Christopher Columbus

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Video

FEATURES & DETAILS:


Price: $39.95
  
Grades: 5 to 8
  
Runtime: 23 minutes
  
Item #: D6632
  
Availability: In Stock!
  
Format: VHS
  
Also Available In:
Digital Rights
  
Closed-Captioning: Yes


PRODUCT SUMMARY


Follow along as our two young hosts are given a chance to meet and question one of history's most famous explorers -- Christopher Columbus. Listen as Columbus describes why he believed that a shortcut to Asia could be found by sailing West, and how he was able to keep his crew from mutinying after his first voyage lasted much longer than he had expected. Learn about the goals, successes and failures of all four of Columbus's voyages to the New World and find about his technique of using the prevailing winds to cross the Atlantic. Learn more about the Taino, the native people of the Caribbean, and their encounters with Columbus and his crew. Discover how Columbus's questionable tactics led to the downfall of this native group. Students will enjoy learning the truth of this often-romanticized explorer and hearing Columbus discuss and defend his actions in this exciting video dramatization. Part of the multivolume Explorers of the World Video Series. Includes a Teacher's Guide.


EDITORIAL REVIEWS


"...Strongly recommended, especially given the scope and affordable price." - Video Librarian

"The concept of students interacting with Columbus works well, and this production will hold student interest. ...An outstanding choice for school libraries."- School Library Journal (10/00)

"Accomplished actors assume the roles of explorers in these enlightening titles. Two student hosts and voice-over narration facilitate an exchange of information about the adventurers' families, expeditions, and contributions. ...Helpful time lines, teacher guides, and Web-site references are included." - Booklist (12/1/00)



FULL REVIEWS

Video Librarian (November 2000)

""

Christopher Columbus' long shadow has been vastly diminished: no longer exclusively seen as the brave explorer sailing uncharted seas, many people today consider him a genocidist. This entry in Schlessinger Media's 13-part Explorers of the World series strikes a tone that is neither too shrilly revisionist nor too hagiographic. Columbus did make a lot of mistakes, many of them with catastrophic consequences for people other than himself--and they are fairly and truthfully represented here--yet, as we also learn, ideas about social justice were considerably different 500 years ago. The actor who plays Columbus does a wonderful job of projecting the egotism of the man while somehow remaining charming. Alas, his teenaged interlocutors come across very woodenly, and the disembodied history teacher's voice-over floating in and out was an affectation that could and should have been avoided. Otherwise, this is a well-rounded presentation of an important explorer, who still gets the credit for stumbling across the New World and publicizing its existence. The other titles in the series are: The American Frontier, Cortés & Pizarro, English Explorers, Ferdinand Magellan, French Explorers, Henry Hudson, History of Exploration, Lewis & Clark, Marco Polo, Portuguese Explorers, Spanish Explorers and The Vikings. Strongly recommended, especially given the scope and affordable price.


School Library Journal (October 2000)

Gr 5-8 - This production follows two teens, Jessica and Roberto, as they visit the "Hallowed Halls of History," a museum where the portraits come alive and engage in a dialogue with students. They talk with Columbus, who tells them about his desire to be an explorer and the importance of exploration in his era, and recounts his four voyages that became the foundation of the Spanish Empire in the New World. Jessica and Roberto question Columbus about his motives and actions as well as the consequences of his actions, especially for indigenous peoples such as the Taino Indians, a group he personally encountered. Columbus comes across as a real person, a man with good characteristics such as bravery and yet also vain and autocratic. The disembodied voice of Mrs. Durant, a teacher, adds commentary and background. After the two finish their talk with Columbus, they conclude that "history can be kind of messy," and that most historical figures cannot be easily placed into the categories of hero or villain. Technical quality is good. Visuals include the live-action footage of the students and Columbus, as well as reenactment footage, period art, and numerous maps. Audio is generally good, although background music occasionally almost overwhelms the speakers. The concept of students interacting with Columbus works well, and this production will hold student interest. It makes its points gently and with humor, which adds to its appeal. An outstanding choice for school libraries.

Copyright 2000 School Library Journal. Used with permission.

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