International Public Science Day 2001 at OMSI

Building a Community from the Ground Up
Part III: Pioneers and Early European Settlers

Students gain knowledge of local history, their natural environment, native cultures, and community planning.

The class has previously worked collaboratively to design and construct a three-dimensional model of a pre-history environment (Part I) and settlement of early indigenous communities (Part II). The group will consider social, historical, and environmental issues as they transition their model from a Native American society to an early pioneer community. In this lesson students will learn about the first European settlers to their local environment and will add features to their model that represent these settlers and their life style.

This project-based curriculum represents an extended unit. It works well as a two month unit, with the class spending time each week, for one month, learning about history, watersheds, bridges, native cultures, etc. The actual model can be built over approximately three weeks if the students work one hour per day.

Alternatively, the project could be a year long experience, or condensed into a "living laboratory" intense 1 - 2 week experience.

· Pre-cut paper for construction for younger students
4 inches by 4 inches of brown for each cabin
4.5 inches by 6 inches of light green for each homestead on which to place cabin, fields, etc.
2 inches by 2 inches of brown for outbuildings, wagons, fences, etc.
· scraps available for details as desired
· tape or glue

OPTIONAL:
· colored clay or other materials for optional multimedia models, especially for older student groups

1. It may be useful to have pictures of the early pioneer settlements available.
2. Do some preliminary research on the pioneers. Find resources for the class. Prepare to lead the initial discussion on pioneer culture, or assign reading to the students so they will be prepared to inform the initial discussions. Chose informational material to read and discuss, such as Pioneers by Marie and Douglas Gorsline.

Describe or lead a discussion on the life and community of the first European settlers to the local area.

Ask and discuss the following:

Why do you think the earliest European settlers chose to move here?

What would the European settlers have built first?
(cabins?, outhouses?, barns? Services?, first businesses?, roads?)

Student teams will work together to plan and add cultural features of the earliest peoples to populate their project model.

Working as a class, or in student teams, plan the European settlement for the model. Take the following into consideration:

1. How will the pioneers arrive?

2. Where will the pioneers settle?
(Consider natural resources and need for transportation.)

3. What will the Native Americans do: move?, stay?, trade?, die off?

4. Which parts of the scene will need to be changed?

5. Discuss need to remove a tree each time they build something.

1. Houses: for younger students, you can show one team at a time how to construct a three dimensional house from a pattern.

2. Students will add detail to their home sites. The teacher should make a cabin also.

3. For everything students build, they need to utilize natural resources, e.g., a tree must be cut down when houses are built..

4. Build additional structures as decided by the group.

5. Add other details such as docks, trails, wagons, etc.

6. Using a photocopy of the grid with numbers "1" through "5" and letters "A" through "D", each student creates a new map of the model as it is now, with natural features, the remaining native community, and the pioneer settlement. (For younger students, the teacher can create and photocopy a grid template for the students to use.)

7. Summarize

Discuss and list the changes to the scene (environmental, river, buildings, social.)

The following are suggestions to extend the project into various curricular areas. These can be done as a class, by student teams, or by individual students

Environmental Biology
What natural resources did the European settlers use to meet their needs? What impact did the use of these natural resources have on the environment? .

Social Studies
Add to the timeline for your local area. When did the pioneers arrive?
What was the indigenous society like?

Geography
How did geographical features (mountain ranges, rivers, etc.) impact the places where early pioneers traveled and settled?

Art
Study and inclusion of pioneer art, weaving, dance, song, etc. in the model.
Optional: Visit to a local early history museum

Reading
Read stories and diaries of early pioneers.
Read nonfiction about the history of the period.

Writing
Write journals of pioneer travel and settlement.

Based on an activity created by Betsey Kenworthy, Hockinson Intermediate School, Brush Prairie, Washington.

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