Over two hundred years ago, many people from Kentucky, Virginia, and other states in our new United States came to what is now Ross County to settle. When they arrived, they found thick woods full of bear, deer, turkeys, and other wild animals. Eager to settle, they quickly cleared the land to make room for their homes, and fields for planting. The uncovering of the land led to their discovery of unusual earthworks which became known as Indian mounds.
These “indian mounds” were left for us by the Adena and later the Hopewell cultures. Today, many of us pass by the ancient earthworks without a second thought. Worthington elementary has the Story Mound almost in its back yard. These earthworks not only have provided a look into our ancient past, but today attract hundreds of visitors to Ross County yearly.
We are so fortunate to have the Hopewell Culture National Historic Park (http://www.nps.gov/hocu/index.htm) nearby as a resource. The park programs presented by park rangers are available during field trips to the park and also in your classroom. A curriculum guide has been developed for grades 3-8. The free guide can be picked up at the park or downloaded from the internet at: http://www.nps.gov/hocu/forteachers/classrooms/curriculummaterials.htm
The teaching units below have been developed in conjunction with the expert staff at the Hopewell Culture National Historic Park. Each unit is in PDF format. They include a teacher guide, text with illustrations and worksheet activities. The unit can be printed or used as an overhead.
Please click on the read titles to pull up the PDF.
3rd grade
Discovering the Hopewell Culture – Gr. 3 10:14 copyHopewell booklet 6:18-xbayey
4th grade
Exploring Adena & Hopewell(1:2:16) Teacher Guide History Depot
Exploring Adena & Hopewell(1:2:16) Student Booklet History Depot