Last updated: July 27, 2021
Lesson Plan
Fort Larned Around the Room Scavenger Hunt
- Grade Level:
- Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
- Subject:
- Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- State Standards:
- Kansas Social Studies Standards 1-5, 3rd Grade
Kansas Social Studies Standards 1-5, 4th Grade
Kansas Social Studies Standards 1-5, 5th Grade - Additional Standards:
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.3
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.3
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.3
Essential Question
What factors contributed to the United States government establishing Fort Larned as a military base?
Objective
As a result of this lesson plan, students will be able to:
● Understand the history of Fort Larned.
● State the purpose of the Santa Fe Trail.
● Identify how the Plains Indians reacted to the increased activity on the Santa Fe Trail.
● Use information to answer questions.
● Learn about the daily life of soldiers in the 1860’s.
Background
This lesson is designed for students to learn more about Fort Larned and its impact on people and lands around it. The fort is located in Kansas and is open for visiting with field trips and virtual options. However, this lesson could be completed by any classroom. An attached PowerPoint offers an overview of the fort for students to view before doing the scavenger hunt.
Preparation
- Download and familiarize yourself with the Fort Larned PowerPoint.
- Download, print and cut the Fort Larned Scavenger Hunt cards.
- The cards will be placed around the room. You may choose to post these in plain sight or hide them throughout the room. They do not need to be placed in number order. You may want to do this ahead of time.
- Download and print the Student Response Sheets.
- Download and print the answer key for the activity.
Materials
Download Fort Larned Overview PowerPoint
Download Fort Larned Scavenger Hunt Cards
Download Student Response Sheet
Download Student Response Sheet (Answer Key)
Procedure
- Present the Fort Larned PowerPoint to students so that they are familiar with the topic.
- Explain that students will be going around the classroom to find the 25 different fact cards. (you may choose to have them work individually or with a partner)
- As students find a card, they will read the information on it, and then answer the question on their student response sheet.
- At the end, go over the answers with the students and talk about the different subjects. (An answer key has been provided)
- Allow students an opportunity to share any additional knowledge that they know on the topics.
Vocabulary
Santa Fe Trail: A 1,200 mile trade route connecting Franklin, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Plains Indians: Indian tribes that lived in the area from the Mississippi River to Great Basin. They were known for their nomadic lifestyle and hunting of bison.
Indian Wars: A series of battles between European settlers and Native American Indians.
Sandstone: A type of durable rock used to make the buildings at Fort Larned
Assessment Materials
Assessment MaterialsThe Student Response Sheet should be evaluated for accuracy and understanding.