Teaching European Explorers to English Learners in upper elementary doesn’t have to be overwhelming. In this post, I’ll walk you through how to make social studies lessons more accessible by using visuals, vocabulary slides, and structured reading strategies. These tips are designed especially for teachers who want to build background knowledge while supporting English language development (ELD).

Why Visuals Are Essential for Teaching Social Studies to ELs

It’s important to always teach background knowledge before doing any type of Social Studies reading. Building background knowledge is crucial, especially for elementary students, to comprehend non-fiction text.  Never assume that students know content-specific vocabulary. 

Yes, some may know the vocabulary words, but it doesn’t hurt to teach them to activate background knowledge. Also, it provides an opportunity to see what your students know about the topic.

The problem that I encounter when reading Social Studies texts is that I’m constantly searching for appropriate images online to define words. It takes time to stop reading to search for the perfect images.

I love teaching history, but when you have English Learner (EL) students or striving readers, it’s important to make the content accessible to them so they understand the lesson. How do you do that? In a nutshell, you need to use lots of visuals to create background knowledge using vocabulary slides or an anchor chart like the one in the video below.

I try my best to have the images ready to go for my English Learners. I’ll have several tabs open on my browser, but I usually forget what tab is for what picture!

Sailor on ship in a sunset and text that reads: Teach European Explorers with Confidence: A complete strategy for reaching English Learners in Upper Elementary

Then, if I want to revisit the images the following day to review vocabulary, I’ll keep the tabs open. But if I happen to close my browser window, it’s game over! I have to start my search again for these images. 

If you teach EL students, you know what I’m talking about. Showing images to EL students is crucial! Finding images online can be cumbersome. Plus a lot of the images online are too small. 

So what’s the solution? 

Using Google Slides to Teach Vocabulary

I recommend using Google Slides or PowerPoint to build vocabulary slides with real-life images. This eliminates the daily scramble to find pictures online and ensures students revisit the same vocabulary throughout the unit.

 When you teach students about European Explorers, you will discover that there is so much domain-specific vocabulary involved. Words such as vessel, expedition, scurvy, etc., all have to be taught beforehand so students understand the text.

 

These slides are included with the reading passages and comprehension questions. Click HERE to purchase.

Showing slides with vocabulary words that your students will encounter during their reading is important, especially for your English Learners (EL) students. The fact sheet I wrote about each explorer includes these vocabulary words so that students have repeated exposure to them.

The Best Way to Teach English Learners about European Explorers. Vasco da Gama reading passage and true and false questions
You can purchase these reading passages with comprehension questions HERE

Step-by-Step: How I Teach European Explorers

Here’s my routine for teaching European Explorers in a way that supports ELs:

  1. Vocabulary Slides: Show real-life visuals of key words students will see in the text.
  2. Map Review: Locate Europe and the oceans to give students geographic context.
  3. Short Video (under 5 min): Use YouTube clips to visually anchor the lesson (preview them first!).
  4. Reading + Partner Work: Students read a fact sheet, highlight key ideas, and work with a partner to complete a comprehension activity.

The reading passages I wrote about each explorer include vocabulary words, allowing students to have repeated exposure to them. The slides also help ELs stay engaged and better understand the content.

You can purchase these reading passages with comprehension questions [HERE].

How to Choose What Explorers to Teach

The list of European Explorers seems endless. Is it really necessary for elementary students to know so many? Absolutely not! It’s about quality, not quantity.  

If you have to narrow it down, For upper elementary, I focus on:

Vasco da Gama – Found a sea route to India

Christopher Columbus – Launched European colonization

Amerigo Vespucci – Claimed Brazil as part of the “New World”

Robert La Salle – Claimed Louisiana for France

Hernán Cortés – Conquered the Aztec Empire

Ferdinand Magellan – First to circumnavigate the globe

Final Activity: Student Choice Biography Project

As a culminating activity, students choose an explorer and complete a biography graphic organizer. At this point, their background knowledge helps them confidently write and speak about their chosen figure.

They can also research online to gather more information, reinforcing their understanding and academic language development.

 

Click HERE to purchase

Don’t forget to grab the European Explorers Lesson Pack with pre-made vocabulary slides, fact sheets, comprehension questions, and research organizers—everything you need to make Social Studies more accessible for your ELs. You got this! Giselle

Click HERE to purchase

How do you choose which European Explorers to teach students? Let me know on Instagram@schoolhouse_engage. I can’t wait to hear from you.