ReadWriteThink: November 15, 2009: The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the Pacific Ocean in 1805.

November 15, 2009

		In 1804, at the request of Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out from St. Louis with their 33-member team to explore the American West. By mid-November of 1805, guided and aided much of the way by a young Shoshone woman named Sacagawea, they arrived at the Pacific Ocean. Their accounts, describing the American Indians they met, the wildlife they saw, and the physical environment they withstood, paved the way for the great western expansion. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress

The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the Pacific Ocean in 1805.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY

Think for a moment about how descriptive Lewis and Clark needed to be in their writings for an audience back East who had never seen, or imagined, what they were seeing. This is a wonderful opportunity to practice descriptive writing with your students.

Depending upon your school’s technology, you can have students look at Kenneth Holder’s paintings of various scenes from the Lewis and Clark trail, available at The Sierra Club site. If this is not possible, print out landscape scenes—or slides from your own vacation—that are vivid in their details. Then, ask students to write words and phrases that describe what they see, what they imagine they might hear, etc. Remind them that they are writing for an audience that has never seen these pictures before. Ask students to transform their notes into a descriptive paragraph as if they were a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Last, ask students to return to a piece that they have already written this year and revise it by adding more sensory words and phrases.

Lesson Plans

Exploring Cross-Age Tutoring Activities with Lewis and Clark
High school students use the book How We Crossed the West by Rosalyn Schanzer, along with interactive activities and websites, to explore events and collaborate to create adventure stories based on the journey of Lewis and Clark.

Looking at Landmarks: Using a Picture Book to Guide Research
This lesson uses a picture book to highlight ten major landmarks of the world and have students in grades 3–5 conduct research to find out more about them. Select a Lewis and Clark picture book to have students complete similar activities learning about the expedition.

On This Day With Lewis and Clark
Students in grades 3–5 conduct research, read historical journal entries, and role play as “experts” in the discoveries made by Lewis and Clark in the areas of geography, science, and culture.

Web Links

Lewis & Clark: Into the Unknown
This portion of the PBS website dedicated to the Lewis and Clark expedition is an interactive story where portions of the journey are recounted and students are expected to make a choice about what Lewis and Clark should do next.

On the Trail of Lewis and Clark
. . . and York
This is a short, easy-to-read article on York, William Clark’s slave, who played a vital, but underappreciated, role on the expedition.

Searching for Sacagawea
This National Geographic site tries to uncover some of the mystery surrounding this teenage Shoshone woman who acted as an interpreter and guide for the expedition.

Lewis and Clark
This site, dedicated to Lewis and Clark, includes an interactive journey log, timeline, games, and information about supplies used and discoveries made by the Corps of Discovery.

Texts

Burns, Ken. (Director). 1997. Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery. PBS Home Video.
This documentary is an amazingly well-researched and detailed account of Lewis and Clark’s historic journey.

Wolf, Alan. 2004. New Found Land: Lewis and Clark’s Voyage of Discovery. Candlewick Press.
Told in poetic verse, through the alternating voice of diverse members of the expedition, this well-researched book brings the famous expedition to life in an unusual way.

Herbert, Janis. 2003. Lewis and Clark for Kids: Their Journey of Discovery with 21 Activities. Chicago Review Press.
This book invites elementary-aged students to interact with the expedition’s history.

Adler, David. 2003. A Picture Book of Lewis and Clark. Holiday House.
This picture book explores the expedition in a format suitable for young children.