“Students travel about, visiting various “settlements” and stations, and performing tasks similar to those carried out by Lewis and Clark. The simulation can be adapted for use in any park or schoolyard (see closing section). Teachers of social studies, science, and math work together to prepare students for Lewis & Clark Day with lessons that are tied to the curriculum and that will have practical application. On Lewis & Clark Day, teachers and students recreate some of the excitement felt by members of the corps.” (Brugar, 2004)
Finally, the findings of the Corps of Discovery have found continued relevance in Natural Sciences and Geography. The notes and letters of the team members are a practical lesson in preparing for an adventure. A modern team set on adventure might carry electronic instruments, suitable clothing, sunglasses, mosquito sprays, tapes and rulers, notebooks and drawing instruments, as well as water bottles and basic utensils. But considering the period in which the expedition took place – nearly two centuries ago – the Corps did not have the technological aid that a modern team could avail. This makes their success all the more impressive. For example, “what would they use to write with on their journey? What would a portable water vessel have been made of in 1803?” It is not an exaggeration to say that the great adventurers of the Corps were polymaths of a high order. They were all proficient in cartography, botany, meteorology, zoology and anthropology. It is for this dexterity, dynamism and their spirit of enterprise that we continue to celebrate their achievements and learn from their epic voyage.
Works Cited
- Brugar, K. (2004). Lewis & Clark: An Interdisciplinary Expedition. Social Education, 68(1), M3+.
- Conry, J. (2004, February-March). Lewis & Clark: Discovering Western America. American Heritage, 55(1), 19+.
- Lewis, A. J. (2004). Nineteenth-Century Scientific Opinion of Lewis and Clark.Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, 94(5), 236+.
- Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Celebration. (2001, March). Parks & Recreation, 36(3), 22+.
- Jones Y. Landon. (2002). The Essential Lewis and Clark. Published by HarperCollins
- George Sullivan, (2000). In Their Own Words: Lewis and Clark, Published by Scholastic Incorporated.