Social Studies Lesson Plan: Lewis & Clark Picture Book

Grade Level: 5-8

Illinois Standards:

This book follows the Lewis and Clark expedition from start to finish. Each chapter covers the more important sections of their journey. At the end, the book discusses the historical impact of the journey as well as how it shaped the country. Since this book is narrative in nature there is no real theme addressed by the book. It is predominantly based on the journals Lewis and Clark kept during their journey across the country.

This book would be best used to better understand the journey of Lewis and Clark and how important it was to the expansion of the United States. Textbooks do not really go into the level of detail that helps you truly understand what the Corps of Discovery went through on its journey.

Seeing that Lewis and Clark did not bring an artist along on their journey, and the sketches they provided were seldom of any artistic value, the illustrations in this book are an outstanding feature. As colorful as the journal entries were, the illustrations really give you a solid idea of what the scenery and encounters were like. In addition, there are numerous enclosures that can be physically taken out of the book to look at. These enclosures are copies of maps, letters and journal entries. One standout illustration is on page 18 and depicts the Corps sharing a ceremonial peace pipe with some unidentified Indians. While a few of the Corps share the pipe with the Indians, the rest of the Corps can be seen in the background, carefully observing this encounter. This is important to the book because it helps illustrate how important the Indians were to the success of this expedition. Many of the meetings with the Indians, specifically the Sioux, teetered on the edge of open hostility. This picture also helps to illustrate a lot of the tension that occurred during these meetings. Even though this is a peace ceremony, nobody in the picture looks terribly relaxed. Until I really started studying the expedition, I never truly realized how crucial interactions with the Indians were nor how often things came close to becoming really ugly.

Questions for Discussion:

1) Why was successful interaction with the Indians so crucial to the expedition?

2) What do the pictures in the book tell you about the journey?

3) What do you think would be the hardest part of the journey? Why?

Follow-up Activity:

Have the students write a Lewis & Clark style journal. The journal would cover major events in the expedition as well as mention the hardships endured. Students would also put their own sketches of animals and geography they might have seen along the journey.