Introduction
Riches, Fame, Fortune!!!
All this could be yours for finding the Emerald Rock of Arkansas! ...At least, this is what the Europeans believed.
Explorers from Europe traveled thousands of miles in search of this rock. For these explorers, finding such a rock would not only make them very wealthy, it would bring honor to their family name.
But what actually IS the emerald rock of Arkansas? Was it really true or just a legend?
Did Europeans ever find it? And why does it matter to us today?
These questions and more are you challenge to answer in this WebQuest! Now start exploring!
Task
You will be required to do the following:
1) Go through the WebQuest and click on the links.
2) Fill out the guided notes (attached in Google Classroom).
3) Create a story map of the events surrounding the rock (on the handout).
Process
Have your worksheet ready to go!
1) What do we know about La Harpe? (Who was he, where did he travel, why did he travel, what impact did he have, etc.)
2) Even though La Harpe does not find an "emerald rock," he does encounter a large beautiful rock that he names "Le Rocher Francais." By looking at the map, where do you suppose La Harpe found this very interesting rock? (Think about the six regions of Arkansas. If La Harpe is traveling up the Arkansas River, at what point might he have seen the first large, protruding rock formations?)
La Harpe also gave a brief description of the rock. List several descriptions:
French Rock (La Harpe's Description)
3) Explorers & historians found that big "French Rock" and later changed the name to "Big Rock."
4) Before leaving Arkansas completely, La Harpe decides to set up a small trading post near his "Big French Rock" that he found. Instead of building this trading post next to the large rock, he chooses instead to place it on the other side of the river, near a small Quapaw village and next to what he calls "le petit rocher."
Go to translate.google.com and put in the words "petit rocher" to translate into English.
5) The French explorers, river travelers, and settlers identified the "petit rocher" quite easily, as it was much smaller than the "big rock" on the other side of the river.
6) The small settlement eventually grew as more settlers came to live near the "petit rocher."
Evaluation
Arkansas History WEBQUEST
You can earn up to 24 points for this assignment:
|
CRITICAL AREA |
KEY ELEMENTS |
TOTAL POINTS in area |
|
Content covered |
There need to be detailed and accurate responses to each question on the timeline. |
0 3 5 8 |
|
Care & Creativity |
The story map must be constructed well and be visually appealing.
|
0 3 5 8 |
|
Spelling/Grammar |
The responses and the story map must be constructed using correct spelling and grammar. |
0 3 5 8 |
|
8 points |
All key elements are evident to a high degree. |
|
5 points |
All key elements are evident. |
|
3 points |
Few key elements are evident to a satisfactory degree. |
|
0 points |
There are no key elements evident. |
Conclusion
While La Harpe never found an actual emerald stone, his journey up the Arkansas River was not in vain. As Arkansans, we can be thankful for La Harpe's expedition as it led directly to the founding of the city of Little Rock.
Many people unfortunately ignore the meaning and significance of city names and locations. They assume that someone just "came up" with the name for no particular reason. History shows us, however, that this is not true, and Little Rock is a perfect example. The rock formations for which the city of Little Rock is named can still be seen today.
Follow the links below to see recent photos of these important rock formations.
You can also view these rocks from satellite images via Google Earth or Google Maps. Simply follow this link to see the "big rock." To view the "little rock," follow this link here. You can also get directions to these locations if you ever want to go and see them for yourself!