Lesson Four: Oscar Howe and Francis Higbee Case

Focus Questions:

• What subjects did Howe usually paint?

• Where might you find some of Howe’s artwork in South Dakota?

• How have the dams and their lakes helped the state?

• How did President Coolidge’s visit benefit the state?

Imbedded Information In The Student Lesson:

Crow Creek Indian Reservation; Mitchell Corn Palace; State Game Lodge; dam projects

Worksheet:

Notable South Dakotans Evaluation Sheet

Classroom Activities:

     Have the students look at the Oscar Howe murals in the student lesson. Other examples of his work appear at http://www.sdstate.edu/southdakotaartmuseum/collections/Oscar-Howe/
Have the students create a class mural on a large roll of paper. The students can paint or draw to depict a chosen theme: the history of your town, student life at school, or individual profiles.  Or you may want to have students create murals using South Dakota grains and grasses.  Local farmers might be willing to donate the raw materials.  The students could also do "mosaics" using just the seeds.

     Have the class think about ways to improve the state of South Dakota or their school. Have the class vote on their top choices. Invite one or more local elected officials (congressman, mayor, school board member, etc.) to visit your classroom. Ask them to talk about how they got elected and the duties they perform and then to discuss the students’ ideas. They could also explain how to contact local government officials to voice opinions or needs.

    Visit a local newspaper or have the local editor visit the class to discuss what an editor does. Ask to see back issues of the newspaper and look up important dates to see what happened. As an alternative, ask students to bring in newspaper articles on the Missouri River, the interstate and highway system, presidential travel, or South Dakota tourism. Mount the stories on a big sheet of paper by category and discuss how these issues are important to the state—both back when Case was a United States senator and today. Or divide the students into groups to discuss each topic and report to the class on their conclusions.