Teaching Critically About Lewis and Clark: Challenging Dominant Narratives in K–12 Curriculum

by Alison Schmitke, Leilani Sabzalian, Jeff Edmundson

The Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery is often presented as an exciting adventure story of discovery, friendship, and patriotism. However, this same period in U.S. history can be understood quite differently when viewed through an anticolonial lens and the Doctrine of Discovery. How might educators critically interrogate the assumptions that underlie this adventure story through their teaching? This book challenges dominant narratives and packaged curriculum about Lewis and Clark to support more responsible social studies instruction. The authors provide a conceptual framework, ready-to-use lesson plans, and teaching resources to address oversimplified versions of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Indigenous perspectives, along with contemporary issues, are embedded in each lesson to encourage active and critical engagement with history and the legacies of conquest those living in what is now called the United States have inherited. Book

Genres: Education

216 pages, Hardcover

Published April 3, 2020

Reviews

[Gabie (OwlEyesReviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I teach Lewis and Clark every single year and I knew that I wasn’t going about it in a way that encompassed many perspectives. This book gives me a wonderful starting place to teaching this topic in a more equitable way.