Ready to do some trading? Seven lesson plans, a pre and post activity, coordinating support materials, and props are available for loan. To inquire about checking out the travel trunk contact the education room. All lessons are aligned with the latest Minnesota State Academic Standards. Students will be introduced to the voyageurs by reading and watching supporting materials provided, such as books and a film. Lesson 1: The Life of a Voyageur Students will learn about the life of the voyageur by listening to a “real-life” voyageur tell a story of his daily activity. Lesson 2: Could You Be a Voyageur? Students will learn the qualities desired in a voyageur by splitting into rival fur trade companies and competing for a new trading expedition. The fur company with the superior voyageurs win. Lesson 3: Tools of the Trade Students will examine items that were traded between the voyageurs and Ojibwe Indians and speculate as to what they were used for and why they were used. Lesson 4: Who Were the Ojibwe People? Students will learn about the Ojibwe by examining the items they received by trading with the voyageurs and then determining what these items were used for and why they were used. Lesson 5: Waterways as Roads Students will learn mapping skills by creating their own map of the route of the voyageurs through reading other maps and combining their different features. Lesson 6: Communication and Merging of a Culture Students will learn about cultural differences by comparing and contrasting the voyageurs, Ojibwe, and modern day teenagers. They will also discuss how the Ojibwe and voyageur cultures merged over the course of the fur trade era. Lesson 7: Why People Trade Students will participate in a game of trading to learn that scarce things hold more value and some things are worth more to one culture than another. Post-Lesson: The Importance of the Voyageurs Through discussion and critical thinking, students will recognize the role the voyageurs played in shaping history. |
Last updated: December 12, 2022