People in Motion, Lesson Plan 1 for Castle Rock Pueblo: A Trip Through Time

CASTLE ROCK PUEBLO: A TRIP THROUGH TIME
Lesson Plan One: People in Motion

Concepts
Mapping and human migration

Skills
Measuring, record keeping, map reading, building inferences, cooperation, questioning

Time Required
2 hours

Materials

AAA Indian Country Map
String
Chart showing walking/riding/driving travel times (PDF file)
Access to Castle Rock Pueblo: A Trip Through Time on the Crow Canyon Web site (https://www.crowcanyon.org/castlerocktrip)

Vocabulary
Pueblo, migration, scale

Background
We often measure distance with the time it takes to travel between two points, explaining distance with a phrase such as "It is about two hours away." However, travel times have changed dramatically with each new technological revolution. The horse, the wheel, and engines brought about dramatic differences in the amount of time needed to travel long distances. This lesson will help students understand these changes in relationship to the historical changes which have taken place at and around Castle Rock Pueblo.

In this lesson, students will be involved in an introductory mapping activity, locating their own modern town or city and the ancient village of Castle Rock Pueblo on the AAA Indian Country map. They will measure the distance between the locations and calculate how long it would take to travel between the two places if they were traveling on foot, on horseback, and by car. These three types of transportation correspond to the primary modes of travel in the A.D.1200s, 1800s, and 1990s, the times represented in each of the three field trips.

It is recommended (though not necessary) that students read the three field trips in Castle Rock Pueblo: A Trip Through Time before they do this lesson.

Procedure
1. Show the students a map which includes the student's town and Castle Rock Pueblo. Although the pueblo is not indicated on the AAA Indian Country map, the Battlerock School which is approximately one mile away, is identified. Both are in McElmo Canyon which lies west of the town of Cortez, Colorado. Ask the students to find and label these two places on the map.

2. Ask the students to answer the following questions, using the scale on the map and the time ratios given below.

How many miles is it from your town to Castle Rock Pueblo?
How many hours would it take to drive to Castle Rock Pueblo? (at 50 miles per hour)
How many days would it take to reach Castle Rock Pueblo on horseback? (at 25 miles per day)
How many days would it take to walk to Castle Rock Pueblo? (at 15 miles per day)

Note:
To help your students determine the time it would take to travel to Castle Rock Pueblo, you can use the chart provided with this lesson (PDF file). Be aware that the scales must match! Two inches on the chart MUST equal exactly two inches for the chart to work with the AAA Indian Country map. Students can also use string to measure the distance on the map and then lay the string on the chart to estimate the travel time needed.

3. Assist students as they recognize the modern pueblos in Arizona and New Mexico on the Indian Country map. (Many pueblos are located along the Rio Grande River and its tributaries.)

4. Ask the students to select a modern pueblo. Students will then calculate how many days it would take to walk from the selected modern pueblo to Castle Rock Pueblo.

Note: Although it is often said that the ancestral Puebloan people vanished when they left the Mesa Verde area, we know that they actually migrated to a new place in the Southwest. When the ancestral Puebloans left the Mesa Verde region, they moved south to Arizona and New Mexico. Today, there are 18 modern pueblos.

Closure
Through discussion, examine the challenges the ancestral Puebloan people may have faced on their migration to their new home, for example, bad weather or sickness within the group. Assess how these problems would affect the travel time from Castle Rock Pueblo to the southern pueblos.

Evaluation
Successful completion of task and class discussion.

Extensions
1. Test travel times with your students. How long does it take them to walk a mile? Over uneven territory? Carrying a pack? Extrapolate how long it would take your class to make the journey from Castle Rock Pueblo to a pueblo in Arizona or New Mexico. Remember that you can only go as fast as your slowest person!

2. Students can learn more about the modern Pueblo they chose in the above lesson. Many are open to the public at certain times of the year. (Please be prepared to follow each Pueblo's regulations for visitation.) If students are not able to visit the pueblo in person, they can look for information on the Internet. A good place to start is Crow Canyon's Colorado Heritage Education Resource Guide.

Visit the Learning Center at www.crowcanyon.org