glue


    Time Required
    Allow two class periods for this activity.


    Procedure
    Divide the class into teams of three or four students and assign each team one of the following tasks. (There can be some duplication of tasks.)
  • make a list of the primary dates of Cook's explorations and discoveries
  • research and select excerpts from Cook's journals
  • research and select images of Cook's ships
  • research and select images of people involved in the expeditions
  • research and select other images related the expeditions
  • prepare the timeline
    • Journal excepts can be found in books and at the following Web site:
    http://freespace.virgin.net/chris.jones/ccsu1.htm (select "Captain Cook's Journals")
    Illustrations and artwork can be found in books and at the following Web sites:
    http://members.tripod.com/cuculus/cook.html (select "Images and Portraits")
    www.100megsfree3.com/glaw/cook/index.htm
    Distribute index cards to teams that are researching dates and journal entries. Instruct students to create a separate card for each item that they believe is important. Distribute scissors to students who are researching images so they can cut out their illustrations before pasting them to the mural.

    While teams are gathering information and images to place on the mural, help the "timeline team" to prepare the timeline. Leaving a six-inch margin at both ends, students should draw a straight line along the center of the butcher paper and mark off years, beginning with 1768 and ending with 1780, at six-inch intervals. They should select a title for the mural and write the title at the top of the butcher paper, then hang the paper on a classroom wall.

    Prepare the mural as a group project. Beginning with the "dates team," allow each group to discuss the information or images that it has found and to paste its index cards or illustrations along the timeline at the appropriate interval. Use graphics that are generally dated (for example, the ship illustrations) to fill in spaces that do not have an event or journal entry associated with a specific year. Invite students to add freehand drawings that reflect aspects of Cook's expeditions. Complete the activity with a group discussion about the important aspects of Cook's voyages and the influences that they had on history.

    Activity: Paving the Way
    Captain Cook's discoveries in the South Pacific were remarkable, but he was not the first person to investigate this part of the world. As early as the mid-1500s, European mariners plied the Pacific, although their findings often were poorly charted. To help students place Cook's achievements into historical context, divide them into teams and ask them to research explorers who preceded him. You may wish to create a chart with space for the following details to help students record their data.

    Name of Explorer  
    County of Origin  
    Route  
    Destination  
    Discovery  
    Year  
    Other Facts  


    Individuals whom students might research include:
    • Ferdinand Magellan
    • Alvavode Mendaña
    • Pedro de Quiros
    • Abel Janszoon Tasman
    • William Dampier
    • Samuel Wallis
    • Louis Antoine de Bougainville
    Activity: Researching the Recorders
    Captain Cook is respected because of his boldness and skill as a mariner, his insights into scientific and ethnographic discovery, and the extent of new information that he gathered. However, on each of his voyages, his efforts were aided by naturalists and artists who collected, identified, studied, and recorded natural and cultural phenomena that they encountered. To understand the important roles that these individuals played, divide students into teams and ask them to research and prepare a short report about the scientists and artists who accompanied Cook. If possible, they should include illustrations in their report. Invite teams to share their findings with classmates during a group discussion.

    Individuals whom students might research include:
    • Joseph Banks
    • Daniel Solander
    • Johann Rheingold Forster
    • Johann Georg Forster
    • William Hodges
    • William Anderson
    • John Webber
    • Anders Sparrman
    As a complement to this research project, present the science-based lesson plan "A Journal of Discovery" found on the Education Place Web site, which encourages students to explore plants, animals, and minerals in their own neighborhood. This lesson plan is located at: www.eduplace.com/ss/act/disc.html.

    Activity: New Lands and People
    Captain Cook and his sailors were the first people to encounter many cultures in the South Pacific. By his second voyage, he was aware of the changes, and even deterioration, that contact had inflicted on native populations. He noted in one of his journal entries: "We debauch their morals already too prone to vice and we introduce among them wants and perhaps diseases which they never before knew and which serve only to disturb that happy tranquility they and their fore Fathers had enjoyed. If any one denies the truth of this assertion let him tell me what the Natives of the whole extent of America have gained by the commerce they had had with Europeans."

    To understand the nature of the lands and people whom Cook encountered, divide the class into small teams and assign each group a location visited by the Captain and his men. Their subsequent research report should include the following information and should be embellished with graphics. Allow students one or two class periods to conduct their research in the media center or on the Internet. Invite each team to share its findings with classmates in a group discussion that encourages students to compare and contrast cultural and natural features of the various locations.
    • Location (latitude and longitude and location on a map)
    • Brief history
    • Description of natural and geological features
    • Description of modern populations
    Locations visited by Cook that students might investigate include:
    • Tahiti and the other Society Islands
    • New Caledonia
    • New Zealand
    • Tasmania
    • New Hebrides
    • Sandwich (Hawaiian) Islands
    • Cook Islands
    • Tonga
    Note: Cook explored and visited Australia, naming numerous locations such as Botany Bay. However, Australia may be too large a topic for the purpose of this short research exercise
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