1b. Tribes, Exploration, and Expansion (pdf)
2. Part 1 - Teacher Slides
3. Part 1 - Student Notebook
4. Lesson 5-Spokane Tribal Practices
5. Part 2 - Teacher Slides
6. Lesson 7-Early Explorer Texts
7. Lesson 9-Corps of Discovery
united_states_1803_org
WA Topographic Map Blank for Long Ago Story
Pacific Northwest: Tribes, Exploration, and Expansion
Overview
In this unit from Central Valley School District in Washington, students dive into inquiry, engaging with compelling questions to help learn about the culture of some of their tribal neighbors and the forces that brought change to the northwest: fur trade era and exploration.
The module includes detailed teaching notes for planning and executing instruction, emphasizing close reading of complex texts and specific strategies for supporting students' evidence-based reading and writing. It provides clear requirements for student work, along with summative assessments, central texts, key resources, and protocols to facilitate learning.
Introduction
Note that the emphasis here is on the Spokane Tribe as one of our closest tribal neighbors. In no way is this an exhaustive study nor should the tribal cultures be generalized to other tribes of the region. We understand that each tribe in our region and North America was and continues to be unique in its culture, practices, lifeways, and traditions.
For tips to remember when teaching about American Indians with respect, accuracy, and complexity, see these websites:
- National Museum of the Native American Indian | Smithsonian Institution
- Tips for teaching about Native peoples | Burke Museum
- Support for Indian Education and Culture | Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction – Office of Native Education
We honor teachers as professionals, and expect teachers would modify and refine the lessons to meet the needs of their students and context. This is offered as one concrete example, an invitation, and an inspiration to others to extend this and to do their own work.
Who are some of our closest tribal neighbors, and what
have been their lifeways since time immemorial?
Why do people explore, and how does this lead to expansion?
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The module will help teachers achieve two goals: To build students’ content understanding and to help students develop the content literacy skills needed for College and Career Readiness.
The unit has two parts. In each, students dive into inquiry to answer the compelling questions.
- Part 1 is focused on the examination of the northwest and some of the original inhabitants. Through these questions students will learn about the culture of some of their closest tribal neighbors, the Spokane Indians. The final project for Part 1 is a cultural investigation display, in which students will show what they know about the culture of the Spokane Tribe.
- In Part 2, Students will also learn about forces that brought change to the northwest: fur trade era and exploration. Students will ultimately learn about the Corps of Discovery and the Oregon Trail and know the impact each had on the west. Students will finish Part 2 with a timeline activity that will reflect choice and build upon student strengths according to their skill set.
Finally, a lesson on a Tribe of the Columbia Plateau is offered as an extension, but it is strongly recommended that students get to experience this lesson.
Unit Desired Results
Understandings/Big Ideas
- Native Americans have lived on this land since time immemorial and tribal stories tell the history of our region.
- The Spokane Tribe’s homeland has changed drastically over time.
- Tribes are still here and continue to thrive within their communities; we speak about tribes in the present-tense as much as possible.
- Interactions between different groups of people cause great change to the environment and cultures.
- Exploration caused irreversible change.
- Today’s tribal people not only govern themselves, but they also continue to practice their tribal traditions in many ways.
Unit Compelling Questions
- Who are some of our closest tribal neighbors and what have they valued for generations?
- How did the Spokane Tribe use their environment to meet their needs and wants?
- How do Tribal stories help us understand the history of our region?
- Why do people explore, and how does this lead to expansion?
- How did exploration and interaction affect tribes in the northwest?
- How do maps help explain the movement of people?
- What were the costs and benefits to exploration and westward expansion?
Students will:
- Identify and explain how the Spokane Tribe used the environment to meet their needs and wants.
- Connect the origin story of the Spokane Tribe to local geography and history.
- Identify the different people who explored the northwest and analyze their impact on the region.
- Engage in discussions about people, movement, exchanges, and culture.
Students will be skilled at:
- Citing text evidence
- Analyzing primary and secondary sources
- Writing expository text based on knowledge gained from reading a variety of primary and secondary sources
- Comparing and contrasting ideas and opinions
- Drawing conclusions and synthesizing multiple texts
- Supporting thinking/writing with evidence from text
- Collaboratively discussing text, thinking, analysis and evidence in a group
Lessons
The lessons are presented in two parts: 1-5 are on the Spokane Tribe; 6-10 are on westward expansion.
All lesson time suggestions are included in each lesson and are approximations, but the entire unit should take no longer than 5-6 weeks.
Part 1: Spokane Tribe
Teacher Digital Instructional Slides Student Digital Slides
- Lesson 1: Homeland ~ What is homeland?
- Lesson 2: Gallery walk ~ Images of Columbia Plateau Tribes
- Lesson 3: The Long Ago Story ~ Origin of the Spokane People, as told by Pauline Flett, Spokane Tribal Elder
- Lesson 4: Spokane Tribal Homelands
- Lesson 5: Spokane People’s Culture and Traditions
- Final product: Cultural Investigation Display (see lesson 5 for directions)
Part 2: Exploration & Westward Expansion
Digital Instructional Slides
- Lesson 6: Artifacts and the Fur Trade Era (Part 2 final product: Timeline Project is introduced. Students will gather events along the way to create a timeline that tells the “story” of exploration and westward expansion.)
- Lesson 7: Early Explorers ~ Who impacted the northwest?
- Lesson 8: Mapping the West~ Changing territory maps
- Lesson 9: Lewis and Clark ~ Who were these explorers and what did they accomplish?
- Lesson 10: Westward Expansion
- Final product: Timeline (see lesson 6 for directions)
- Lesson 11 (Extension): A River Lost
Vocabulary
Vocabulary words have been identified for each of the lessons and are listed within each lesson. Use the strategy of your choice to introduce these words to students.
Attribution and License
Written by: Leslie Heffernan, Central Valley School District
Edited, field tested, and revised by:
- Morgen Larsen, Teacher Librarian
- Stephen Hart, Teacher
- Holli Parker, Teacher
- Aleah Thompson, Teacher
- Andrea Framstad, Teacher
- Sarah Schmaltz, Teacher
- Kathryn Teske, Professional Development
- Emily Fletcher, Professional Development
- Elisa Cayce, Professional Development
In addition to material created by the authors, this unit includes instructional materials adapted from other sources. Links are provided to content produced by other organizations which may use a different license. Please confirm the license status of these third-party resources and understand their terms of use before reusing them. Links to third-party websites are provided for your convenience only and do not constitute Central Valley School District’s endorsement, sponsorship, warranty or approval of such linked websites or any product, service or content offered on such linked websites. Alternate material licenses with different levels of user permission are clearly indicated here and above/next to the specific content in the unit.
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