Today's date 1/31/2018
Headline: A Wold of Surprises
Author: Lorenzo Camusso
Source of the Article:The Voyages of Columbus
Three Vocabulary Words:
1.millet- a fast growing cereal plant that can grow in poor soil
2.breadth- the distance measurement from side to side of something
3.madrepores- a stony coral, madrepora
Summary: When Columbus arived in Cuba he was met with many things he had never seen before. Both the tall trees and the many birds awed him and his crew. They loved the beautiful nature there. They met the natives, who presented them with a gift of tobaco leaves. Tobaco was important to the natives who dried the leaves and rolled them up into cigars. The natives were named Indians by Columbus because he was thouroghly convinced that they were in India. They discovered new foods including sweet potatos, yuca, and corn. The corn was thought to be like millet or barley so they ground it down into flour. Wherever Columbus went he made sure to honor the king and queen by naming things after them. He named the tip of Cuba Juana after the king and queen's daughter. Cristopher Columbus and his men observed the natives and took notice of the herbs they used and the beds they slept in. The beds were of special interest because they were nothing like Columbus had ever seen before. They were made of cotton and were later called hamocks. Columbus took notice of how the hammocks had potentian to save lives by preventing soldiers from having to sleep on the ground.
Columbus discovereed many things. Here are some things that Columbus discovered on his first voyage. He found the tip of Cuba, which he named Juana. When he landed on Juana he was suprised to discover royal palms and a wide variety of birds. More land he discovered was what is now known as Rum Cay and Long Island. The names he gave them were Santa Maria and Fernandia. When he met the natives he misnamed them Indians, thinking he was in India. The Natives gave him a gift of dry leaves which were later named tobacco. Tobacco was treasured by the natives, who dryed the leaves and rolled them into cigars. The food Columbus discovered included sweet potatos, yuca, maize, and red chili. The maize was thuoght to be like wheat or barley, so they ground it into flour. The chili was a lucky find while Columbus was looking for pepper. Another discovery Columbus got from the natives was the hammock, which Columbus noted could prevent diseases caused from sleeping on the ground. The one thing Columbus encountered but did not realize was madrepores, a stony coral.