Reflection
The history of fur trade in the Great Lakes region is not only a story about Native American and European relations; it’s also a story of the beginnings of Canadian and Michigan economies. Fur proved to be a profitable trade until the mid 1800s. However the consequences for Native American communities proved to be far beyond the benefits of beaver skinned top hats Europeans wore as fashionable accessories. Close ties to nature and balance with the environment around them is what aided Native American tribes, such as the Huron, to profit and sustain their way of life. Once they moved away from their self sufficient lifestyles and into a trade dependent economy, relations with the Europeans took a turn and the communities would never be the same again. Smallpox killed thousands of Native Americans, and most that survived were relocated south to states such as Oklahoma. The history of fur trade is in a lot of ways a tragedy; however there is a significant lesson that future generations need to learn from within the history of fur trade.
This project has helped me understand the subject matter because I’ve had to research Native American lifestyles before, during and after the French fur traders came into the Great Lakes region. Learning about all of the events that took place, I felt empathy for Native American tribes which helped me relate to this topic. I became very interested in activities children would do and what types of items they would play with. For instance, little girls would have dolls made out of corn husk. I think it’s interesting that most communities, no matter where they are in the world, little girls enjoy playing with dolls. It is a very personable, intimate detail that I can relate to.
If I were to assign my students to write historical narratives I would have them write in pencil in journal entries as if they were a person of that time period. I think that students can not only practice creative writing, but also more basic skills such as penmanship and spelling. If I were to use historical narratives in my classroom, I would only use it in upper level elementary or middle school classrooms. That way the student’s can articulate what they’ve learned more easily as well as get more enjoyment out of the assignment.
Some drawbacks of having students create historical narratives are incorporating misconceptions to their writing and the use of false information. If a teacher is not monitoring students progress as they create these narratives they could possibly be more focused on their story rather than actual episodes that took place. Or in other words, they could be writing a story as if they were a soldier in World War II but mostly be writing about fighting scenes rather than important figures or events that took place. I think that a good technique a teacher can utilize in order to avoid this from happening would be to give student’s a list of 7-10 facts about that time period they must include somewhere in there narrative. This can also help students who are having trouble starting their narrative, and limit that amount of misconceptions some might have.
This project has helped me understand the subject matter because I’ve had to research Native American lifestyles before, during and after the French fur traders came into the Great Lakes region. Learning about all of the events that took place, I felt empathy for Native American tribes which helped me relate to this topic. I became very interested in activities children would do and what types of items they would play with. For instance, little girls would have dolls made out of corn husk. I think it’s interesting that most communities, no matter where they are in the world, little girls enjoy playing with dolls. It is a very personable, intimate detail that I can relate to.
If I were to assign my students to write historical narratives I would have them write in pencil in journal entries as if they were a person of that time period. I think that students can not only practice creative writing, but also more basic skills such as penmanship and spelling. If I were to use historical narratives in my classroom, I would only use it in upper level elementary or middle school classrooms. That way the student’s can articulate what they’ve learned more easily as well as get more enjoyment out of the assignment.
Some drawbacks of having students create historical narratives are incorporating misconceptions to their writing and the use of false information. If a teacher is not monitoring students progress as they create these narratives they could possibly be more focused on their story rather than actual episodes that took place. Or in other words, they could be writing a story as if they were a soldier in World War II but mostly be writing about fighting scenes rather than important figures or events that took place. I think that a good technique a teacher can utilize in order to avoid this from happening would be to give student’s a list of 7-10 facts about that time period they must include somewhere in there narrative. This can also help students who are having trouble starting their narrative, and limit that amount of misconceptions some might have.