Instructional Strategies - Fur Trade

In this module students learn how Baraboo acquired its name. Students are introduced to local historian Mark Tully and learn from his research about the life of Francois Barbeau. They consider the impact of exploration of the area that would become Wisconsin and of trade with Indigenous People.

Ask students to consider the impact of the trade on settlement along the Baraboo River. Encourage students to consider how the Indigenous Peoples and the French traders became dependent on each other for manufactured goods for the Indigenous People and the economy of the fur trade for the French.

Talk about possible dangers and adventures Francois Barbeau may have experienced as he traveled along waterways. Go through the list of supplies noted in the video. Ask students why he took what he did, why he was limited in the amount of supplies he took, and suggestions of other things he may have taken.

Wisconsin Social Studies Standards Alignment

Learning Priority: (Inq3.c) Elaborate how evidence supports a claim

3-5: Assess how evidence supports a claim.

Learning Priority: (BH4.a) Progression of technology

3-5: Classify technologies based on intended use, access, and design, and how they might change people’s lives (for better or worse).

Learning Priority: (Econ2.c:) Firm/business behavior and costs of production

3-5: Compare the skills and knowledge required to produce certain goods and services. Provide an example of the factors of production (i.e., land, labor, capital, entrepreneurship) for a given product.

Learning Priority: (Econ4.d) Impact of government interventions

3-5: Predict unintended costs and benefits (i.e., externalities) for a given current situation or event.

Learning Priority: (Econ4.a) Economic systems and allocation of resources

3-5: Trace the chain of supply for a needed product (e.g., food, shelter).

Learning Priority: (Geog1.a) Tools of geography

3-5: Summarize how location (absolute and relative) affects people, places, and environment. Construct maps (paper or digital), charts, and graphs using appropriate elements (i.e., date, orientation, grid, scale, title, author, index, legend, situation).

Learning Priority: (Geog5.a) Human environment interaction

3-5: Compare the positive and negative effects of human actions on our physical environment.

Learning Priority: (Geog5.b) Interdependence

3-5: Examine how human actions modify the physical environment when using natural resources.

Learning Priority: (Hist2.b) Patterns change over a period of time

3-5: Describe patterns of change over time in the community, state, and the United States.

Learning Priority: (Hist2.c) Contextualization

3-5: Analyze individuals, groups, and events to understand why their contributions are important to historical change or continuity.