edHelper.com
Renaissance


Giovanni da Verrazano


Giovanni da Verrazano
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 6 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   7.75

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    bankers, further, seafaring, prosperous, flagship, navigator, crossing, navigation, encounter, landing, ammunition, extremely, pursue, route, provided, exploration
     content words:    Italian Renaissance, Mediterranean Sea, King Francis, Atlantic Ocean, East Indies, North America, Cape Fear, North Carolina, New England, Native American


Print Giovanni da Verrazano
edHelper.com subscriber options:
     Print Giovanni da Verrazano  (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)

     Quickly print reading comprehension

     Print a proofreading activity


Feedback on Giovanni da Verrazano
     Leave your feedback on Giovanni da Verrazano  (use this link if you found an error in the story)



Giovanni da Verrazano
By Sharon Fabian
  

1     Imagine growing up in your family's own castle. Your family lives in the beautiful land around Florence during the Italian Renaissance. You can imagine all sorts of possibilities for your future career because you are surrounded by people with amazing careers themselves. Artists, scientists, architects, and many more imaginative people from Florence are already making a name for themselves.
 
2     Giovanni da Verrazano grew up in just that situation. His family included prosperous merchants and bankers, and Giovanni received a good education. From all of the possibilities available, he chose the field of navigation for his future career.
 
3     In 1507, he moved to Dieppe where he could pursue a seafaring life. Soon, he was sailing the Mediterranean Sea.
 
4     Verrazano must have gained the reputation for being a good leader aboard ship, because in 1524, King Francis I of France chose him to lead an expedition across the Atlantic Ocean. King Francis wanted a navigator who might be able to find a sea route all the way to China and the East Indies.
 
5     Soon, Verrazano was making plans for his voyage. He had four ships and enough sailors to man them. He laid in supplies of food - enough to last eight months - and supplies of ammunition. Seafaring was a dangerous job in those days.

Paragraphs 6 to 15:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable


Copyright © 2008 edHelper