Enduring Understanding 1: Through study in the arts, we learn about and honor others and the worlds in which they live(d).

Lucreaty Clark was born in 1904 in Jefferson County, Florida. She learned to make white oak baskets from her parents, who had learned from their parents. Originally, these sturdy baskets were used to hold cotton and carry vegetables from the plantation fields in north Florida. Through interviews and photographs, Clark shares the unique folklore and heritage of her life as she demonstrates the complete process of her basket making.

In this lesson students will view photographs of white oak basket making and listen to the interview with Lucreaty Clark to learn about the historic significance of white oak baskets in Florida.

Type: Lesson Plan

The Seminoles were part of the economic and cultural development of the Florida frontier. The decline of the hide trade followed by the Great Depression forced Seminoles to seek alternative sources of income.

Beginning in the 1910s, some Seminole families worked at tourist villages along the Tamiami Trail and other highways. Visitors could walk through the villages to learn what daily life was like for the Seminoles. When tourist season ended each year, the families would return to their real homes.

In this lesson students view photographs of Seminole dolls to compare the hairstyles, beadwork and patchwork clothing of the dolls to those of the Seminoles. Students will also be able to describe the historic significance of Seminole dolls in the culture and economy.

Type: Lesson Plan