Last updated: January 14, 2024
Lesson Plan
A Tale of Two Men
- Grade Level:
- Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
- Subject:
- Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 90 Minutes
- State Standards:
- RI.4.1; RI.4.4; RI.4.7; RI.4.9; RI.4.10; W.4.1b; W.4.4; W.4.7; W.4.8; W.4.9; W.4.10; L.4.1; L.4.2; L.4.3; L.4.4; L.4.5; L.4.6
Essential Question
What is the difference between observation and inference?
Objective
Utilizing the strategy of compare and contrast, students will obtain the skills necessary to identify the differences between observation and inference. They will use these skills to analyze two figures in North Dakota history: Theodore Roosevelt and the Marquis de Mores.
Background
Theodore Roosevelt and the Marquis de Mores were born in 1858, and both came to the Dakota Territory in 1883. Roosevelt was a young politician from a wealthy, philanthropic family in New York City. The Marquis was a French aristocrat with an entrepreneurial spirit. They would both have homes built in the Badlands, and both would try (and fail) at the boom-business of ranching. Today, their legacy is preserved in the town of Medora and the national park just north of the town.
Preparation
Please see Lesson Plan for materials list.
Materials
Supplemental Photos
Lesson Plan
Procedure
Click the "Download Lesson Plan" link at the top of the webpage and follow the procedures detailed within.
You will need to make copies of the provided photos, worksheets and prompts. The photos and prompts should be cut and separated before the activity as hand-out materials for your students.
Vocabulary
biography; entrepreneur; compare and contrast; observation and inference; conservation ethic
Assessment Materials
The PDF provides several evaluation questions that will require your students to think critically about the information they learned during the activity.
Enrichment Activities
Consider taking a field trip to one or both sites. You can also reference the state website about the Marquis, or use the park website to learn more about Theodore Roosevelt.
You can also take a virtual tour of the Maltese Cross Cabin, where Theodore Roosevelt lived as a rancher in the Dakota Territory during the 1880s.
Additional Resources
The Chateau de Mores, a North Dakota State Historical Site, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park, are adjacent to one another near the town of Medora. The two men which these sites memorialize are frequently discussed as part of North Dakota social studies/history lessons. Now your students can learn about both men through one simple lesson!
This activity focuses on the two men. The buildings which they lived in can be visited today at their respective sites. In lieu of using photos of the two men, you can use photos of their homes in North Dakota to compare and contrast. This file also contains full-page images of Roosevelt and the Marquis.
Supplemental images for Tale of Two Men