Lesson Plan

• Ask students to explain what they know about the Appalachian Trail.  This will give you perspective as to what how much prior knowledge exists within the group.
• Students view a contemporary hiking experience on the Appalachian Trail (AT).  There are countless pieces to watch accessing Youtube that show what a day in the life of current thru hiker is like.  Students should identify and list hardships that they spot from this lifestyle (5-7). The following clip will give them a clear idea.  Into the Wild: My Journey on the Appalachian Trail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJduf7v4Wwo  
  Start at 3:03 and watch through 11:55 or longer.  The clip paints a pretty clear picture of the experience, both the highs and lows.
• Lead a discussion with your students of what stands out the most to them.  Let the discussion cover many aspects of the experience.
• Ask students to write why they believe someone would choose to undertake something like thru-hiking the AT.  Students will take 5 minutes to reflect.
• Create a Venn Diagram on the board labeled “2020” and “1952.”  Write three motivations for people to travel the AT today.
• Either electronically or on paper, direct students to read the introduction to the history of the AT http://appalachiantrailhistory.org/exhibits/show/lostapptrail/lostatintro
• Make certain that students see and understand the two major purposes behind Benton MacKaye’s brainchild of the AT:  a chance for urban workers to commune with nature, and rural community development as seen in the reading.
• Optional 10 minute lecture:  Summarize the development of the AT-- it was a process of collecting land easements, rights of way from private land holders, and routing along existing roads.  Use the following links to maps of the trail in its infancy, its routing through the “Lost” section, and its current route.
  • Early trail:  Benton MacKaye’s original proposal for the AT http://appalachiantrailhistory.org/items/show/342
  • Virginia’s Lost AT: http://appalachiantrailhistory.org/items/show/1110
  • Current Route: https://appalachiantrail.org/home/conservation/landscape-protection
• Hiking the Trail:  With or without the lecture, students can begin the hiking portion.  Students will read the brief explanation of hiking the trail in its early years for background on their upcoming task.  http://appalachiantrailhistory.org/exhibits/show/lostapptrail/lostathiking 
• Using the “Hiking the Trail” and “Intro” readings as overviews, students will access the collection of sources concerning the trail.  The sources range from newspaper stories and letters to pictures of people and places. Students will read and/or analyze the sources and create social media posts as if they were reporting their life on the trail.
• Before students create their “posts,” revisit the Venn Diagram and see what different motivations existed for hiking in 1952 and what similarities can be found.
• Students will create a series of seven social media posts concerning a thru-hike of the AT in the late 1940s, early 1950s. 
• A summary discussion before the end of class will benefit the whole group as students share their ideas.
  
  

Writing Prompt and/or Warm-up Activity:

Warm-up Activity:  Students will begin class by viewing a contemporary hiking experience on the Appalachian Trail (AT).  Students should identify and list inconveniences that they spot from this lifestyle (3-5).

Social Media Written Assignment:
In the posts, students should write from a first-person account as though they are hiking the trail.  They will choose 7 of the 12 sources and create an authentic post for each

• Posts should identify major issues facing thru-hikers: weather, logistics, interactions with the local community, and other hardships.  Posts could also identify the positives hikers experienced in their adventures/interactions.
• Posts should be dated, a maximum of 140 characters, and have a relevant hashtag.  If using a computer, there should also be an image.
• When assessing posts, students should display familiarity with each source they choose.  Strong posts will incorporate an understanding of the struggles of solitude, and the general public that is skeptical of “hikers,” and the isolated nature of rural communities.  Students should also spot the kindness and generosity of families along the trail in helping the hikers complete their journeys.