Third graders are learning about the journeys of early explorers such as Ferdinand Magellan. While reading the biography of Ferdinand Magellan, they learned about navigation tools such as the cross-staff and astrolabe. Students wrote in journals about the voyage, the life of Magellan, and imagined themselves on board the ship. Several students in Mrs. Bickerstaff’s class dressed as explorers for Explorer’s Day.

The journal pages below show a sample of the entries: a list of items needed for the journey, an entry written as if the student was a sailor on the trip, and information about Magellan.