Lesson Plan

On This Day With Lewis and Clark

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

Walk in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark as they discover the wonders, beauty, and dangers of the American frontier. After gaining background knowledge about Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase, young explorers use primary sources and maps to trace Lewis and Clark’s journey, discover the hazards faced by the explorers, and detail some of their discoveries. Activities and extension ideas are also included in the resource.

191 Views 220 Downloads
Instructional Ideas
  • Incorporate a mapping activity to give the class the opportunity to work with different variations of maps
  • Extend the activity by doing a role-play with the class acting as Lewis and Clark on their own expedition
  • Show a clip from the PBS documentary of Lewis and Clark leading up to the first activity
Classroom Considerations
  • Limit group sizes to no more than three 
Pros
  • Teacher's guide contains printable maps
  • Print out PDF diary entries and distribute to students
  • Activities are specific and easy to set up
Cons
  • None