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4^th Grade Lesson Designs

Day 3 – Otter Hunting in California

1. Lesson Objectives

   1. Given a map of the California Coastline, and an Otter Hunting Chart students will be able to:
      • locate where otter communities lived along the coast
      • verbally identify what ethnic groups were hunting otter
      • pinpoint with markers where these groups were hunting otter with 85 per cent accuracy by the end of the activity.
   2. After listening to a description of otter fur or after being able to touch an otter pelt, students will be able to write a list 5 possible uses for otter fur.
   3. Given routes of individual ships, students will be able to trace routes of 5 ships on a world map with 85% accuracy by the end of the activity.
   • Time for entire lesson: 50 minutes

2. Materials
1. Map of the California coastline indicating existing presidios and ports, otter fields in the 1800s.
2. Otter Hunting Chart, pens and paper.
3. Descriptions and pictures of otters; otter fur, if available, Dry erase markers, dry erase board,
4. Large map of the world for class to look at – ideally a transparency that can be projected on wall and written on
5. Preparation guidelines:
   • Print the Map of Sea Otter Fields in California and Otter Hunting Chart. Make copies of both for each student in class.
   • You may also wish to print out the following higher quality Acrobat images for printing and Xerox them onto a transparency for overhead projection:
     • Pacific Ocean map
     • baidarka (Native American kayak)
     • Map of Old Town
     • Drawing of the ship Pilgrim
     • Pilgrim's Route

   • Print one copy of the Otter Fact Sheet. For additional otter information, check out the websites below. Read the descriptions of otter fur aloud and use the rest of the information to lead the class discussion on the pelts’ uses.
   • Sea World Sea Otter facts
   • Aquarium.com Sea Otter facts
3. Guidelines
1. The Otter Hunting Chart features only a fraction of the ships involved in the fur trade. During the class discussion, ask students to look at the chart and see if they notice a change in the numbers of otter caught each year. Ask them to infer why the numbers caught decreased as time went on (see if they can draw a connection between the hunting methods -- arrows and spears vs. guns -- and number of hunters). Ask if they can see where the hunters moved from one year to the next to find otter (always southward). Ask why they had to keep going southwards (otter populations exterminated in the north).
2. For Mapping exercise, you will need to use both the Map of Sea Otter Fields in California and the world map. The world map shows where Sitka, Kodiak, Hawaii and Canton, China are.
4. Lesson Presentation
1. Introduction: (5 minutes)Yesterday we saw how Allen Light had to compete with other people to hunt otter in California. Today we’re going to take a short break from investigating the Allen Light case and try to understand why hunting otter was such big business a hundred years ago. You’ll be looking at maps and pictures of boats to figure out where the other hunters came from, how they hunted, and what happened to the otters they caught. For starters, remember who attacked Allen Light and George Nidever while they were hunting near Santa Rosa Island? Where were they from?
2. Mapping activity: (15 minutes) Give students the coastal map of California with settlements and otter breeding grounds and Otter hunting chart. Ask them to use a different colored pencil for each group that hunted otter: e.g. yellow for American citizens; blue for Russians; red for Mexican citizens; green for Kodiaks, purple for Aleuts; orange for Kanakas (Hawaiian Islanders), pink for Spaniards. Have them put dots on their maps to show where each group was spotted hunting otter.
3. Class discussion: (20 minutes) Show a picture of an otter, or if possible, let students touch a sample of otter fur. Ask a student to read out loud a description of the otter; ask students to brainstorm possible uses for otter fur. Write these down on the board.
4. Trade routes activity: (10 minutes) Show world map transparency on an overhead projector and ask students to trace the route of each ship on the otter hunting chart took.
5. Evaluation:
1. California coastal maps marked with hunting parties.
2. Class discussion -- list of otter fur uses; student’s inferences about the effect of hunting on otter populations
3. World Map with ship routes drawn by students.