Sacagawea was a young Shoshone woman who joined the explorers Lewis and Clark on their long journey west in 1805 — carrying her baby boy on her back the whole way!
She helped the explorers talk with Native nations they met, found food when supplies ran low, and once even rescued important papers and tools from a tipping boat! When the group met Shoshone people, their chief turned out to be Sacagawea's own brother — what a reunion!
Today, Sacagawea's face is on a golden dollar coin, honoring her courage.
Sequoyah was a Cherokee man with a giant idea. He saw people reading 'talking leaves' — papers with writing — and decided the Cherokee language needed its own writing too!
He worked for about twelve years and invented a whole writing system with 85 symbols, one for each Cherokee sound. Soon thousands of Cherokee people could read and write, and they printed their own newspaper! Giant sequoia trees are named in his honor.
1. How did Sacagawea help Lewis and Clark? Name two ways.
2. Who did Sacagawea find when the group met the Shoshone?
3. What did Sequoyah invent?
4. How long did Sequoyah work on his invention?
5. How are both leaders honored today?
Write what each word means in your own words.
Write T for true or F for false in each circle.
1. Sequoyah worked twelve years on his idea. Have you ever kept trying at something hard? What was it?
Draw Sacagawea guiding the explorers, and Sequoyah writing his 85 symbols.