"Hard Luck" La Salle
Instructional objectives (4th
Grade)
1.The student will learn how La Salle impacted
the settlement of Texas and the establishment of Catholic missions
in Texas.
2. The student will write a letter from the perspective
of an explorer.
TEKS
SOCIAL STUDIES History (4.2.B, 4.2.C) The
student understands the causes and effects of European exploration
and settlement of Texas. The student is expected to identify the
accomplishments of significant explorers such as Sieur de La Salle
and explain their impact on the settlement of Texas. The students
will learn how La Salle contributed to the establishment of Catholic
missions in Texas by Spain.
Material
-
La Salle was the leader of the colonists who
wanted to establish a French colony at the mouth of the Mississippi.
-
He accidentally bypassed the Mississippi and ended up sailing
along the coast of Texas.
-
As he was trying
to come ashore close to Matagorda Bay in 1686, one of the ships,
La Belle, wrecked and
lost crucial supplies.
-
He ordered some
colonists to stay in the area in a crude stockade that they
named Fort St. Louis while he traveled westward looking for
settlements.
-
While he was gone, many colonists died as a result of crop failure,
disease, or Indian raids. Many of their ships were either
lost or deserted.
-
La Salle was allegedly
murdered near Navasota by his own men when he took them East
to once again look for the Mississippi.
-
La Salle's efforts
on behalf of France caused Spain to renew efforts to colonize
Texas by establishing Catholic missions and new settlements.
-
The wreckage of
the La Belle was recently
discovered in Matagorda Bay, and excavation of its cargo was
completed in 1997. Some of the artifacts recovered from
the La Belle are
on display in the museum
Preparation of the Learning Environment
The teacher may have the students work individually
at their desks or in groups with a picture of the artifacts from
the La Belle. Individual work will require more copies
of the picture from the museum.
TEACHING PROCEDURE:
Motivation
Imagine that you are going to take a trip to a
place you have never been before and you do not know what to expect.
You know that the people living there might not be friendly.
What would you take with you to make your trip easier and to encourage
a friendship with the people you might meet?
Explanation
Have students read the accounts of La Salle from
their textbook and from the articles in The Handbook of Texas
Online
Ask the students the following questions:
1. Why do you think the explorers brought the beads?
(to trade with the Indians, to be used as decoration)
2. What does the Jesuit ring tell you about the explorers?
(religious influence of the Catholic church)
3. What could the hawk bells be used for? (decoration,
music)
4. What were the French explorers going to do with all of
these items? (They wanted to trade them with the Native
Americans for things that they needed like food and fur.)
Say to the students "Pretend you are a French
explorer who has been with La Salle."
1. Write a letter to someone at home in France telling him
what has happened since you arrived in Texas.
2. Tell him what you think the effect will be of losing all
the items to trade with the Native Americans.
3. Tell him what you plan to do next.
Practice
Give the students time to write their letters.
Remind them of the correct form for letters. Use astroparch paper
if possible.
Extension
Rather than writing a letter telling what happened
to your French exploration party, pretend you are a Spanish
explorer and write a letter telling how La Salle's experiences
affected your encounters in Texas.
Closure
Students could do additional research on how the
explorer may have dressed or on what flag they would have carried.
As the students read their letters to the class, they could wear
something or carry something that would indicate their nationality.
