Unit 2: Our First Communities
Big Idea Activity:
What happens when different
peoples first meet?
Students should conduct an interview about changes in the lives of one group of people during Missouri’s early history. They may choose any group of people from Missouri. Encourage students to ask many questions. The questions should address what life was like before and after the changes. Have students explain why the changes occurred and how people adapted to their new environments.
Explore the Native American tribes of Missouri.
For more information about Missouri’s early history visit this site.
Discuss each of the People Who Made a Difference with students. Ask them to explain how Missouri was affected by each of these people. How would the state be different if these people had never been in Missouri?
These websites emphasize the impact these figures have had on American history and their influence in Missouri. Students will learn more about the People Who Made a Difference through discussion and activities.
Ask students what they think happens when different peoples first meet. How do the two groups affect each other? How do people change their behavior because of these new people? How does this change affect the traditions and culture of each group? How did the People Who Made a Difference adapt to the changing environment?
Writing Activity: Writing Activity
Students will write a 2 paragraph essay answering the Big Idea Question – What happens when different peoples first meet?
1. The graphic organizer will be used to list the main ideas that will be in the essay. Complete the graphic organizer as a class or have the students complete it themselves.
2. The writing activity will focus on what happens when different peoples first meet. Students should think about how these different peoples affect communities in general as well as their own community specifically.
3. Once the graphic organizer has been completed by the students individually or as a group, assign the type of essay that they will write: Descriptive, Narrative or Persuasive.
Ask students to describe the first people of Missouri. Who were they? What did they look like? During your discussion, ask students if they have seen a mound built by early Native Americans. If not, invite students to guess what the mounds look like. The Osage and other Native American groups were the first people to live in Missouri. How did life for these people change after the arrival of European settlers?
Biography: Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence and was the third President of the United States. However, Jefferson did a great deal more than that! He helped develop the western part of the United States by sending Lewis and Clark into the West. Jefferson also founded the University of Virginia. Discuss how Jefferson’s leadership helped build the United States.