When students are learning about early exploration and the arrival of Europeans in North America, I like to use the fascinating survival story of Spanish Explorer Cabeza de Vaca to teach students about the struggle of arriving in a new land and challenges and risks that come along with exploration of unfamiliar territory. I would introduce the conversation from Epictetus about stress management at the beginning of the Cabeza de Vaca unit, and revisit the quote throughout the lesson, gathering more information about the impressive ways that De Vaca responds to his unfortunate circumstances
Level: Elementary social studies
Subject Area: U.S. History
Author: Tiffany Heitman
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