Last updated: December 19, 2024
Lesson Plan
Juan's Draft Pick Lesson Plan
Reliable transportation by animals across rivers was essential during the fur trade era.
NPS/D. Ocheltree
- Grade Level:
- Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
- Subject:
- Science
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- Common Core Standards:
- 4.L.4, 4.L.4.a, 5.L.4, 5.L.4.a, 6.L.4, 7.L.4, 7.L.4.a, 8.L.4, 8.L.4.a
- State Standards:
- 4th Life Science 2.1 Organisms have internal and external structures that serve various functions 4th SS 3.1d Explain how productive resources have influenced types of goods produced and service provided 4th SS 1.1.a. Draw inferences about CO history...
- Additional Standards:
- Middle School Life Science 2.5 Organisms and populations of organisms are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors 8th SS 1.2.c. Examine causes and effects of economic expansion in the US
- Thinking Skills:
- Applying: Apply an abstract idea in a concrete situation to solve a problem or relate it to a prior experience.
Essential Question
1. Name the major transportation differences between a horse, ox, and mule.
2. How were draft animals important to the fur trade?
Objective
By reading first and secondhand sources, learners will examine how commerce, security, and livelihoods during the fur trade era depended upon the acquisition of draft animals such as horses, oxen, and mules. They will compare and contrast the biological strengths and weaknesses of each animal.
Background
Bent’s Fort began as a trading post in the southern plains during the 1830s. People who visited the post were either from regional Native American tribes or were traders and merchants traveling along the Santa Fe Trail between Santa Fe (then Mexico) and Independence, MO. The trade at Bent’s Fort centered on the buffalo robe market. Cheyenne and Arapaho members hunted and processed the buffalo into large, warm robes to be exchanged for other useful goods like fabrics, cookware, tools, etc. However, the owners of the fort, Charles Bent and his friend, Ceran St. Vrain saw the potential to expand commerce by situating themselves in the Colorado territory between the two ends of the Santa Fe Trail. In fact, Bent’s Fort was the only establishment along the route when it began in 1833. The property was bounded by the Arkansas River to its south, which at that time served as the boundary to Mexico. The Bent, St. Vrain, & Company positioned itself close to the natural resources it needed such as water, game animals, cottonwoods, shortgrass prairie, and buffalo. As a Borderland post, the company had regular access and contact with both Mexico and various other Native American nations.
Preparation
Materials needed:
- Juan's Draft Pick Narrative and Vocabulary
- Juan's Draft Pick Activity Page
- Santa Fe Trail map
Materials
Lesson plan reading text including vocabulary terms and definitions.
Download Juan's Draft Pick Narrative and Vocabulary
An overview map of the Santa Fe Trail showing Bent's Fort and other trading posts during the time period.
Companion activity to lesson comparing three animals based on their strengths and weaknesses on a long journey.
Download Juan's Draft Pick Activity Page
Spanish version companion activity to lesson comparing three animals based on their strengths and weaknesses on a long journey.
Download La Seleccion de Animal de Tiro de Juan
Lesson Hook/Preview
Ask the whole group the following question: “If you had to become a horse, ox, or mule, which animal would choose?” Tally responses. Invite sharing of reasoning.
Activity: Set up three corners in the room for decision-making. In one corner, post a large sheet of paper which reads “horse.” In another, post one that reads “mule.” And in the last corner, post one that reads “ox.” Tell students to walk to the corner that answers this question: “If you were going on an eight hundred mile trip with your belongings, which animal would you take - the horse, ox, or mule?”
Tally responses and look for differences between the first and second question. Invite students who chose different animals for the two questions to share their thinking.
Procedure
1. Read Intro aloud as a whole group.
2. Pre-read vocabulary terms and definitions.
3. Assign reading of Juan's Draft Pick Narrative according to class needs, either individual and silent or paired, small group, or whole class aloud.
4. After reading narrative, hold a class discussion about the use of draft animals during the fur trade era. Consider the time, cost, and labor in domesticating animals for use and the toll placed on the animals themselves. Consider the risks, benefits, and resources needed for using animals as transportation before the invention of the automobile. Briefly compare the difference between resources needed for and benefits of using vehicles versus animals.
5. Assign Juan's Draft Pick Activity Page. Answers will vary. Accept all reasonable answers based on information presented.
6. Summarize key ideas of lesson.
7. Conclude by passing out Exit Ticket.
Vocabulary
draft animal – a domesticated animal used for pulling heavy loads
forage – food such as grass or hay for horses and livestock
lariat – a rope used as a lasso
vaquero – cowboy or cattle driver in the Spanish language
jornadas – desert travel without stops for water
exertion – effort or work
fording – crossing a body of water
tractability – the ability to be controlled
teamster – the driver for a team of animals
languid – slow or weak
perilous - dangerous
Assessment Materials
Juan's Draft Pick Exit TicketAn Exit Ticket including the two essential questions from the lesson.
- Name the major transportation differences between a horse, ox, and mule.
- How were draft animals important during the fur trade era?
Assessment for Juan's Draft Pick lesson containing the two essential questions.
Rubric/Answer Key
Juan's Draft Pick Exit TicketPossible answers to Exit Ticket for Juan's Draft Pick Lesson Plan
1. Name the major transportation differences between a horse, ox, and mule.
The horse is the fastest of the three but has limited endurance. It cannot pull loads as heavy as the mule or ox. It is the most expensive and needs a specific diet. Skilled training is required.The mule is stronger and has greater endurance than the horse. It is not as fast as the horse, but much faster than the ox. It is less expensive than the horse but can be stubborn when crossing water. It has a specific diet. Skilled training is required.The ox is sthe slowest of the three but is the strongest and has the best endurance. It is the least expensive and does not need a special diet. It can also serve as a food source when humans are faced with the threat of starvation. Minimal training required.
2. How were draft animals important during the fur trade era?
Without powerful draft animals to carry loads of trade goods, the fur trade era would not have occurred. Horses, mules, and oxen were also an object of trade in great numbers. Santa Fe Trail travelers often needed to replace tired animals for fresh ones. For Native American Plains tribes, like the Comanche, horses became an economic system. Horses guaranteed not only travel but were essential to hunting practices and defense. Mules and oxen pulled wagons with loads that horses could not handle. Oxen reliably and safely crossed the many rivers in route with minimal maintenance and without risking the loss of goods.
Supports for Struggling Learners
For narrative text, encourage reading strategies (underlining, context clues, re-reading, etc), pre-read vocabulary terms and definitions.
Enrichment Activities
Social/Emotional Enrichment:
Discuss a time when a trip you took was interrupted by some kind of obstacle or event. What happened and what were the emotions of all the people involved? How did that affect you? If you could take the trip over again under the same circumstances, would there have been any other way to reach your destination and avoid the same situation?
(Student example: My family was stuck in traffic for 2 hours and we didn’t make it to my uncle’s wedding on time. Everyone in the car was angry and frustrated. I was sad because I missed the wedding. If we could do it over again, I wish we would have left the day before or booked a flight.)