Curriculum Resources for Middle School Community: 6th Grade

There are many people throughout history who had the spirit of an adventurer and decided to explore the unknown. In some cases, they risked their lives to make their contributions recognized by the world. From Columbus’ discovery of the Americas to Hillary’s quest up Mount Everest, the names of these great pioneers will remain important for centuries to come as the most famous explorers of all time. Read our list below, which is organized in order of prominence and importance, to find out more about what these seekers contributed for the sake of humankind.

Spanish explorers and conquistadors traveled thousands of miles to seize lands for the crown of Spain. Juan Ponce de León, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Francisco Pizarro, Hernán Cortés, Hernando de Soto and Juan de Oñate were among the first Europeans to explore the New World.

From Ancient to Modern Exploration.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Missions

Canadian Space Agency Missions and more

European Space Agency Missions

For background information and useful website links.

At one with the power of the American landscape, and renowned for the patient skill and timeless beauty of his work, photographer Ansel Adams has been a visionary in his efforts to preserve this country’s wild and scenic areas, both on film and on Earth. Drawn to the beauty of nature’s monuments, he is regarded by environmentalists as a monument himself, and by photographers as a national institution. It is through his foresight and fortitude that so much of America has been saved for future Americans.”

from Spartacus Educational.com

Sylvia A. Earle is an American marine biologist, explorer, and activist for protecting our world’s ocean and its inhabitants.

The Guardian (July 2, 2010)

We are a global community conservation organization that advances the vision and work of Dr. Jane Goodall. By protecting chimpanzees and inspiring people to conserve the natural world we all share, we improve the lives of people, animals and the environment.

Stories and classroom resources to help teach the importance of conservation.

Includes Primary documents on Sacagawea.
From 1803—1806, in an exciting journey to the Pacific Ocean and back, Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery mapped the lands, described the natural wonders, and encountered the people of western North America. But, as Walter Kim wrote in Time, "If not for the … epic the captains scratched out while crouching on hillsides and squatting on riverbanks, we might not remember Lewis and Clark at all."

This biographical account of Napoleon is produced by the Biography Channel. It includes an embedded mini-biography video (3:35 min).

This LibGuide provides information about Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition aboard the Endurance. It includes biographies, autobiographies, photography of the expedition, film and documentaries, maps, and other resources.

History and Science of Aviation
This guide contains resources about the Wright Brothers, the history of aviation and the science of flight. (from Alberta Teachers' Association)

8 things you did not know about Louis Zamperini.

Louis Zamperini was a World War II prisoner of war and an Olympic athlete who became an inspirational figure and writer.

Black scientists such as George Washington Carver, Mae C. Jemison and Neil deGrasse Tyson are widely known, while others — such as engineer Otis Boykin — are less famous. Discover the struggles and triumphs of these and other African American innovators.

Famous immigrants who made their way to the United States — and then to the top of their profession — are the embodiment of the American dream. Follow the careers of Albert Einstein, Charlize Theron, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nikola Tesla and dozens of other U.S. immigrants who made it big in America.

Here you can find records of the other scientists and scientific institutions of Galileo's time, as well as information about Galileo's astronomical observations and instruments.

Listen to women from across the Administration tell the stories of their personal heroes across the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Share them yourself. Add your own. And honor their legacy by committing to encourage a young woman to pursue a career in science.

Exploration and Explorers

Program from New Canaan Public Library Mar. 17, 2020
Leonardo: Painter, Military Engineer, Inventor

Professor Michael Littman of the Mechanical Aerospace & Engineering department at Princeton University discusses Leonardo’s illustrated writings and notes that serve as a guide to his many contributions to art, science, and engineering. Learn about Leonardo’s fascination with the human eye, the camera obscura (pinhole camera), and the use of linear perspective.

Even though it has been 500 years since Leonardo da Vinci died, we have not forgotten his works of art, his studies of human anatomy, or his vision of future technology. This talk will focus on Leonardo’s notes written in Milan when he was 56 years old. His illustrated writings serve as a guide to appreciate his many contributions to art, science, and engineering. Of particular interest is Leonardo’s fascination with the human eye, the camera obscura (pinhole camera), and the use of linear perspective. Of linear perspective Leonardo notes, “The art of perspective is of such a nature as to make what is flat appear in relief and what is in relief flat”. His writing is clear and to the point.