Sacagawea was a Shoshone woman who served as an interpreter and guide for the Lewis and Clark Expedition from 1804 to 1806. She helped them communicate with other Native American tribes and navigate the territory from the Dakotas to the Pacific Ocean. The expedition's goal was to explore the Louisiana Purchase and establish trade and U.S. sovereignty over the Northwest. Sacagawea proved invaluable to the expedition's success and helped them achieve their mission of discovering a practical route across the western half of the continental United States.

1. Famous People Friday Mr. Mundorf’s Class April 30, 2010

2. Sacagawea Historical Overview Vocabulary Pre-Viewing Questions

5. expedition expedition —A trip or journey made for a specific reason or purpose.

6. translator translator —A person who helps people who speak different languages to better communicate by changing words from one language into another.

7. Native Americans Native Americans —The first people in America who arrived thousands of years ago.

8. Indies Indies —Area in East Asia where Christopher Columbus thought he had sailed to in 1492. Also known as the East Indies.

9. Louisiana Purchase Louisiana Purchase — Lands west of the Mississippi River that the United States purchased from France for approximately 15 million dollars in 1803.

10. The Corps of Discovery The Corps of Discovery —A group formed by Lewis and Clark to accompany them on an expedition to explore the Louisiana Territory in 1804. The group took two and a half years to travel over 4,000 miles, learning much about the western part of the United States.

11. Mandan Villages Mandan Villages — Group of Native American villages in North Dakota where the Corps of Discovery spent the winter of 1804-1805.

12. Pompey’s Pillar Pompey’s Pillar —A large rock discovered by William Clark in 1806 in what is now Montana. Named after Sacagawea’s son, Jean Baptiste, who was also called Little Pomp.

13. Himalayas Himalayas —An extremely high and rugged mountain range in Asia that includes Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak.

14. Before the Movie What do you know about different groups of Native Americans and how they lived at the time of Sacagawea? If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why would you like to go there? How does travel help us understand the world? What is an explorer? What does it mean when we call someone an explorer? Describe some personal characteristics of explorers, such as courage.