Graphic organizers are visual tools that can help students understand lessons that they otherwise might not be able to grasp. The ideas of a lesson are written down on paper in a way that shows a clear map or relationship between what the lesson is on. Graphic organizers can be used for many different lessons including math, literature and history. One effect way of using a graphic organizer is to explain the time line of the Lewis and Clark expedition. For this I would use a series of events chain. To begin with this lesson, we would first read about the journey that Lewis and Clark took across the country. After reading is complete I would hand out sheets that had a series of events chain organizer already drawn on the paper. I would also have my own similar graphic organizer up on the board. I would then explain to my students how a series of events chain worked. I would explain how in the first box, the beginning of an event would be written down. To give them a clear understanding of this, I would talk about how a series of events chain would look based on their life so far. I would tell them in the first box, their birth date would be written down. I would also explain that other information could be used in that box as well, like where they were born or how much they weighed. I would then explain how the second box could contain the date that they first slept through the night. The third box could have the date of when they said their first word and what that word was. Then how they could write about their first steps in another box or when they started kindergarten in another box. I would explain to my students that a series of events chain is a simple graphic organizer depicting when events happened in the order that they happened. Once everyone had an understanding of what a series of events chain was, we would begin a discussion on when important events took place during Lewis and Clark's expedition. I would explain to my students that each box represented a day in the time line. Each box would have a date that would correspond to what was written in the box. So for example, in the first box would be written, “May, 14, 1804- Meriwether Lewis and William Clark begin an expedition across the continental United States starting at St. Louis, Missouri.” ( Lewis and Clark's Historic Trail,2013). In a box further down the chain we could write about Sacajawea giving birth. That could be written as, “February 11, 1805- Sacajawea gives birth to son Jean Baptiste.” (Lewis and Clark's Historic Trail,2013). In the last box, we would write down when the expedition returned home to St. Louis. That would be written as, “September 23, 1806-The Lewis and Clark expedition returns home to St. Louis.” (Lewis and Clark's Historic Trail,2013). As the students are filling out the graphic organizers, there would be a discussion happening about the expedition at the same time. Because some students might find more information helpful then others, I would advise them that they can write down any information about the date being discussed that will make it easier for them to relate, retain and remember the information discussed. For example, in the last box, some students might write down the important figures that returned with Lewis and Clark, like Sacajawea, while others might find that fact easy to remember and not need to write it down. For the assignment, I would hand out blank copies of a series of events chain. I would let my students know that the title of the events chain should read “Timeline of the Lewis and Clark Expedition”. From there I would explain to my students that they would need to write down what they believe is the most important dates and what occurred on those dates during the Lewis and Clark expedition. For my students to receive a passing grade I would expect four out of the following eight events: Date the expedition set out, First time the expedition encountered Indians, When the expedition met Sacajawea, Date the expedition made it to the Continental Divide, When they made it to the Columbia river, When the expedition made camp at Fort Clatsop, When the expedition started their return trip and the date the expedition returned to St. Louis. A series of events chain would work well for this lesson because we are talking about a subject that took place in a time line. The Lewis and Clark expedition had a start date and an end date. There were also things that happened at specific times during the expedition that is important in history. For this assignment, a series of events chain works well because my students can list dates in order as they happened during the expedition with a relative explanation as to what occurred on that date. It is a simple, more straight forward approach to learning about what major events happened during the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Another good thing about using this type of graphic organizer to explain the time line of the Lewis and Clark expedition is that it is an excellent study guide. Students will be able to look at their organizer and see exactly when things happened. And since they will be reading this graphic organizer from top to bottom, it will be easier for them to memorize this information rather then trying to remember the information as they are reading through a book or listening to a lecture.

Work Cited

Lewis and Clark's Historic Trail. (2013). Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://lewisclark.net/