Name: Scarber, Pam

E-mail: pscar@cswnet.com

Topic: Problems Encountered by Surveyors of Arkansas

Grade: 5th

Time: 1-2 class periods

Ark. Hist. Framework: 1.1.9, 4.1.5, 5.1.9, 3.1.6, 4.1.6, 5.1.7

Objective: Students will gain a better understanding of the six geographic regions of Arkansas by researching the problems encountered by the surveyors in Arkansas after the Louisiana Purchase.

Set: Do a K-W-L chart of what the students know about the six geographic regions of Arkansas.

Materials: Arkansas and the Land by Foti & Hanson

Arkansas History Textbook

Key Terms: ticks, chiggers, mountains, hills, swamps, uplands/highlands, rivers, Ozark Mountains, Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas River Valley, Coastal Plain, Delta, Crowley's Ridge, alluvial soil

Key Facts: When the first surveyors came to Arkansas after the Louisiana Purchase, they encountered certain problems.  Among these were the physical attributes of the state and the insect/wildlife population.  In each region, the surveyors had to overcome different problems.

Activities: Have the students research the geographic regions of Arkansas in their textbooks, Arkansas and the Land by Foti and Hanson, and possibly on the internet.  They can then make and complete a chart compiling the information.

Closure: Students will write an essay comparing at least two of the regions and the problems the surveyors encountered.

Assessment: The essays written by the students will be used to assess the lesson.

Resources: Arkansas and the Land by Foti & Hanson

Arkansas History Textbook

The History of the Rectangular Survey System by C. Albert White

-----------------