THE CORPS OF DISCOVERY AS A COMMUNITY
CONNECTION TO LEWIS AND CLARK
When Lewis and Clark enlisted the members of the Corps of Discovery,
they were, in a sense, creating a community. Although they probably
did not think of it that way, they knew their very lives depended
upon selecting the right crew to make the dangerous journey with
them.
OVERVIEW
Based on the foregoing lesson plan, students work in small groups
to analyze the Corps of Discovery as a community. They present the
results of their research through various artistic projects.
PURPOSE(S)
To present the Corps of Discovery as a community similar in many
respects to those in which the students live; to demonstrate how
the Corps of Discovery fulfilled the basic requirements for a community;
to acquaint students with the expedition journals and other sources
about the Lewis and Clark Expedition; to promote the use of diagrams
to simplify and enhance understanding of abstract ideas.
MATERIALS/TOOLS
- Copies of worksheets: THE CORPS
OF DISCOVERY AS A COMMUNITY (See number 2 below)
- Drawing paper, paints, markers and other craft tools.
- Five cardboard boxes of uniform size.
- Strip of poster board on which to paint a sign (size depending
upon the size of boxes used.)
ADVANCE PREPARATION
- Divide the class into five groups as nearly equal in number
as possible.
- Ask for two or three volunteers to make a sign later in the
activity.
- Download copies of THE CORPS OF DISCOVERY AS A COMMUNITY. (There
are five different sheets labeled E-I,
E-II, E-III,
E-IV, and E-V.
Make copies of each sheet according to the number of students
in each of the groups. For example, one group will study how discipline
was maintained on the expedition. Give each member of that group
a copy of that particular worksheet, and so on.
IMPLEMENTATION
Introduction
"Now that we have studied the building blocks of communities,
we can apply our knowledge to a special community--the Lewis and
Clark expedition, or Corps of Discovery as it is also known. The
Corps of Discovery differed from most communities in that it did
not stay in one place. Nevertheless, it still had the components
of a community. Our goal, then, is to find out how the Corps functioned
as a community.
To do that, each group will conduct research on one of the five
community building blocks we studied earlier. (Hand out the worksheets
and go over the instructions on them with the class. To avoid duplication,
have group members divide the research tasks as suggested on the
worksheets. After an allotted time, groups reconvene to share what
they have learned and to prepare for their class presentation.)
PRESENTATION
Community Building Blocks
You will need five boxes of the same size. (Ask the office staff
to save boxes for you. Copy-paper boxes will work very well.) The
boxes represent the community building blocks studied earlier. Each
group decorates the sides of its box with the drawings and other
art forms they created (see worksheets). Three-dimensional projects
may be placed inside the box for display later. Allow individual
group members to work together on projects if they choose.
Each group then presents its findings to the class. Members tell
what they learned and demonstrate what they created, such as reading
their poems, singing their songs, displaying their art work and
models. When each group finishes its presentation, members place
their box on a table. When all five boxes have been stacked together,
the volunteers who made the sign place it on top of the boxes. To
make the presentation a gala event, invite other classes, parents,
and friends.
Other Suggestions
- This Building Block activity may easily be adapted to the study
of American Indian communities encountered by the Corps of Discovery.
The variations in native cultures lends itself to interesting
art and craft projects and fosters appreciation for the rich variety
of American Indian lifestyles.
- The building blocks concept may also be used to investigate
students' own communities.
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