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Download the PDFs required for this lesson plan Campfire Scenes

Much has been written about the Lewis and Clark Expedition and about Lewis and Clark themselves. However, relatively little is known about many of the other members of the Corps, and knowledge is particularly scarce about the Indian people they met along the way. The captains often took time to sketch maps of the rivers they crossed and vegetation they encountered, though the native people whom they mention in their journals were rarely depicted visually. Because these people did not leave written works behind, we are somewhat limited in learning about them. The greatest teachers we have, then, besides their own descendents, are the stories about them in Lewis and Clark's journals.

In this lesson, students will explore the way that people are remembered, or not remembered, throughout history. They will also have the opportunity to learn about key characters from the Lewis and Clark story by taking on these characters' roles in stories from the journals.

• How did Lewis and Clark and the native people interact?
• What kinds of interactions did they have? Why?
• Who were the key people involved in the Lewis and Clark Expedition? Which of those have been well remembered, which have been somewhat forgotten and why?

• Students will collect background information about an individual that played some role in the Lewis and Clark story.
• Students will create and perform a skit of an encounter between key people during the Expedition.
• Students will add entries to their personal Lewis and Clark journal.

In this lesson we have provided you with eight situations in which people of the Expedition interacted with native people. Our information is compiled from journal entries. Each of the scenarios depicts interesting interactions between key people involved with the Expedition. After studying these actual situations students will study one of the individuals involved and prepare to act out that individual's role based on what they have learned.

• Enough copies of the eight Campfire Scenes to allow one character for each student. If you have a smaller class you may choose to use less than eight scenes or allow students to take more than one role.
• Optional: printed copies of In Their Words- Description of Chiefs and/or computer lab to allow students to research their characters.

1. Print out enough copies of each of the Campfire Scenes and staple them together.
2. Read the scenes and divide your class into role play groups based on the suggested character list in each scene.
3. Some information about the Chiefs in these stories is available in "In Their Words" - "Description of Chiefs" and can be printed to provide that resource or you can make the website available to students.
4. Students should have their Lewis and Clark journals available. They will write about their characters during the preparation time, before presenting their skits.

1. Select groups according to the number of characters in each scene and pass out the scenes.
2. In their groups, have students read the scene to begin to understand the situation. Students may have difficulty with Lewis and Clark's use of language and need help with reading and comprehension. Tell them that the goal will be for each student to become one of the characters and act out that character's role in the given scenario.
3. Using a method that works for you, match students with a character to be studied and eventually be played in a skit. Some characters are not clearly identified, as Lewis and Clark did not refer to them specifically by name. These may be "extra" roles that students will take on in addition to their main role. Students with such characters may elaborate as they wish, imagining who these people were from the information given in the scenario. Students with a general role such as "member of the Corps" may choose a member whom they would like to study and play.
4. Focus student study by making it clear that they will have to read-between-the-lines to act as their character would have acted. Ask students why we know more about some scenario characters than others. Does this mean they are more/less important? Be sure to guide students to the realization that we know more about Expedition members because they kept written journals.
5. Brainstorm and create a class list of what is really important to know about when we portray our characters. Make the T-Chart headed with Factual Details and Interpretive Details. Prompt them to describe the kinds of things important to keeping the scenario as accurate as possible.
6. Ask students to use their journals to describe their character using the brainstormed ideas and what they know from reading the scene to guide them. Support for those with characters who were Chiefs may be found in "In Their Words" - "Descriptions of Chiefs." Information on other characters may be found on-line (See Website Referrals), but this activity is primarily an exercise in learning about people through their behavior, so you may choose to make the Campfire Scenes the only resource.
7. After students have had enough time to study their characters assemble them in their scenario groups and decide if you want them to create a script or just practice and perform.
8. Have each student introduce his/her character prior to the skit so the class can be more aware of the situation. There will probably be several people who study the same character. This is a great opportunity to point out the way people interpret information and to cross check facts.
9. Proceed with practice sessions until the class is ready to present their skits to the rest of the group. There is a lot of leeway here to make this as elaborate or simple as you wish. Be sure to focus on accuracy to the scenario as well as the times. Present scenarios and be sure to debrief each one paying close attention to how the characters interacted.
10. This activity provides a wonderful opportunity to examine historiography. How does anyone know the details of what actually happened in history? How is a fact a fact? Interpretation plays a significant role and students can keenly understand this after being involved in these types of role plays.