Teacher's Guide for APPLESEEDS On the Trail with Lewis and Clark

Vocabulary

grueling * expedition * interpreter * Revolutionary War * Louisiana Purchase * geography

Comprehension Questions:

1. Why did it take twenty years for Mr. Jefferson's expedition to begin?
2. What would make someone decide not to be an explorer?
3. What helped Mr. Jefferson get his plan to work?
4. President Jefferson had many goals for the expedition. Name three you think were the most important.
5. Which goals were met?
6. Which goals were not met?

Language and Writing Extension:

Choose one of the explorers mentioned on page 2. Write a journal entry for that explorer describing how they faced one of the dangers listed on page 5.

Vocabulary

tribes * ceremonial * council * village * Fort Mandan * Fort Clatsop * Sacagawea * Chief Coboway

Help When Needed

The Lewis and Clark expedition could not have survived without the assistance of the Native American people. Have students search the article and create a list of all the ways the different tribes helped them on their journey.

Research Extension

Have students divide into five groups to gather more information about one of the five American Indian tribes described in the article. A helpful website is Lewis and Clark: Native Americans at www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/index.html. After researching, each group chooses how to share their research with the class. Choices might include making a booklet, poster, mural, diorama, or Power Point presentation. Other groups might want to share information through a historical fiction story or writing and acting out a skit.

Using Maps

Give students copies of maps of the United States. Have them trace the route of Lewis and Clark on their own maps as shown in the graphics. A sense of geography will be reinforced when the route is retraced. Ask students to color and identify major land and water features. As an extra extension, groups of students might like to create a salt relief map of the United States. Signs glued to toothpicks can be added to pinpoint and label important stages in the expedition, as indicated in the timeline.

Journal Making Activity 1

Dip paper in tea to stain it the color of parchment. Have students use dip pens or sharpened 1/4 inch dowels. Students choose a one of the passages found in the article or web site to copy on their parchment. They might also illustrate their entry as shown in the article. The pages can then be sewed together in a book, covered with suede or leather.

Journal Making Activity 2

Students enjoy creating a journal for a make-believe journey. Before writing, have students choose two or three characters who are to take the journey. (They can do this in groups so their journals relate to one another.) Next, have students decide on reasons why their characters want to go on a journey and where they will be traveling. Pass out maps to help children plan their adventure. Have students begin a journal for one of their characters.

Each day students will add another day of travel and adventure to their journal. Have them describe the hardships and successes along the way. Keep the journals going as long as there is interest, or for five entries. End the journals with students writing about their character's arrival. Be sure to have students include their character's feelings at the end of the trip.

Vocabulary

interpreter * Shoshone * plains * moccasins * tanned * Rocky Mountains * starvation * approximately

Design a Poster

Students design a poster honoring Sacagawea and her bravery. Using the article and additional books for facts, students use the information they think will best portray Sacagawea's personality traits. Students share their poster, explaining why they chose the various words, symbols, and pictures.

Vocabulary

legendary * impressed * estimated * astonished * pursuit * threatened

Real Math

Use the estimated weight of 600 pounds to figure how many students it would take to weigh the same as a grizzly. Have students help draw a bear on a nine-foot piece of paper. Other grizzly bear facts could also be searched and used in comparison to human traits.

Vocabulary

Mississippi River * Gulf of Mexico * territory * flatboats * New Orleans * emperor * treaty * Louisiana Territory

Land for Sale Advertisement

Students use maps and books to describe the important and prominent features included in the land acquired in the Louisiana Purchase. The advertisement should include the price and a map of the land for sale.

Vocabulary

sextant * chronometer * portable soup * antibiotics * emperor * treaty * Louisiana Territory

Packing Now and Then

Divide students in groups of two or three. Give each group two pictures of a large empty backpack. Have students draw pictures of important supplies mentioned in the article in one backpack. Next, have students discuss which items from Lewis and Clark's backpack they think are important to include in a modern explorer's backpack. Have students draw these items on the second pack. Students should then brainstorm to decide what else should be included in the present-day pack. Students might like to extend the activity by contacting a modern day explorer to find out what supplies are needed.

Making a Wanted Poster for a Modern Day Exploration

Have student search Web sites or books for modern day explorations. They might choose explorations of space, oceans, rainforests, or deserts. Have students decide which of the requirements on the Lewis and Clark wanted poster would apply to the modern day requirements for exploring. Have students design and make their own wanted poster for a modern exploration using the same format as the Lewis and Clark poster. They will need to list who, what, where, when, and why. They will also need to describe the qualifications job applicants will need to join the expedition.

Vocabulary

trekking * servant * slave * firearm * descent * fascinating * cholera * honorary sergeant

Comprehension Questions:

1. What rights did York have as a member of the expedition, that he did not have before?
2. In what ways did York contribute to the expedition?
3. How was York treated when the expedition was over?
4. How was York finally honored?
5. What do you think should have been done to honor York after the expedition?

Design a Medal

Have students design a medal for Seaman showing his bravery.

Vocabulary

navigation * devoted * zoology * botany * geology * naturalist * catalog

Animal Mobile

Cut out cardboard circles. On one side students will draw pictures of the animals shown in the article. On the other side students will write facts about each animal pictured. Punch holes in each circle and tie with pieces of yarn to a small stick. Balance the circles to create a mobile.

Winter Survival Discussion

Ask students what is necessary to survive winter conditions. Make a web showing needs grouped into the basic categories of food, water, and shelter. Have students choose one of these basic needs. Ask them to read the article for information about what the explorers did to meet this basic survival need. Discuss.

Together, list the problems the explorers solved in order to survive the winter. List the skills the explorers needed to survive the winter. Ask students to think about which problems were the most difficult to solve. What skills did the explorers have that were the most valuable?

Vocabulary

Corps of Discovery * bicentennial * honored * U.S. Mint * commemorate * archeologist * reenactments * virtual * park

Comprehension Questions:

1. Why will people celebrate the Lewis and Clark expedition this year?
2. Who did the U.S. Mint honor on a coin in 1998?
3. Who helped the Mint decide on the final design?
4. Why does the National Historic Trail follow a slightly different route from the original trail?
5. What is Ken Karsmizki trying to find out?
6. Why is he interested in sites of outhouses?
7. What kinds of events are being planned for the bicentennial?
8. Look up the two web sites in the article and write down three interesting things you learn about the Lewis and Clark expedition or bicentennial events.

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Updated: 11/21/08 11:03 am
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