LESSON PLANS


The Trail Today
Submitted by: Christine McCoid
Lesson Overview
Concept In this lesson, students will look at towns along the Lewis and Clark Trail today, and compare the towns in the years 1800, 1900, and 2000.
Performance Objectives Students will be able to:
1. Locate towns on the Lewis and Clark Trail.
2. Use research skills.
3. Compare and contrast America in 1804, 1900, 2000.
4. Use oral presentation skills.
Materials 1. Research materials, Lewis and Clark trail maps, especially the Library of Congress Map Collections 1544-1999
2. Computers, word processing software, Internet Web browser, e-mail software
Procedures

1.  As a class, access the Library of Congress Map Collections  to view the Lewis and Clark Expedition map from the Library of Congress.  Take some time to show the class how to use the zoom capability and navigate the map.

2.  Have student groups work together to study the map (and other maps available) to find the names of some towns along the trail. 

3.  Have students access Lewis and Clark Trail Web site  for a listing of towns along the trail and links to their present heritage centers.

4.  Once the towns have been named, begin researching them in small groups.  Have students attempt to find out facts about the towns from 1800 (or 1804), 1900 (or around the turn of the century), and present day.  This can be found using Internet searches, encyclopedias, or contacting the towns' heritage centers.  For example, "Canoe Camp" and "Canoe River" are sites on the Library of Congress map.  The river was traveled by the Corps of Discovery and was used for Native American transportation.  By searching Canoe River on the Internet, you can discover that the Canoe River is still actively used, but primarily for sport and entertainment, rather than trade and transportation.

5.  Have small groups present their information in chart form, comparing the towns in 1800, 1900, and 2000.  Groups should then orally present their charts to the class, focusing on presenting the similarities and differences they discovered.

Teacher Notes Refer to content in the "Filling the Empty Space" article.
Student Assessment Tools Oral presentation, written assignment

Students will be assessed on:
1. Group work and class participation.
2. Complete, accurate, detailed research.
3. Complete, accurate research chart and oral presentation.

Related Web Sites Lewis and Clark Expedition Map:  Library of Congress map from the expedition. Has zoom capability.

The Lewis and Clark Trail:  Information about the towns along the trail and links to their heritage centers.

© 1999, 2000 by EdGate.com, Inc. All rights reserved.