Unit 3: Explorers and Fur Traders
Embedded Files
Colorado Story Chapter: 3
ReadyGen Alignment: Module 2A
Skill Alignment: Making connections to the past and finding patterns in history
Unit Overview: How did the early explorers and traders shape our history?
In this unit, students will delve into the history of explorers and fur traders in Colorado. They will learn about the individuals and groups who played significant roles in the exploration and fur trade activities during the development of the region and the impacts on the Indigenous peoples. By the end of this unit, students will have a comprehensive understanding of the explorers and fur traders who played significant roles in Colorado's history. They will develop skills in analyzing primary sources, recognizing cause-and-effect relationships, understanding the influence of political and cultural groups, and describing historical and present interactions among different people and cultures. This unit will foster an appreciation for the diverse perspectives that have shaped Colorado's development and provide insights into the impact of technological advancements on the region's history.
Prepared Graduates:
Apply the process of inquiry to examine and analyze how historical knowledge is viewed, constructed, and interpreted.
Analyze historical time periods and patterns of continuity and change, through multiple perspectives, within and among cultures and societies.
Apply geographic representations and perspectives to analyze human movement, spatial patterns, systems, and the connections and relationships among them.
Examine the characteristics of places and regions, and the changing nature among geographic and human interactions.
Grade Level Expectation(s):
History and 2. Geography
Analyze primary and secondary sources from multiple points of view to develop and understanding of the history of Colorado (1.1)
Describe the historical eras, individuals, groups, ideas, and themes in Colorado history and their relationship to key events in the United States within the same historical period. (1.2)
Use geographic tools to research and answer questions about Colorado geography. (2.1)
Examine the relationship between the physical environment and its effect on human activity. (2.2)
The highlighted evidence outcomes are the priority for all students, serving as the essential concepts and skills. It is recommended that the remaining evidence outcomes listed be addressed as time allows, representing the full breadth of the curriculum.
Students Can (Evidence Outcomes):
Draw inferences about Colorado history from primary sources such as journals, diaries, maps, treaties, oral histories, etc. (1.1.a)
Identify cause-and-effect relationships using primary sources to understand the history of Colorado’s development. (1.1.b)
Identify and describe how political and cultural groups have affected the development of the region. Including but not limited to: African American, Latino, Asian American, Indigenous Peoples, religious groups, and European settlers. (1.1.d)
Describe both past and present interactions among the people and cultures in Colorado. For example: African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQ, and religious groups. (1.2.c)
Describe the impact of various technological developments. For example: Changes in mining technologies. (1.2.d)
Answer questions about Colorado regions using maps and other geographic tools. (2.1.a)
Use geographic grids to locate places on and answer questions about maps and images of Colorado. (2.1.b)
Create and investigate geographic questions about Colorado in relation to other places. (2.1.c)
Describe similarities and differences between the physical geography of Colorado and its neighboring states. (2.1.e)
Describe how places in Colorado are connected by movement of goods, services, and technology. (2.2.d)
Colorado Essential and Nature of Skills
Identify and explain the perspectives of the various groups important in Colorado history when exploring the development of the state. For example: African American, Latino, Asian American, Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQ, religious groups, working class, and labor unions (Global and Cultural Awareness).
Recognize and describe cause-and-effect relationships in the history of Colorado (Critical Thinking and Analysis).
Ask questions to develop further understanding about the geography and development of Colorado (Critical Thinking and Analysis).
Historical thinkers seek accounts of history from multiple perspectives and from multiple sources.
Historical thinkers analyze patterns and themes throughout time.
Historical thinkers use primary sources as references for research.
Historical thinkers recognize important events in Colorado and can put them in chronological order to understand cause and effect such as the interactions of Indigenous Peoples defending their homelands/way of life from settler colonialism/Westward Expansion; discovery of gold and the Gold Rush; the growth of cities and towns and the development of law; the development of the state Constitution; and prohibition of slavery.
Historical thinkers can explain why individuals and groups during the same historical period differed in their perspectives.
Historical thinkers realize that technological developments continue to evolve and affect the present. For example: Environmental issues have had an impact on Colorado from the Gold Rush to modern pollution.
Geographic thinkers explain how human settlements and movements relate to the locations and use of various natural resources.
Inquiry Questions
Why is it important to know the sequence of events and people in Colorado history?
How can primary sources help us learn about the past or create more questions about our state's history?
Why did people of various cultures migrate to and settle in Colorado?
To what extent have unity, diversity, and discord shaped Colorado?
How have various individuals, groups, and ideas affected the development of Colorado?
What physical characteristics led various cultural groups to select the places they did for settlement in Colorado?
Disciplinary, Informational, and Media Literacies
Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided.
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Determine the kinds of sources that will be helpful in answering compelling and supporting questions, taking into consideration the different opinions people have about how to answer the questions.
Begin to discuss historical perspectives.
Academic Vocabulary and Language Expectations
colony, convert, empire, enslave, expedition, explorer, independence, mission, agriculture, canyon, pathfinder, translator, demand, industry, pelt, rendezvous, supply
Possible Assessments:
Chapter 3 from Colorado Story
Chapter Assessment
Writing Activities
DBQ Item Set
Lessons 1-3 Review
Instructional Resources & Notes:
Chapter 3 from Colorado Story lessons 1-3
Go the the Source Activity from Colorado Story
Lesson Suggestions from Colorado Story
Supplemental Resources
Trappers, Traders, & Miners: Inquiry Kit Link
Colorado and the Fur Trade: Bent’s Fort. Online exhibit and digital badges program through History Colorado
SVVSD History Kit: Moving Day (SS512): Explore the movement of people within Colorado from pre-history to 1870. Great hands-on artifacts and lessons.
American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving. Background reading and lesson ideas from the National Museum of the American Indian
Primary Source Lesson: Fur Trappers and Beaver Pelts
Primary Source Lesson: Exploration of the Colorado River
Artifact Kits from the Longmont History Museum: Sign up for a teacher trunk filled with hands-on artifacts about the following subjects: Prehistoric People and Archaeology, Explorers, Plains Indians, Trappers and Traders, Prospectors and Miners, Cowboys and Ranchers.
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