Work House

A Glacier National Park Science and Indian Education Program

"Work House" was developed in the 1990s and updated in 2016 for use in the classroom and in Glacier National Park. This program was created by Terry Welder and the Division of Interpretation at Glacier in cooperation with tribal members from the Blackfeet, Salish, Pend d'Oreille, and Kootenai Tribes.

"Work House" consists of five interrelated units that focus on geological and biological succession while utilizing local Indian tribal heritage as a background. Each unit has a similar format. "Work House" includes cultural and scientific background information, traditional stories, classroom activities, and links to field trip and extension options. Although the student readings are at a middle school level, the lesson plans can be adapted for many grade levels.

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Get Started

• Read the introduction (pages 6-9) of the full Work House curriculum.

• Student readings for each unit begin on page 108

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Work House Lesson Plans

These lesson plans can be completed as stand alone lessons or as part of the larger Work House Program.

 

Unit One Lesson Plan - People and Glacier

• Stewards of the Land

 

Unit Two Lesson Plans - Mountains and Mountain Building

• Oral Histories and Glacier National Park
• The Work of Water
• Erosion and Preservation of the Water Table
• Formation of Mountains and Faults

 

Unit Three - Climate Changes: Glaciers and Glaciation

• Breaking it Down
• Carving Mountains
• Model Glaciers

 

Unit Four - Native Plants: Our Medicine... Our Food

• Who Says Plants Can't Move?
• Native Harvest
• What's in a Name?
• Forest Communities

 

Unit Five - Animals and Habitat

• Painted Lodges
• Animal Research

 

For more information

• Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
• Blackfeet Tribe
• Indian Education at the Montana Office of Public Instruction website

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