Missouri: Teaching Resources

You’ll find here two sets of teaching materials to help teachers familiarize their students with the story of the French Heritage Corridor.

  • The first set of materials, all in English, is aimed at students in the upper elementary or middle school grades. It may be particularly useful for teachers working with the “Missouri Studies” part of the elementary curriculum, but it develops reading skills and aligns with several standards, including social studies.
  • The second set is for teachers of French, for use with students ranging from the upper middle school grades through high school and even in college-level intermediate language courses. The materials are in simple French.

For Elementary and Middle School Teachers

Introduction: These activities are designed for third- through sixth-graders, to help them begin to understand the time when Missouri was the home for French speakers as well as many Native people. They align with Standards in multiple areas of Social Studies (history and geography) as well as developing Reading skills.

  • “Old French Maps: Discovering Missouri’s Past”: This colorful interactive online map presentation & activity has buttons to click and a matching game to play. Looking at old French maps and comparing them with modern maps, it helps students understand the world of the French and Native people in Missouri in the 1600s and 1700s and also leads them to think about maps and what information people choose to include on maps. Difficult words are glossed with popup windows. The activity can be done in class or independently. It may be better for students at fourth grade or above.
  • “The French in Missouri”: This interactive online activity presents basic information about the time of the French in Missouri. It has popup windows for deeper exploration of some topics as well as small interactive quizzes. And, there are suggested followup activities. Difficult words are glossed with popup windows. The activity can be done in class or independently. It may be better for students at fourth grade or above.
  • “Trade Goods”: This brief matching activity asks students to think about what merchandise the French traded with their Native trading partners in La Nouvelle France. It’s linked from the Old Maps activity above, but can be done on its own if students are familiar with the context. Click here to access the activity in a separate window.
  • “French Heritage of Missouri”: This group of text- or paper-based activities is for younger students, starting in about third grade. They are designed to help students begin to understand the time period in question, as well as to help them think about the kinds of exchanges that happen when people from different cultures live together.
    • Click on this link to download the document “French Heritage of Missouri.”
  • The “Fur Trade Game” is an in-person role-play activity in which students play the roles of “Voyageurs” or “Native Families” and trade merchandise for furs. The set of materials in this Google folder includes instructions and cards that teachers can print and use.
  • The set of images included in this Google folder may be used as teachers and students wish, as they create projects or other documents illustrating French Heritage in Missouri.

For Teachers of French

Introduction: The following activities are designed for students of French at middle school, high school, and college levels. Students at levels of French II or French 102 and higher should be able to benefit from the activities. Click on the links below to access the activities, which are in online, paper, and role-play formats.

  • “Cartes françaises anciennes: Découverte du passé du Missouri” introduces students to the history of the French presence in North America and in Missouri by examining old French maps of the 1600s and 1700s. It helps students think about what kinds of information people choose to put on maps, and how that tells us about the world the French were living in and their interactions with Native people.
  • “Les Français dans le Missouri” is a general introduction to the French presence in North America and a specific introduction to the French presence in Missouri. It has several integrated mini-quizzes.
  • “Les marchandises” is a brief matching activity asking students to think about what “trade goods” the French traded with their Native partners. It’s linked from the Old Maps activity, but can be done on its own if students are familiar with the context.
  • More activities for French learners are included on this page. The set includes texts in French written for students at the low intermediate language level, with corresponding activities that reinforce comprehension and lead students to further exploration. They focus on the entire area of the French Heritage Corridor rather than individual states.
  • The “Fur Trade Game” is an in-person role-play activity in French. In it, students play the roles of “Voyageurs” or “Familles indigènes” and trade marchandises for fourrures. The set of materials in this Google folder includes instructions and cards in French that teachers can print and use.

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