Two Perspectives Journal Entries

Check out this intriguing assignment Veronica is working on in History class. Read the directions and sample prompts below. Stay tuned next week and you can read Veronica's journal entries in the voice of two different characters. 

5^th Grade History: Two Perspectives Diary Entries

In 5^th grade history class, we have read about Columbus’ men encountering the native Taino people for the first time. In Jane Yolen’s picture book, Encounter, a Taino boy had a bad dream and tried to warn his people about Columbus’ men, but no one believed him. After they exchanged presents, Columbus left, taking Taino men as “guides,” but really enslaving them. The Taino culture was never the same.  

THINK ABOUT IT

·      What if you were a 12-year-old Spanish sailor boy?

·      What if you were an 11-year old Taino girl?

·      How would you experience Columbus’ journey and arrival in different ways?

Your task is to use your imagination and the facts you’ve learn so far to write historical fiction journal entries from the two perspectives above. Please see sample entries below. When you are finished, your project will have at least 800 words. You will write four entries by the Spanish boy and four entries by the Taino girl.

Spanish sailor boy, Diego

1492, aboard the Santa Maria

On Sunday mornings in Cordoba, Espana, we used to eat a big breakfast and sing hymns at church. I like to sing, even though I do not understand all the Latin words at my Catholic church. At sea, every day is the same. No day is special, like Sunday. We have been away from home for over two months now, and I miss my mother, but I would not admit this fact to anyone. I stay busy swabbing the decks and climbing the rigging to adjust the sails. At suppertime, my stomach rumbles, but all of the food is getting old. There is no more meat, only hard-tack that almost breaks my teeth and moldy potatoes. I hope we reach China soon.

Taino girl, Sun Star

1492, the Caribbean Islands

During the day, I sit on the beach and weave hammocks. I listen to the fishermen call to one another and sometimes, I see sea turtles swimming through the clear green water. Parrots call to each other in the palm trees, and every day is like a song. In the evening, I collect seashells before dinner, or wait for the sun to set. The sand, once warmed by the sun, cools beneath my feet before bed time. At night, I curl up in a hammock, my body tired from a busy day of working. My mother does not know I will make her a shell necklace as a girl. As I drift off to sleep, I hope we can eat mashed sweet potatoes and casava bread for breakfast.