CREATING A COMMUNITY
THEME
On the whole, people are social beings who want--and
need--to be around other people, at least most of the time. This is
probably why stories about castaways on desert islands are always
popular--from Robinson Crusoe (an eighteenth century novel by Daniel
Defoe) to Cast Away (a twenty-first century movie starring Tom Hanks.)
Such stories make us wonder if we would be able to survive under similar
circumstances. Other popular tales (such as The Swiss Family Robinson)
describe how small groups stranded in isolated places try to recreate
communities.
By examining such cases, students brainstorm about what it takes to
create a community from scratch. Based on these background discussions,
students participate in a follow-up activity in which they apply what
they have learned to Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery.
GOALS
- To examine the significance of community in the lives of individuals.
- To isolate the basic human needs that underlie all communities,
large and small.
- To supply students with "tools" for studying different
kinds of communities.
OBJECTIVES:
When the lesson is completed, students will be able to:
- Explain how the Corps of Discovery was a community even though
it wasn't located in one place.
- Draw a diagram depicting the basic necessities of all communities.
ADVANCE PREPARATIONS
Preview the contents and teaching aids for this unit by clicking
on the following capitalized titles: The INTRODUCTION
provides an overview of the unit's contents and organization. In
the Lesson Plan (CREATING A COMMUNITY) students analyze what it
takes to create a well-functioning community. A follow-up activity
(THE CORPS OF DISCOVERY AS A COMMUNITY)
provides an opportunity for students to analyze the Corps of Discovery
in terms of a community. Be sure to look over the supplemental materials.
To refresh your recollections of the Lewis and Clark Expedition,
CLICK HERE for
a summary of the entire expedition. The GLOSSARY
AND PRONUNCIATION GUIDE provides assistance with names and terms
associated with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Finally, the EDUCATIONAL
STANDARDS AND MULTIPLE-INTELLIGENCES CHARTS E, F, G contain
educational standards and multiple-intelligences goals fulfilled
by this unit.
IMPLEMENTATION
(Begin the lesson by writing the word HERMIT on the board.) "Can
anyone tell me what this word means?" (Let students discuss
the meaning. Conclude that hermits are people who prefer to live
in solitude away from other people. In fact, the word hermit comes
from Greek and Latin words meaning "desert" or "a
desolate place." The reasons for becoming a hermit are varied.
Many hermits withdraw for religious reasons, but others simply don't
care to socialize with other people.)
"There are not many hermits in the world. Most people want--and
need--to live in families and communities. They want to have friends
and to work and play with others. In fact, the need to be with others
is so strong, stories about people who become isolated from others
for one reason or another fascinate us. Do you know any stories
of that kind? (Robinson Crusoe is a likely response. For a refresher
about the plot of Defoe's novel, click on www.kirjasto.sci.fi/defoe.htm.
Another possible response is a recent film, Cast Away, in which
Tom Hanks plays a man whose plane crashes on an unoccupied island
in the Pacific Ocean.
A nonfiction example is Alone, a book written by Admiral Richard
E. Byrd in which he describes his solo scientific studies in Antarctica.
A juvenile version of Byrd's exploits is told by Robert Burleigh
in Black Whiteness: Admiral Byrd Alone in the Antarctic.)
"Another kind of separation story is about small groups of
people who become isolated. An example is The Swiss Family Robinson,
a famous children's book written by Johann Wyss in 1813. The
book was made into a movie by the Disney Studios. Perhaps you have
seen it. The plot is about a shipwrecked family that struggles to
survive in a new environment. (Ask students for other examples
from books, movies, and television. Doubtless someone will mention
Gilligan's Island, which is still being rerun on television. Although
the program is a comedy with outlandish situations, it nevertheless
illustrates the point being made--the creation of a community. For
a Gilligan refresher, click on http://alt.tnt.tv/series/gilligan/main.html.)
Brainstorming
"Everyone in this room was born in community of some kind,
so we seldom, if ever, think of what it would take to create a new
community. Today, let's do just that. First, we'll break-up into
small groups. When you meet with your group, take a blank piece
of paper and a pencil with you." (Divide the class into
five groups as nearly equal in number as possible. After the groups
are established, continue.) "Here is your task. Imagine
that you and your group are traveling on an airplane over the Pacific
Ocean. There are about fifty men, women, and children on board the
plane besides your own group and the crew.
The airplane suddenly develops a mechanical problem, but the pilot
is able to make an emergency landing on an isolated island. The
good news is-no one is seriously injured, although there are a quite
a few bumps and bruises. The bad news is--the radio was smashed,
so you may be there for a while before being rescued. To survive,
you must all get together and create an entirely new community.
What will it take to do that? Are there things you now take for
granted that you could get along without? In other words, what are
the bare essentials for creating a community?
"To help organize your thoughts, try using a learning web.
First, draw a circle in the center of your paper. Write NEW COMMUNITY
across it. Next, draw arrows extending outward from the circle to
other circles. Inside those circles write everything you think is
necessary to form a new community. Add as many circles as you need.
You can also express related ideas by creating sub-circles branching
off the main circles. (See Figure 1 below.) Work together in your
groups. There is no right or wrong in this exercise. Share your
ideas and when everyone is finished, we will compare ideas as a
class."
(Give students a few minutes to complete their webs. Then draw
a web on the chalkboard and have students supply the data from their
own webs. There will likely be a mixture of suggestions such as
food, water, shelter, clothing, tools, rules for behavior, ways
to keep up morale, etc.
"Our web is beginning to look rather complicated. Some of
these ideas can be grouped together, and perhaps some can be eliminated.
Remember, we are looking for the bare essentials. Let's simplify
our task by creating another diagram. Generally speaking, basic
community needs fall into five major categories. In this case, we
will call them building blocks. (Draw a large rectangle on the
chalkboard.) In our community web many of you mentioned the
need for leaders and rules--in other words, ways to get organized,
maintain order, and make people feel safe. Let's label our first
building block "GOVERNMENT." (Encourage students to
help sum up each building block according to the suggestions in
Figure 2 below.)
CONCLUSION
The Corps of Discovery as a Community
What does this have to do with Lewis and Clark? Before the two captains
started on their expedition, they had to hire a crew to go with
them. In a sense, they were actually creating a community--just
as our imaginary plane-wrecked people did. History tells us The
Corps of Discovery did a pretty good job of it, because they reached
their goal of going all the way to the Pacific Ocean and back. Our
goal now is to find out how they did it--how they managed to become
a close-knit community under very difficult circumstances.
FOLLOW-UP
To access the follow-up activity, click on THE
CORPS OF DISCOVERY AS A COMMUNITY.
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