LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Lewis and Clark: Native American Contributions

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/15/g68/
contributions.html

A lesson plan for Grade 5 and 8 Information Skills, English Language Arts, and Social Studies

Provider: National Geographic

About this resource

Appropriate grades
5 and 8
Subjects
social studies (American Indians, geography, United States history)
Provider
National Geographic

Legal

Creative Commons License

This catalog record is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License. This license applies to the content of this page only and does not apply to the referenced website.

In this lesson from Xpeditions, students will learn about specific instances in which Native Americans helped the Lewis and Clark expedition overcome obstacles. The expedition faced many difficult challenges, due primarily to the group's lack of knowledge about the geography of the area through which they traveled. In large measure, the expedition succeeded because Native Americans generously shared their knowledge and resources. This lesson can be conducted before watching the large-format film Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West.

Students will:

  • use the geographic inquiry process
  • analyze data to locate important events and places
  • describe how people adapt to their environment
  • identify how Native Americans contributed to the Lewis and Clark Expedition

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Information Skills (2000)

Grade 5

  • Goal 3: The learner will RELATE ideas and information to life experiences.
    • Objective 3.02: Collect and compare information about diverse cultures, environments, and peoples.
    • Objective 3.05: Describe how information and ideas are influenced by prior knowledge, personal experience, and social, cultural, political, economic, and historical events.
  • Goal 4: The learner will EXPLORE and USE research processes to meet information needs.
    • Objective 4.01: Identify information needs and formulate questions about those needs.

Grade 8

  • Goal 3: The learner will RELATE ideas and information to life experiences.
    • Objective 3.02: Collect and compare information about diverse cultures, environments, and peoples.
    • Objective 3.05: Describe how information and ideas are influenced by prior knowledge, personal experience, and social, cultural, political, economic, and historical events.
  • Goal 4: The learner will EXPLORE and USE research processes to meet information needs.
    • Objective 4.01: Identify information needs and formulate questions about those needs.

Social Studies (2003)

Grade 5

  • Goal 1: The learner will apply key geographic concepts to the United States and other countries of North America.
    • Objective 1.01: Describe the absolute and relative location of major landforms, bodies of water,and natural resources in the United States and other countries of North America.
  • Goal 3: The learner will examine the roles various ethnic groups have played in the development of the United States and its neighboring countries.
    • Objective 3.01: Locate and describe people of diverse ethnic and religious cultures, past and present, in the United States.
    • Objective 3.02: Examine how changes in the movement of people, goods, and ideas have affected ways of living in the United States.
  • Goal 4: The learner will trace key developments in United States history and describe their impact on the land and people of the nation and its neighboring countries.
    • Objective 4.02: Explain when, where, why, and how groups of people settled in different regions of the United States.
    • Objective 4.03: Describe the contributions of people of diverse cultures throughout the history of the United States.

Grade 8

  • Goal 1: The learner will analyze important geographic, political, economic, and social aspects of life in the region prior to the Revolutionary Period.
    • Objective 1.03: Compare and contrast the relative importance of differing economic, geographic, religious, and political motives for European exploration.
    • Objective 1.05: Describe the factors that led to the founding and settlement of the American colonies including religious persecution, economic opportunity, adventure, and forced migration.

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 5

  • Goal 3: The learner will make connections through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology.
    • Objective 3.02: Make connections between texts by recognizing similarities and differences based on a common lesson, theme, or message.
    • Objective 3.03: Justify evaluation of characters and events from different selections by citing supporting evidence in the text(s).

Grade 8

  • Goal 1: The learner will use language to express individual perspectives through analysis of personal, social, cultural, and historical issues.
    • Objective 1.03: Interact in group activities and/or seminars in which the student:
      • shares personal reactions to questions raised.
      • gives reasons and cites examples from text in support of expressed opinions.
      • clarifies, illustrates, or expands on a response when asked to do so, and asks classmates for similar expansion.
    • Objective 1.04: Reflect on learning experiences by:
      • evaluating how personal perspectives are influenced by society, cultural differences, and historical issues.
      • appraising changes in self throughout the learning process.
      • evaluating personal circumstances and background that shape interaction with text.