Introduction to the Formative Period. This Teacher Guide from the Museums of Western Colorado provides teacher background on the Formative period of indigenous inhabitants in Colorado's western Grand Valley region from 750 BCE – 1300 CE years ago years ago. Use this guide alongside the Rock Art lesson. https://museumofwesternco.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Lesson-4-Rock-Art.pdf

Introduction to the Archaic Period. This Teacher Guide from the Museums of Western Colorado provides teacher background on the Archaic period of indigenous inhabitants in Colorado's western Grand Valley region from 8,000 – 2,500 years ago years ago. Use this guide alongside the Migration into North America lesson. https://museumofwesternco.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Lesson-2-Migration-into-North-America.pdf

Introduction to the Paleoindian Period. This Teacher Guide from the Museums of Western Colorado provides teacher background on the Paleo Indian period of indigenous inhabitants in Colorado's western Grand Valley region from >14,000 – 9,000 years ago. Use this guide alongside the Trash Can Archeology lesson https://museumofwesternco.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Lesson-1-Trash-Can-Archaeology.pdf

Clues from the Landscape Social Studies Lesson 2 Discovering Public Lands as Living Museums is designed to be used with Clues from the Landscape Artifact Kit. Lessons 1, 2 and 4 can be completed without the artifacts from the kit. These kits are available through Musuems of Western Colorado to D51 Teachers. This lesson can be adapted to use without the kit. Students will be able to: • Observe and analyze historical photographs • Predict future events based on historical photographs • Pose relevant questions about events they encounter in historical photographs • Compare and contrast life in the Grand Valley in the past with life today.

Loyd Files Research Library: Stop 14 Museum of the West Virtual Tour. Watch this short video to learn about a Museum of the West exhibit or collection to preview your field trip or for a virtual field trip if you are unable to attend in person. The Museum of the West is part of the Museums of Westen Colorado. Museum of the West Registrar, Vida Jaber, describes what she does and how the Loyd Files Research Library is different from other libraries. She also explains primary and secondary sources. Access the online collections here: https://www.museumofwesternco.com/collections/

Mountain Men Social Studies Lesson 2 Lupton's Letter is designed to be used with Mountain Man Artifact Kit. Lessons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 can be completed without the artifacts from the kit. These kits are available through Musuems of Western Colorado to D51 Teachers. This lesson can be adapted to use without the kit. Students will be able to: • analyze a primary historical source • create and justify a response to the primary source • examine maps to trace the journey of the document.

Students analyze a mountain man's map to see how the political boundaries of the US have changed over time

The Mountain Men: Stop 5 Museum of the West Virtual Tour. Watch this short video to learn about a Museum of the West exhibit or collection to preview your field trip or for a virtual field trip if you are unable to attend in person. The Museum of the West is part of the Museums of Westen Colorado. Mountain Men not only worked in the fur trade, but they helped open the west to further expansion by the United States. David Bailey explains what life was like for mountain men and how territory in the west changed hands over time.

Museums of Western Colorado present an overview of 15 stops on the Museum of the West Virtual Tour. View short videos describing collections at the museum to preview your field trip or if you are unable to visit the museum in person for a virtual field trip.

Museums of Western Colorado allow education kits for check out in District 51. The kits come with a curriculum, teacher training materials and artifacts. Some of which are genuine from the Grand Junction BLM Field Office. Kits local to the Grand Junction/Western Colorado area.

This is an online portal to search photos of items in the Museums of Western Colorado Collections intended for specific research. The Museums of Western Colorado has the duty to preserve more than 100,000 items related to Mesa County’s cultural and scientific heritage, including historic documents, photographs, objects, works of art, paleontological specimens, and archaeological artifacts. For research access to other primary sources in the collections items visit: https://www.museumofwesternco.com/collections/

The Museum is currently prioritizing creation of an online collections search portal. Digitization is an on-going process but content is being added frequently.

Overview URL for the Social Studies Lessons Module from Museums of the West in Grand Junction, CO. This URL links to Modules on three topics. 1) The Original Coloradans provides students with an understanding of the peoples that inhabited the Western Slope before the arrival of the Utes. Designed for grades 3-4, but can be used with older students. 2) Clues from the Landscape allows students the opportunity to study historical photographs and maps of western Colorado in order to assess the challenges of homesteading. Designed for grades 2-4, but can be used with older students. 3) Mountain Men was compiled as part of a PBL at Grand Junction High School in 2018. Some of the lessons herein were developed and tested by GJHS students with the help of 4th grade classes at Pomona Elementary. It would not have been possible without the partnership between the MWC and D-51 schools. For the purpose of this educational kit, some lessons have been adapted from other existing museum kits including the History Colorado Mountain Man Kit and the Wyoming State Museum Mountain Man Discovery Trunk. This kit is to be used as an educational tool and is strictly non-profit in order to adhere to educational fair use policy.

Elementary student wrap-up following a field trip to the Museum of the West exhibits

The Pastime Saloon: Stop 8 Museum of the West Virtual Tour. Watch this short video to learn about a Museum of the West exhibit or collection to preview your field trip or for a virtual field trip if you are unable to attend in person. The Museum of the West is part of the Museums of Westen Colorado. Saloons were gathering places during the early days of Grand Junction. Curator of History, David Bailey, describes what went on in these gathering places.

Mountain Men Social Studies Lesson 5 The Price is Right! is designed to be used with Mountain Man Artifact Kit. Lessons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 can be completed without the artifacts from the kit. These kits are available through Musuems of Western Colorado to D51 Teachers. This lesson can be adapted to use without the kit. Students will be able to: • understand the exchange of goods between trappers and traders by solving mathematical problems.

Short history of the Railroad in Grand Valley and historical timeline for the railroad with photos and diagrams.

The Original Coloradans Social Studies Lesson 4 designed to be used with The Original Coloradans Artifact Kit. Lessons 1, 2 and 4 can be completed without the artifacts from the kit. These kits are available through Musuems of Western Colorado to D51 Teachers. This lesson can be adapted to use without the kit. Students will create their own "rock art" using red tempera paint on brown or tan construction paper. Students will be able to: • distinguish petroglyphs from pictographs, • create their own “rock art” and evaluate each other’s symbols, • theorize on the importance of rock art to ancient people, • describe how rock art vandalism has a negative impact on our understanding of history. For more background information, see Rock Art and Cultures of the Colorado Plateau https://museumofwesternco.com/rock-art/

Short history of Rock Art styles and historical timeline for Rock Art on the Colorado Plateau with photos and diagrams.

Elementary student scavenger hunt for use on a field trip to the Museum of the West exhibits