Use Geographic Inquiry and GIS in the Classroom

The Lewis and Clark expedition and its bicentennial commemoration are evocative: they provide a jumping off point for the educational pursuits of observation, analysis, and action that transcend the immediate geography impacted and the 200 years of change involved.

The metaphor of exploration is applicable to any subject. Teachers and students can easily use the Lewis and Clark expedition as a way of framing study that is of interest to them—making observations, performing analyses, and positively effecting change.

The journey is linked to a rich mixture of academic pursuits: archaeology, botany, cartography and surveying, economics, field ecology, geology, political science, sociology and anthropology, and zoology are a sampling of the key disciplines that intersect. Given the numerous educational trails and intersections that can be explored, we recommend

1. Get to know and use the geographic inquiry [PDF-780 KB] method as a way of guiding research studies.
2. See GIS in Schools: Introduction and Inspiration [PDF-x.x MB] for a discussion on the use of GIS in education.
3. Use the classroom guides offered as ways of framing and pursuing areas of interest.
4. Explore other areas of this Web site to gather background information on some of the geographic and historical aspects of the Lewis and Clark expedition as well as key mapping technologies.
5. Beyond what is provided here, make extensive use of favorite search engines to begin and sustain the explorations, drawing upon terms, concepts, and ideas included here.
6. Visit the ESRI K–12 Education Web site.
7. Return here periodically for updates.