Fourth Grade Lewis and Clark

This week marks the beginning of our unit on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  Many of the lessons will be in class, but each child will also have an individual assignment.  I will give as much time in class as I can to work on them, but THERE will be work to be done at home.  We will be taking a field trip to the Lewis and Clark Historic Site in Hartford, IL on April 25.

Below is a copy of the assignment sheet and tasks the children were given Tuesday, February 14.  For each of the tasks there is a specific assignment sheet that will be given to the children once they make their decision.  Decisions must be made by February 28 and can not change after March 6. All individual projects will be due March 27.  We will begin presentations that day.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition – Corps of Discovery

Each student will complete the activities listed below to extend your understanding of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  This will require research and work outside of our scheduled GATE time.  You should make use of the Internet sources listed below and posted on the Flynn GATE Blog.  You can also go to the University City Library to find additional books on your specific topic.  Books in the classroom must stay in the classroom.

•  You will take a pre-test and post-test on the Expedition. 
•  Along with the members of the group you are assigned, you will research a series of events, put them in order and then create an illustrated timeline of the events.  Everyone in the group is to assist in locating the date of the events using any resource available in the classroom. 
•  You will be assigned a dilemma to research and discover the real solution as described in the journals and other resources. Your dilemma number is ___________________________ 
•  You will act as in Interpreter for one of the Native American Tribes encountered by the Corps.  Choose a tribe and complete the research as describe on the Interpreter handout.  Get your index card from Mrs. Lecours when you are ready to prepare your final product. 
•  You will choose one task from the list of Task Descriptions attached.    Task  _______________ 
• You will make an oral presentation to the class using one of the tasks from #5 as your source.

Below is a short list of Lewis and Clark Internet resources.  There are hundreds of sites on the expedition.  You are not limited to these sites, but be careful when doing general searches on the web, many sites are for adults and may be too difficult to understand.  Please let me know if you have trouble with the links. I have tested them and as of this post they are working.

PBS: http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/index.html

Scholastic: Slow to load http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/lewis_clark/#

National Geographic:
      Kid Friendly   http://www.nationalgeographic.com/west/

      Adult Version  http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/

Interactive Movie: http://www.kidsknowit.com/interactive-educational-movies/free-online-movies.php?movie=lewis%20and%20clark

Smithsonian: http://www.edgate.com/lewisandclark/

Lewis and Clark Task Descriptions

Use the handout to guide your project, but be sure to come back here for the final assignment; some have been changed from the handout.

Sign Language – Learn why sign language was so important to the Expedition.  Write a report for Mrs. Lecours.  Learn 10 words related to the expedition and teach them to the class.

Speech to Congress – Research Jefferson’s reasons for wanting the Expedition.  Write and present a speech to request the money needed for the Expedition.

Equipment for the Expedition – Research and write about the equipment needed for the Expedition.

Poem – Create an original poem about the expedition.

Biography – Research and write about a member of the Corps of Discovery.

Louisiana Purchase – Research the history of the Louisiana Purchase. Write a newspaper article either in support or against the purchase of this land.

Plants & Animals – Research one of the NEW plants or animals discovered by the Expedition.  Present a report and picture (original) to the class.

Fort Mandan & Fort Clatsop – Research one of the forts. Write a report and build a model of the fort.

Animal Skin – Write a story on “animal skin” then translate it for your classmates. 

Native American Tribe Map – Research the Native American tribes that helped the Expedition.  Create a map to show your classmates where they lived at the time of Lewis and Clark’s trip.

1803 US Map – Research the states and territories of the United States at the beginning and end of the Expedition.  Create maps to show the changes.