Death of Sacagawea - Member of Lewis and Clark Expedition

Delve into the mystery of the date and location of one of Lewis and Clark’s famous expedition members, Sacagawea.

The lesson begins with a warm up activity that discusses the people and events in history that have a mystery to them. Next, in groups of three, students will read through the primary and secondary sources about the date and location of Sacagawea’s death. Students will complete reflection questions throughout the packet to assist in sorting through the evidence and the credibility of the sources. After finishing compiling evidence for the death of Sacagawea, the class will re-group in groups that share the same theory of Sacagawea’s death. These groups will act as lawyers and create a “case” that share the date and location they feel best represents her death. Groups will state their “cases” to the class. Finally, students will create a newspaper article in which they announce the date and location of Sacagawea’s death. This article will contain an argumentative portion that states and supports their claim.

This lesson includes:

A lesson plan tied to the C3 Standards

A power point to guide instruction

An eight page handout that guides students through the various theories of Sacagawea’s death

Reflection question to guide students through the eight page handout

A matrix to assist students in sorting evidence of the theories

A handout to guide writing of the newspaper article

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