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The Story from History:
Using a Primary Source as a Springboard for Writing
I. Writing a Fictionalized Account
In this creative writing lesson, students begin with primary source material. By adding additional details, they elaborate to create a story.
Materials:
Excerpt from the Journals of Lewis and Clark
Pen/cil & paper
Procedures:
Share an excerpt from the Journals of Lewis and Clark.Ask what details would need to be added to expand this eyewitness account into a complete story. (Answers might be dialogue; characters' feelings; information about the setting, such as weather, time of day, plants, etc.)
Discuss "primary sources." What are the benefits of reading primary sources to learn about history? The disadvantages? Tell students that historians begin with primary sources, but these are sometimes incomplete or difficult to understand.
Tell the students they will be creating a story (historical fiction) based on this primary source.
Encourage the students to write a "gripping" beginning to start their stories. (Although the journal entries are written in first person, students may prefer to change the point of view character or to write in a third person narrative voice.) Students should add dialogue and other storytelling devices that appeal to modern readers.
Read aloud the scene from Seaman, the Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis and Clark (Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers, 1999) that was developed from this excerpt. After writing their own fictionalized version of the event, students will be better able to analyze the author's work. Discuss: What details were added by the author? Did these details come from her imagination or her research? Would you change any of her details; how and why?
Excerpts from the Journals of Lewis and Clark
(Note: The September 11 entry is the basis for the scene found on pages 7-10 of Seaman, the Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis and Clark.)
11th September 1803
Set out about sunrise, passed Sunfish creek 1 mile &c &c entered the long reach, so called from the Ohio runing in strait direction for 18 miles in this reach there are 5 Islands from three to 2 miles in length each --- observed a number of squirrels swiming the Ohio and universally passing from the W. to the East shore they appear to be making to the south; perhaps it may be mast or food which they are in serch of but I should reather suppose that it is climate which is their object as I find no difference in the quantity of mast on both sides of this river it being abundant on both except the beach nut which appears extreemly scarce this season, the walnuts and Hickory nuts the usual food of the squirrell appears in great abundance on either side of the river --- I made my dog take as many each day as I had occation for, they wer fat and I thought them when fryed a pleasent food --- many of these squirrils wer black, they swim very light on the water and make pretty good speed --- my dog was of the newfoundland breed very active strong and docile, he would take the squirel in the water kill them and swiming bring them in his mouth to the boat.
- Meriwether Lewis
(Note: The May 19 entry is the basis for the scene found on page 74 of Seaman, the Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis and Clark.)
Sunday May 19th 1805
The last night was disagreeably could; we were unable to set out untill 8 oclock A. M. in consequence of a heavy fogg, which obscured the river in such a manner that we could not see our way; this is the first we have experienced in any thing like so great a degree; there was also a fall of due last evening, which is the second we have experienced since we have entered this extensive open country. at eight we set out and proceeded as yesterday by means of the cord principally, the hills are high and the country similar to that of yesterday. Capt Clark walked on shore with two of the hunters and killed a brown bear; notwithstanding that it was shot through the heart it ran at it's usual pace near a quarter of a mile before it fell. one of the party wounded a beaver, and my dog as usual swam in to catch it; the beaver bit him through the hind leg and cut the artery; it was with great difficulty that I could stop the blood; I fear it will yet prove fatal to him.
- Meriwether Lewis
(Note: The May 29 entry is the basis for the scene found on pages 79-80 of Seaman, the Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis and Clark.)
Wednesday May 29th 1805
Last night we were all allarmed by a large buffaloe Bull, which swam over from the opposite shore and coming along side of the white perogue, climbed over it to land, he then alarmed ran up the bank in full speed directly towards the fires, and was within 18 inches of the heads of some of the men who lay sleeping before the centinel could allarm him or make him change his course, still more alarmed, he now took his direction immediately towards our lodge, passing between 4 fires and within a few inches of the heads of one range of the men as they yet lay sleeping, when he came near the tent, my dog saved us by causing him to change his course a second time, which he did by turning a little to the right, and was quickly out of sight, leaving us by this time all in an uproar with our guns in or hands, enquiring of each other the case of the alarm, which after a few moments was explained by the centinel; we were happy to find no one hirt. The next morning we found that the buffaloe in passing the perogue had trodden on a rifle, which belonged to Capt. Clark's black man, who had negligently left her in the perogue, the rifle was much bent, he had also broken the spindle, pivit, and shattered the stock of one of the bluntderbushes on board, with this damage I felt well content, happey indeed, that we had sustaned no further injury.
- Meriwether Lewis
These excerpts are from The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, editor Gary E. Moulton ( Lincoln, Nebraska, and London: University of Nebraska Press, 1983-1997).
II. Writing a Description of a Plant
During their expedition, Lewis and Clark encountered many plants and animals that were unknown to scientists living in the United States. They sent home samples of many of their discoveries, and they described their findings in detailed notes and sketches. In this lesson, students will attempt to "capture in words" a plant that is found near their school.
Materials:
Excerpt from the Journals of Lewis and Clark
Plant samples - leaves, flowers, small branches from several plants in school's locality
(Optional: field guide to plants)
Procedures:
Before the lesson, the teacher should gather some leaves or a small branch from several plants. (Note: the lesson will work better if the teacher can identify the plants used!)
Share an entry from the Journals of Lewis & Clark. Ask how the explorers described the plant so that the scientists back in the United States could "see" the new species. Look for precision in color (What shade of green?), measurement (How many leaves on a stem? How large is a leaf?), as well as sensory details (How does the leaf smell?).
Divide the students into groups of 3-5. Give each group a plant sample to describe. Encourage the students to include enough detail so that a reader will be able to identify their plant from the description.
When all the groups have completed their descriptions, place each of the leaves/branches on a numbered paper, and display these on a table. Share the student-written descriptions. Have the groups examine the numbered samples and decide which description matches each plant.
Discuss which descriptions were the most successful, and why.
Using a field guide, read aloud a contemporary description of these plants. How is this description different than the students' work? Than the description in the Journal of Lewis & Clark?
Excerpt from The Journals of Lewis and Clark:
No. 27. taken 4th of August, and furst observed at the bald prarie -- it is beatifull plant with a variagated leaf -- these leaves incompass the flowers which are small and in the center of them; at a small distance they resemble somewhat a white rose the leaf near the large stem is green and is edged with white; they grow smaller and more numerous as they approach the flower or the extremity of the limb. the plant is much branched; the leaf is smoth on both sides and edge, of an ovate form and pale green colour, rises to five or six feet, is annual at every point that it branches it has a pair of opposite leaves and from thee to four branches --
- Meriwether Lewis
(Note: This is a description of “snow-on-the-mountain,” Euphorbia Marginata)
This excerpt is from volume 3 of The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, ed. Gary E. Moulton (Lincoln, Nebraska, and London: University of Nebraska Press, 1983-1997).
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