Corps of Discovery and Blackfeet Encounter

This summer I had the good fortune to be a part of the Laurel Montana Writing Project, one of the other members, Kari Leibel, did a great lesson on point of view. She used the Lewis and Clark Journals "July 3 - August 12, 1806" and the DVD "Two Worlds at Two Medicine" by Curly Bear Wagner and Dennis Neary (Available from Going-to-the-Sun).

We examined what the journals said and watched clips from the video narrated by tribal elders discussing the tribal experience with Lewis and Clark. This allowed the students to grapple with interpretive problems helping the class develop the process of noticing and acknowledging difficulties in understanding text. (The Literature Workshop by Sheridan Blau)

Another book that describes Native Americans meeting the Corps of Discovery is the "Bad River Boys" by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve; describing the meeting between the Lakota Sioux and Lewis and Clark. This event is written in the Lewis and Clark journals dated 23 - 25 September 1804. Sneve writes about the experience from the Lakota Sioux point of view.

When students examine historic events from different points of view it helps them develop critical thinking and higher level thinking skills.