Brief Description
A timeline/scavenger hunt activity highlights milestone events in Lewis and Clarks journey west.
Objectives
Students will
- use library and Internet resources, including primary source journals, to learn about important events that occurred during the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Keywords
Lewis and Clark, Louisiana Purchase, primary, source, research, timeline, scavenger hunt
Materials Needed
Lesson Plan
Many important events were recorded during the Lewis and Clark's trip west, which took about 18 months. In this lesson, students use print and online resources to complete the Lewis and Clarks Journey West: Important Dates work sheet.
Internet Resources
The following Internet resources will be helpful to students as they complete the work sheet:
General Histories
The Lewis and Clark Expedition: A Western Adventure, A National Epic http://www.lewis-clark.org/search/google
The Journey of the Corps of Discovery: A Timeline of the Trip http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/archive/idx_time.html
The Ultimate Adventure: Retrace the Trail http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,1997823,00.html/#
Journals
The Journey of the Corps of Discovery: The Journals http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/archive/idx_jou.html
Lewis and Clarks Historic Trail: Journals
The Journals of Lewis and Clark http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/JOURNALS/toc.html
The Ultimate Adventure: The Journals http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,1997823,00.html
Extension Activity
Create a timeline and hang it along a wall of the classroom. Mark each month on the timeline with a strip of paper about a foot long. Start the timeline by marking the events on the Important Dates work sheet on it. As students do additional reading, they can add other important events in the timeline.
Assessment
Students will correctly identify the following events and associated dates. (Note: You might accept February 1803 in place of the more specific February 28, 1803.)
February 28, 1803 |
Congress provides money for the expedition. |
December 1803 |
Expedition members set up camp where the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers meet. |
May 14,1804 |
Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery set off on their expedition. |
August 3, 1804 |
The Corps of Discovery has their first encounter with Native people. |
August 20, 1804 |
Sgt. Charles Floyd is the first Corps member to die. |
September 25, 1804 |
In an encounter with the Teton Sioux, Native Americans demand one of the explorers boats as a toll to proceed up the river. |
October 24, 1804 |
Corps members discover the Mandan village and build their winter fort nearby. |
November 4, 1804 |
The Corps hires Toussaint Charbonneau, a fur trapper, as an interpreter. |
April 29, 1805 |
Lewis and another hunter kill a never-before seen animal -- a grizzly bear. |
June 2, 1805 |
Lewis and Clark decide to head south when they come to a fork in the Missouri River. |
August 17, 1805 |
The expedition discovers a village of Shoshones led by Sacajaweas brother. |
October 16, 1805 |
The expedition reaches the Columbia River. |
November 18, 1805 |
Clark sees Mount Hood and figures they must be near the ocean. |
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Lesson Plan Source
Education World
Submitted By Gary Hopkins
National Standards
LANGUAGE ARTS: English
MATHEMATICS: Connections
GRADES Pre-K - 12 NM-CONN.PK-12.3 Recognize and Apply Mathematics in Contexts Outside of Mathematics
MATHEMATICS: Representation
GRADES Pre-K - 12 NM-REP.PK-12.3 Use Representations to Model and Interpret Physical, Social, and Mathematical Phenomena
SOCIAL SCIENCES: U.S. History
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Originally published 01/24/2003
Last updated 10/13/2009
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