The first supporting question, “Write a summary or outline of how European and American understanding of the northern Great Plains was expanded during this time?” helps students use sources to unwrap the context of the time and topic being examined. Which tribal nations were living on the northern Great Plains when Europeans and Americans first contacted them? Who were the first people to come to the region? What methods of transportation did they use? What were the first meetings like?
Complete the following task using the sources provided to build a context of the time period and topic being examined.
Formative Performance Task 1
Write a summary or outline of how European and American understanding of the northern Great Plains was expanded during this time. Set the stage for what was going on both in the region and in the rest of the world. What time frame did this happen in? What else was going on? What were the major newspaper headlines? What was going on that people were concerned about?
Featured Sources 1
The sources featured below are primary sources. They are the raw materials of history—original documents, personal records, photographs, maps, and other materials. Primary sources are the first evidence of what happened, what was thought, and what was said by people living through a moment in time. These sources are the evidence by which historians and other researchers build and defend their historical arguments, or thesis statements. When using primary sources in your lessons, invite students to use all their senses to observe, describe, and analyze the materials. What can they see, hear, feel, smell, and even taste? Draw on students’ knowledge to classify the sources into groups, to make connections between what they observe and what they already know, and to help them make logical claims about the materials that can be supported by evidence. Further research of materials and sources can either prove or disprove the students’ argument.
Study featured sources A-B. In a group or as a class, answer the following questions: What type of sources are they (letters, photos, maps, diaries, etc.)? What kind of information do they contain? Who created each of these sources? Who was the intended audience for each source? Why were these sources created? When were the sources created? What do the sources tell us about that time? How do we know? What else can you find? Identify specific sentences that support your findings.
| Source A | |
| Source B |
Learn more about early exploration in North Dakota by visiting the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum.