Keepers of the Story, Stewards of the Trail  SM

Icon of Lewis and Clark pointing to the west

Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation

The American Legacy: The Lewis and Clark Expedition

Curriculum and Resource Guide for Middle and Junior High Schools grades 5–9
by the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, 2001.

Cover of the American Legacy: The Lewis and Clark Expedition curriculum guide

Our curriculum is now available online in PDF format. A printed guide is available now for a small fee. Email info@lewisandclark.org or contact our office staff.

Introductory Material

  • Foreword
  • Acknowledgments
  • Contributors
  • Table of Contents
  • Introduction
  • Using This Guide
  • Content Knowledge Standards
  • Youth Achievement Award
  • Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Inc.
  • Evaluation Form
  • Setting the Scene
  • President Jefferson's Letter of Instructions
Introductory Material (PDF)

Unit 1. Language Arts

  • In Your Own Words
  • "Writing In Clover"
  • Making the Connections
  • Life is a Stage: A Play in Three Acts
  • "Reporting Live From ..."
  • Was Something Lost in the Translation?
  • Lingua Franca
  • Talking With Your Hands
  • Content Knowledge Standards
Language Arts (PDF)

Unit 2. Social Studies

  • An American Legacy
  • Consider the Source
  • Its About Time
  • Ordinary People
  • 15 Stars and 15 Stripes
  • Imagining the West
  • By Water and By Land
  • See You At the Fair
  • Two Sides of the Coin
  • Content Knowledge Standards
Social Studies (PDF)

Unit 3: Maps

  • Navigating Across the Continent
  • Reading Maps (Old and New)
  • Where Have We Been?
  • Build-A-Map
  • Content Knowledge Standards
Maps (PDF)

4. Human Behavior

  • Young Man Meets World
  • On Being Different
  • Narrow Escape
  • Crime and Punishment
  • Men In High Spirits
  • Special Days: A Play in Five Acts
  • Fun and Games
  • Content Knowledge Standards
Human Behavior (PDF)

Unit 5. Life Skills

  • Wellness and Frontier First Aid
  • Basics of Survival
    • Food
      • What's For Dinner? Please Pass the Salt
    • Clothing
      • The Shirt On My Back
      • Many Miles In My Moccasins
    • Shelter
      • Tent Shreds and Pieces
      • Three Forts
  • The Right Person for the Job
  • Content Knowledge Standards
Life Skills (PDF)

Unit 6. Native American Cultures

  • Not So Long Ago
  • Encounters With Strangers
  • Make Yourself Acquainted
  • Ask Mr./Ms. Manners
  • Games, Sports and Amusements
  • Content Knowledge Standards
Native American Cultures (PDF)

Unit 7. Visual Arts and Music

  • For Want of An Artist
  • Descriptive Words
  • Picture This ...
  • Jeffersonian Music and Dance
  • Music of the People, For the People, By the People
  • Play It Again, Pierre
  • Content Knowledge Standards
Visual Arts and Music (PDF)

8. Natural Science

  • Other Objects Worthy of Notice Soundscapes
  • Once Abundant - Now Threatened, Endangered or Extinct Well Traveled Plants
  • Gee, I'm A Tree
  • Content Knowledge Standards
Natural Science (PDF)

Appendices

All Appendices (PDF)

A. Background for the Lewis and Clark Expedition

  • The Expedition: Making Ready
  • Supply List
  • Map of Westward Route of the Expedition
  • Timeline for the Expedition
  • Map of Eastbound Route of the Expedition
  • The Expedition: Putting Away

B. People of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

  • President
  • Co-Leaders
  • Slave
  • Sergeants
  • Privates and Corporal
  • Interpreters
  • Indian Woman and Child
  • Engagés

C. States & District of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

  • Map of the Lewis and Clark Trail States
  • Eleven States of the Lewis and Clark Trail
  • Map of the Other States and District Associated With the Lewis and Clark Expedition
  • Other States and District Associated With the Lewis and Clark Expedition

D. Interdisciplinary Study and Assessment Materials

  • Puzzle
  • Questions Students Ask
  • Study Questions
  • Assessment Questions

E. Bibliography

  • General Background
  • Lewis and Clark Trail
  • Journals of the Expedition
  • People Associated With the Expedition
  • Native American Cultures Relevant to the Expedition
  • Natural History and Scientific Aspects of the Expedition
  • Works of Fiction Based on the Expedition

F. Resource List

  • Sources for Replica Items and other Resource Materials