History Lesson Plan: An Introduction to Under Drake’s Flag

Over the next months, we’ll be taking a detailed look at the audio, Under Drake’s Flag. I thought it would be fun way to kick off the series by learning more about Sir Francis Drake and the time period in which he lived. Journey back in time with me.

Vocabulary

Amoeba, bacterial, circumnavigate, dysentery, Elizabethan era, flagship, hygiene, pirate, Promised Land, and protozoan.

Bible Memorization

“The LORD said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” Genesis 12:1-2 (HCSB)

“Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:15 (HCSB)

And I have promised you that I will bring you up from the misery of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey. Exodus 3:17 (HCSB)

Bible

• Read about the calling of Abram in Genesis 12. What similarities and differences do you see between Sir Francis Drake and Abram? Talk about it as a family.
• With a parent’s help, find the places in scripture where God spoke of the Promised Land to Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Read the stories together.
• Read about God’s commission to Moses in Exodus 33:1-2.

English

• If possible, read G. A. Henty’s Under Drake’s Flag, before listening to the audio drama. How are they similar? How are they different?
• Look up in a dictionary to find out what circumnavigate means. Sir Francis Drake was the first Englishman to do this.
• Find a biography on Sir Francis Drake. After reading it, write a two-page report on what you learned.
• Find five interesting facts about the Elizabethan era and include them in your report.
• What famous author wrote during this time period? Learn more about William Shakespeare.

Science

• Dysentery is caused be either a bacterial or protozoan infection. Research and learn the difference between the two.
• What shapes are they? Record them along with your two-page report.
• How did sailors know which way to travel? What would they use to help identify the direction they were traveling? Research and record your findings in your report.
• Find out what an amoeba looks like. Draw it and include it in your report.

Social Studies

• Sir Francis Drake lived during the Elizabethan era. Research and learn more about this time period.
• What continent was Drake first sent to? Identify it on a map.
• Find out what other places he traveled to and record them on your map.
• Record on your map where Drake was born.
• Identify the oceans on your map.

Math

• Find out how many miles it would take to circumnavigate the world. Convert to feet. Convert to inches.
• Find out when Drake was born and died. Subtract to find out his age.
• Drake’s flagship, the Pelican weighed about 100 tons. Convert to pounds.
• Drake started his first journey at the age of 18. What year would that have been?

Health

• Drake contracted dysentery. Learn more about this disease.
• What are the symptoms? Can it be prevented?
• Learn about proper hygiene.
• With a parent’s help, find out foods that were eaten during the Elizabethan era. Make a meal that features some of these items.

Art

• Find out the name of two of Drake’s ships. Draw one of them.
• Draw a picture of Drake and include it in your report.
• Depict one scene from the life of Drake that you learned when reading the biography.

Music

• Music was popular during the Elizabethan period. There was church music, court music, town and street music, and also theater music. William Byrd was one of the great composers of the time. With a parent’s help, find some of his music online and listen together as a family. How is it different from what you hear today?