Early explorers and their boats

History

How Polynesian explorers travelled and navigated

Seafaring in the early Mediterranean world

The Vikings and their longboats

Viking navigation and expansion

The incredible voyages of Zheng He

Chinese innovation in seafaring

John Cabot's journeys across the Atlantic

Seafaring 550 years ago

John Franklin's lost expedition

Seafaring 150 years ago

From sail to steam power

In ‘Significant explorers: how has seafaring changed over time?’ pupils develop their chronological framework, studying a theme that introduced change and continuity across a long time span. In ‘Significant rulers from the past: what can their stories tell us?’ they continue to develop chronological understanding whilst being introduced to various substantive concepts that relate to ruling.

In ‘Traditional stories: what do they tell us about the distant past?’ pupils moved to the distant past in order to start building their chronological framework by hearing traditional historical stories. In ‘Significant explorers: how has seafaring changed over time?’ pupils develop this framework further by studying a theme that introduces change and continuity across a long time span.

This unit on explorers and seafaring gives students a clear sense of change over time, highlighting technological, economic, and cultural shifts. It covers the sea's role in trade and exploration and explores material culture, craftsmanship, and the influence of seafaring on language and art.

Significant explorers: How has seafaring changed over time?

a seafarer is a person who often travels by sea

when people navigate, they control where their boat is going

a sail is a large piece of cloth attached to a boat that uses the wind to help the boat move

a galley is large, low ship with a sail and many oars

an oar is a long pole with a flat end, used for moving a boat

the people who push and pull the oars on a boat are oarsmen

a ship used for fighting is known as a warship

the Vikings were seafarers from Northern Europe

a longboat was a strong, narrow boat used by the Vikings

a shield is a large piece of wood or metal with a handle at the back that is used for protection and defence

a raid is when a place is attacked and items are stolen

an archaeologist digs up and studies objects from the past

evidence is something that proves an idea or fact to be true

the stars are balls of gas in space that give off light and heat

a port is a place where boats load and unload, and trade happens

an admiral is a person in charge of many ships and sailors

a person who often explores new places by sea is a seafarer

a stele is a large piece of carved rock showing a story or information

a Chinese ship with sails and a rudder was called a junk

a rudder is a flat moveable piece of wood at the back of a boat that can help it change direction

to navigate means to find a way from one place to another

a compass is a tool used for navigating that always points north

the Atlantic Ocean is the ocean between Europe and the Americas

the Americas are the continents of North and South America

the continent to the east of Europe is called Asia

a ship's sails are held up and controlled by ropes known as rigging

sailors used a tool called an astrolabe to work out how far north or south they were

a lead line is a length of rope with a piece of lead attached to it

the ships and boats a country uses for fighting are known as the Navy

the Pacific Ocean is the ocean between the Americas and Asia

the Northwest Passage is a northern sea route between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans

a steamship is a ship that uses a steam engine to help it move

a propeller is something that spins in the water to move a ship forward

a sextant is a measuring tool that measures the distance between two points

a chronometer is like a watch, it measures the passage of time

something uses steam power when it uses a steam engine to heat water to create steam and movement

Significant explorers: How has seafaring changed over time?

John Cabot and John Franklin

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