Key learning points

1. Some of the earliest seaborne explorers were a group of people known as Polynesians.
2. A long time ago Polynesians spread across the Pacific Ocean using canoes that they built.
3. These canoes had to have a strong hull and sail to travel across the ocean.
4. The Polynesians navigated to new islands by watching the waves and the paths of sea creatures.

Keywords

• Seafarer - a seafarer is a person who often travels by sea

• Navigate - when people navigate, they control where their boat is going

• Hull - a boat's hull is its stiff outer shell

• Sail - a sail is a large piece of cloth attached to a boat that uses the wind to help the boat move

Common misconception