Was the Fur Trade Good or Bad?

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This inquiry explores various perspectives of the impacts of the fur trade in North Dakota through the investigation of the compelling question “Was the fur trade good or bad?” The importance of understanding the fur trade in this inquiry is twofold: (1) students should be able to understand changes that impacted Native American tribes of the region and (2) students will understand how the fur trade accelerated and impacted the exploration of the region by Europeans and Americans. While progressing through the inquiry, students will analyze the changes occurring to both natural and cultural worlds.

This inquiry is expected to take two class periods; however, teachers are encouraged to adapt the inquiry to meet the needs and interests of their students and the amount of time they have available.

Inquiry Design Model (IDM) Blueprint™
Compelling Question
Was the fur trade good or bad?
Standards and Practices
Standards and Practices ND.6_12.3.1 Describe the early economic activities of our state prior to 1900 and how they developed into North Dakota’s modern economy.
Staging the Question
Make a list of significant changes and innovations that influenced the northern Great Plains economy during the fur trade.
Supporting Question 1
Supporting Question 2
Supporting Question 3
Who were the first western explorers and traders to visit the Northern Great Plains?
What was the cultural and economic impact of the fur trade on the nations involved (including Native American, European, and American)?
What impact did the fur trade have on Native American tribes specifically during this period?
Formative Performance Task
Formative Performance Task
Formative Performance Task
Create a chart of the explorers and traders of the northern Great Plains the dates of exploration, and the tribes they visited.
List the benefits and costs of the fur trade on the northern Great Plains.
Write a summary describing how the fur trade impacted Native American tribes on the northern Great Plains.
Featured Sources
Featured Sources
Featured Sources
  • Commerce and Conflict: A History of Pembina, 1797-1895
  • Fort Clark State Historic Site
Summative Performance Task
Argument
Was the fur trade good or bad? What kind of impact did it have on natural and cultural resources? Construct an argument that addresses the compelling question using specific claims and relevant evidence from historical sources while acknowledging competing views. Create a poster and present your argument to your class with evidence to support your claims.
Extension
Have students research possible careers in the natural resources sector. 
Taking Informed Action

Understand: Find an example of a modern development in natural resource management that has resulted in a variety of consequences for humans.

Assess: Determine the intended and unintended consequences of the innovation identified.

Act: Take the poster you created to present to your class and use it to create a website to present to your community during a history fair.