History of the North Shore

Class Description:

Guest speakers come back from the past to share with the audience their occupations. Learn about the fur trade, mining, logging, commercial fishing and modern tourism from the people who shaped the culture of the Minnesota's north shore of Lake Superior. Program includes costumes, music, poetry, stories and slides.

Total time: 50 minutes
Audience: 4th grade through adult
Activity level: easy
Travel: none
Total uphill travel: none

Outcomes

Upon completion of the History of the North Shore evening program students will be able to:

Name the two groups of American Indians in Minnesota.

List the three countries whose flags have flown over northern Minnesota.

Name the mineral on which the mining industry of northern Minnesota was based.

Identify the tree species most sought by the early loggers in Minnesota.

Name the most desirable commercial fish species in Lake Superior at the turn of the century.

Explain why tourism is considered a sustainable industry.

Minnesota Graduation Standards

The History of the North Shore evening program will provide students with guided practice, in an authentic setting, to support the following Graduations Standards. We have chosen one to three “major focus” standards per grade level. Due to the holistic nature of environmental education, several other standards, not listed here, are addressed as well.

H.S. People and Cultures 4.4: Human Geography, Dec. 5: Understand how the physical environment is modified by and modifies human activities. Proc. 4: Analyze the realtionship between geography and culture.

H.S. Inquiry 4.2: Cultures Across Time, Dec. 1abcf: Understand historical development of world cultures. Add. 1,2: Historical or cultural perspective, western cultures.

6-8th Read, View, Listen M.1: Non-fiction, Dec. 1ab: Comprehend information from selections which address abstract or complex ideas.

4-5th Read, View, Listen I.1: Literal comprehension, Dec. 1a,b: Listen to non-fiction and fiction , identify main events and supporting details, retell main events or ideas in sequence.

Wolf Ridge Curriculum Concepts

• Human need for natural resources is the primary cause for exploration, settlement, war and other events in human history.
• As individuals and cultures travel to reach new resources, they bring their cultures with them.
• Tourists, students and others can use natural resources without using them up.

Classroom Connections*

• Journal page download
• Pre-visit activities
• Post-visit activities
• Links to History of the North Shore information and activities on the web

*requires Wolf Ridge password