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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 descendants, 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, utilizing both traditional methods of research and by taking on these characters' roles in stories from the journals.

• Who were the key people involved in Lewis and Clark's trip along the Columbia River and how did they interact with each other?
• How can we learn about people through their behavior?
• How can I use the internet to find information about people?

• Students will learn about an individual from the journal stories, using on-line research.
• Students will write a biography.
• Students will role play "campfire scenes" (incidents of interest in the journal) as different characters from the Lewis and Clark story.

This activity combines individual biographical research with dramatic role play to allow students to learn about the key characters of the Lewis and Clark story. Students will do online research on a member of the Corps or an Indian with whom the Corps interacted. They will then write a short biography on this person. Finally, in groups, they will use what they have learned to take on the role of the individual in acting out a "campfire scene" for the rest of the class.

• Enough copies of the eight "campfire scenes" to allow one character for each student.
• Computer lab with internet access (another option is to have students use the library, though this is not ideal as very little information may be available about some characters).

Print out the eight "campfire scenes" and make as many copies of each as there are characters in that scene. (*If you have a smaller class, you may wish to use less than eight scenes and have fewer groups, or you may allow students to take on multiple roles)

1. Begin with a class brainstorm of the significant characters in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Write names on the board. Who is there? Who is missing? Discuss why the names on the board are those that are heard the most and remembered. How many Indian names did the class know? How much do you know about the individuals on the board? Lead the class in a discussion about how people are remembered in history. What are they judged by in the present? What inherent biases do we have when learning about these people? What are our limitations in studying them? What things are important to remember about a person; what would you want to be remembered by?
2. Break the class into eight groups according to the number of characters in each scene and pass out a "campfire scene" to each group. Ask the groups to read their scenes and assign a role to each member of the group. 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.
3. Students will then, as homework or in class, research their main characters on the internet and write a short biography on those individuals. If your students do not have experience doing on-line research, be sure to first give them a tutorial on search techniques and recognizing reputable sites. *Optional: students may also be required to sketch drawings of their characters. Only two members of the Expedition were ever photographed and, in the case of many of the Indians, even drawings do not exist. Students therefore have the freedom to depict their characters as they see them based on the descriptions they have found in their research.
4. After students have completed research and writing they will return to their groups and rehearse the scenes in their roles. You may require that each group write a script for its scene, or the skit may be more improvisational. Naturally, students will have to use their imaginations to attribute certain personality traits to their characters, depending on how much information they were able to find in their research. Encourage students to read between the lines of the journal excerpts to discover what these people were really like.
5. Groups will then present their scenes to the class. *Tip: encourage the use of costumes and props to make this more interesting and realistic.
6. End each group's skit with a brief discussion about the characters and what can be learned about them from witnessing their actions. Allow students to talk about the people they've researched and to reaffirm or challenge their peers' observations.
7. 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.