Episode Description:
In 1492, while Columbus was sailing the ocean blue, he was getting some grief from his crew. Columbus and his men had badly misjudged the distance they were supposed to travel, so after a few weeks on the ship while food and water dwindled away, some of his men threatened to mutiny. Things were getting desperate, when Columbus saw some clumps of seaweed floating by. That encouraged him, because it showed that land was near, and that positive sign helped him buy time with his anxious crew. Likewise today, we may be looking to achieve a goal or make a change, but feel the target is distant or even impossible. In these cases, “look for the seaweed”—look for small signs that you are on the right track. Maybe you just need to endure and push a little bit more, to find your breakthrough and success.
Word for the Day: harbinger (noun) first sign, hint, indication of something. Seeing a robin in February is a harbinger of spring.
Listen to Episode 1 below.
Listen Here
Check your listening ability.
1. ____________ is a large clump of seaweed that uses air bubbles to move around the ocean.
2. At 3:57, how does Mr. Dreyer use the word “antsy?”
A. nervous
B. hesitant
C. itchy
D. eager
3. Why did Columbus think he would land in Japan or East Asia only a few weeks after setting off from Spain?
4. ___________________ is the overthrow of a captain.
5. Why did the seaweed encourage the men on Columbus’ ship?
A. They knew that seaweed is native to Japan.
B. They had not eaten anything at all in two weeks.
C. It was a sign that they were near land.
D. They had heard that seaweed in that part of the ocean was the entrance to the lost city of Atlantis.
6. T/F Columbus and his crew sailed 1.5 months before discovering land.
7. What lesson can we learn from the story of Columbus and his men and the seaweed?
Answer Key:
1. Sargasso
2. A. nervous
3. He first knew that world was round. In that time, they had a good conception of the latitudes but they underestimated the size of longitudes. He also did not know the continents of North and South America existed.
4. Mutiny
5. C. It was a sign that they were near land.
6. False. After 1.5 months, they saw the sargasso. They didn’t land in the Bahamas until the next month.
7. Sargasso was a harbinger of land; they had finally reached land. If we look for the signs, or harbingers, that we are on the right path to reach our goals, we will be encouraged to complete our goals.
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