Research Homework Week One
Opal 3 Research Homework
Week One – Due Monday, February 13
One of the intentions of our Social Studies work in Opal 3 this year is to dive into the study of Oregon history. The Lewis and Clark Expedition has returned to the East, leaving us all behind at a Native American trading village along the Columbia River.
As winter is approaching, the trading season has ended, and the children have been given tokens that represent the tribe they belong to. They used these tokens to find their fellow tribe members. Now that the children have found their tribes, they must find their way home.
This is where you come in! Over the weekend, the children will need to research what region their tribe comes from. We identified together several kinds of information they can begin to gather over the coming weeks. This information will help us learn more about the tribes we are a part of, and to build a historically accurate understanding of their culture.
This weekend, we ask that you assist your child in focusing their research on the climate and geography of their tribe’s region. Here are some questions to guide your research:
- What does the landscape look like?
- What are the geographical landmarks that help orient your tribe?
- What are the natural boundaries of your tribe’s region?
- What kind of weather and climate is typical for your region throughout the seasons?
- Where is your region in relation to the Columbia River? Are there other important water sources in your region?
This research will be important for the work we engage in next week. Some websites are listed below to help begin your research. It will most likely look different in each family. What you find may lead you into a conversation, into creating drawings, or into some other kind of documentation. Please prepare something to share of your findings with your tribe on Monday.
Here are some helpful websites to jumpstart your research:
http://geology.com/state-map/washington.shtml
http://geology.com/state-map/oregon.shtml
http://www.movingtoportland.net/oregon_geography.htm
Enjoy your research!
