How Polynesian explorers travelled and navigated
I can describe how the early Polynesians sailed across the ocean.
How Polynesian explorers travelled and navigated
I can describe how the early Polynesians sailed across the ocean.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Some of the earliest seaborne explorers were a group of people known as Polynesians.
- A long time ago Polynesians spread across the Pacific Ocean using canoes that they built.
- These canoes had to have a strong hull and sail to travel across the ocean.
- The Polynesians navigated to new islands by watching the waves and the paths of sea creatures.
Keywords
Seafarer - a seafarer is a person who often travels by sea
Navigate - when people navigate, they control where their boat is going
Hull - a boat's hull is its stiff outer shell
Sail - a sail is a large piece of cloth attached to a boat that uses the wind to help the boat move
Common misconception
Pupils may think that Polynesia is a country.
Polynesia is not one single country. It is a large area of the Pacific Ocean containing lots of different islands.
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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