WHS Press

Learning from the Land: Wisconsin Land Use

• Table of Contents
• Sample Chapter
• Index

How has the landscape of Wisconsin affected its history? How have people living here changed that landscape over time? What are the implications for the future? Learning From the Land, the second book in the New Badger History series, addresses these and other questions, asking elementary and middle school readers to think about land use issues throughout Wisconsin's history. In the first of eight chapters, students learn the characteristics that define the five regions in Wisconsin. In the chapters that follow, they are introduced to the many peoples who have left their mark on this diverse land.

Students learn that the land encountered by Europeans and Euro-Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries was not virgin wilderness, but a landscape that had been undergoing some level of shaping for thousands of years. As the number of human beings and cultures in any given area increased, so did the potential for both conflict and adaptation. Students will examine the fur trade era, the transition from European to Euro-American political control, and the Black Hawk War. The war changed the future of Wisconsin's tribal population by issuing in both the treaty era and permanent settlement by Yankees and Europeans. These pioneer settlers, in turn, made massive changes to the landscape through mining, logging, and farming, as students learn in subsequent chapters. The last chapter focuses on fostering an awareness and concern for both our natural and our constructed landscape by exploring the work of environmentalist Aldo Leopold and landscape architect Philip H. Lewis.

Intriguing illustrations of our trademarked badger welcome students to 88 two-color, kid-friendly pages. We have packed Learning From the Land with historic photographs, maps, original drawings, and informational side bars that clarify the narrative.

Also available: Learning from the Land Teacher's Guide