Materials

• Class textbook
• Map of the Lewis and Clark expedition

Instructional Activities

1. Display the following prompt on the board or overhead:
   
   Who were more courageous — the astronauts who went to the moon or the members of the Lewis and Clark expedition? Explain you answer.
   
   After students have had a few minutes to write about this, let them share their responses with each other in pairs and then share with the whole class.
   
   
2. Display a map of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and instruct students to use the key on the map, as well as other resources, to answer the following questions:
   • How many miles did Lewis and Clark travel on their journey west from St. Louis? (approximately 8,000 miles)
   • How many current and future states did they travel through on their trip? (9: Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington)
   • What rivers did they use to make their trip? (Missouri, Snake, Columbia, and Yellowstone)
   • What mountain ranges did they cross? (the Rocky Mountains [Bitterroot Range] and the Cascade Mountains)
   
   
3. What did they hope to find as a result of this journey? (a water route to the Pacific) Were they successful? (No)
   
   
4. Lewis and Clark discovered many natural resources on this trip. How did these discoveries shape the future development of the United States? (Farmland on the Great Plains led to the economic development of this region and stimulated immigration from Europe. Gold in the Black Hills of South Dakota led to a gold rush and the movement of Indians onto reservations in the 1870s. Silver in the Rockies led to the “free silver” movement of the populists.)
   
   
5. Assign a teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other reinforcement activity, using available resources.