human uses of the wilderness

teacher section

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Introduction:

The object of this lesson is to get students to see that humanity and nature are inseparable. This is done by looking at the past and drawing connections to the present thereby showing students the continuity in history. When students understand this basic truth, they will see the value of understanding history because it will allow them to see their world more clearly. To accomplish these objectives, students will work on maps, written questions, and teach generated class discussion questions. Any or all can be done, depending on your time and your own class objectives.

California State Framework Objectives:

  • Integrated and correlated approach to teaching history-social science.
  • The importance of history as a story well told.
  • Presenting controversial issues honestly and accurately within their contemporary context.
  • Critical thinking skills applied.
  • A variety of content-appropriate teaching methods to engage students in the learning process.

Lesson Grade Levels 10th, 11th, 12th (Government)

Lesson Objectives: Students will:

1. learn how the environment determines how people lived in the past, present, and today

2. learn how natural resources in an area and their relative placement in the landscape can affect where humans choose to live

3. learn to problem solve through cooperative learning groups

4. infer conclusions from a given set of historical facts

5. learn how to read a map by using its key

6. be able to cite examples of environment determining lifestyles and thereby understanding the past and present more clearly

7. define words through context

Evaluation:

  1. Student individual and group presentations
  2. Submitted student work (individual and group)
  3. General discussion
  4. Oral and written questions regarding the Hite Cove Map

 

Student Introduction to Lesson Wilderness: Human Uses, Past and Present

Objectives:

Students will:

  1. recognize that cultural resources are part of Wilderness and that these resources provide information about how the area was used by humans in the past.
  2. make suggestions as to how to protect cultural resources in the Wilderness

Materials:

Duration: 1 class period and possible homework

Location: classroom

Activity 1:

Wilderness: Human Uses, Past and Present

Setting the Stage:

Read the following to the students or use it as a guided imagery. You might as part of the introduction do a contextual vocabulary mini lesson by asking students to define the bold face words by using the words around them.

You are walking through a pristine wilderness. The beauty of the high and tall trees surrounds you. Water cascades down steep, rocky channels bisecting the trail at every turn. A deer bounds away through the forests startled at your sudden appearance.

You leave the maintained wilderness trail and strike out across a field of boulders, which from a ruffled skirt around the mountain's base. After hours of hopping from boulder to boulder you come upon a meadow and stop to rest. The meadow is lush, green and completely undisturbed. No one could have ever visited here before. But wait. As you set your pack down you notice a shiny black rock. On closer inspection you realize that it is a stone arrow point, crafted from obsidian, hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Someone has been here before.

What are your thoughts? (Just let their imaginations take over.)

Procedure:

  • Share Background information and Vocabulary with students.
  • Divide students into groups of two or three. Distribute copies of the "Wilderness Map" and "How Do People Use Wilderness?" activity sheets to each group. See pg. 146
  • Using information from the "Wilderness Map," students complete the "How Do People Use Wilderness?" handout. Each group presents their results to the rest of the class. See pg. 147

 

  

 

Closure:

Archaeological sites are a part of many designated Wildernesses. Use the following questions for discussion. Or break students into groups. Have students read and answer the questions on their own and then get into their groups and create a final copy. Have one student from each group take home and produce a typed copy. Attach all copies and turn in the next day.

  1. What can archeological sites teach about the history of our relationship to Wilderness? Can this information be useful today? In the future? Give reasons for your answers.
  2. Is it important to preserve these sites? Why or why not? What can you do to protect archeological sites in the Wilderness?
  3. Prehistoric and historic people often abandoned their garbage, tools, and shelters when they left. These items became "artifacts" that archeologists study to learn about the past. Is it acceptable for you to leave garbage when you visit the wilderness? Give reasons for your answer. How is your garbage the same as or different from prehistoric or historic artifacts?

Evaluation:

Students submit their activity sheets for evaluation. Grade the final copy and make sure al group members have done their work. You might give extra credit to the student who typed the final copy and all members receive the same grade.

Extension:

Read the following excerpt from "The Hopi View of the Wilderness" (Secakuku, 1993)

"Hopis do not view cultural resources, such as ruins, as abandoned or as artifacts of the past. To a Hopi, these villages were left as is when the people were given a sign to move on. These houses, kivas, storehouses, and everything else that makes a community, were left exactly as they were because it is our belief the Hopi will someday return. Our people are still there. Today the Hopi designate these ruins as a symbol of their sovereign flag. Pot shards are left in abundance, usually broken into small pieces with the trademarks showing. These are the footprints of the occupants. Hopis believed that ruins should remain untouched because when anything is taken it breaks down the value of holding the village in place.

Hopi prophecy recognized these cultural resources as part of today's living culture. They indeed should be protected for the future of our people. Most of the time, the way white men view protection, interpretation, and education seems not to be the Hopi way. For Hopis, protection is based purely upon the honor system, upon respect and trust. Sometimes Hopis feel that the things they believe-honor, respect, and trust- are not compatible with other societies but we continue to think it should be the Hopi way.

The Hopi way of measuring the value of cultural resources and other so-called artifacts is not in terms of money. Rather it is their importance for life today and their future destiny. The future of the Hopi is a great burden to them because they believe they must live a life of spiritual meditation and humbleness in order to take this corrupt world, which will get worse, into the better world. Yes, they believe in the fifth world and their spiritual integrity must be strong to keep their ruined villages alive. Their houses, kivas, and shrines at the ruined village perimeters must be kept warm and active. They rely on their spiritual ancestors who passed this way an dare still there to receive the messages."

As a class, discuss the following:

  • Summarize the Hopi's reasons for protecting archaeological sites.
  • List other reasons for protecting archaeological sites.
  • How are these similar to or different from the Hopi's reasons for protecting archaeological sites?
  • Is one reason more valid than the other? Why or why not?
  • Debate conservation versus sprawling urban areas. This discussion can be carried over when students research the Preservation Act and the Archaeological Act in the next mini exercise.

Two pieces of legislation, in addition to the Wilderness Act, affect the way cultural resources are managed in Wilderness. The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 directs federal agencies to take responsibility in preserving on lands that they administer and to locate, inventory, and nominate properties that might qualify for the National Register of Historic Places. The Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 provides for archaeological excavations as well as criminal penalties for violations. Ask students to research these laws and report how these policies might affect management decisions in Wilderness.