Cold Case?: A Homicide in 1841 Arkansas

The lesson plan utilizes Surprised by Death by George Lankford, published in 2009 by Butler Center Books and distributed by the University of Arkansas Press. Students will not only study the territorial era of Arkansas but they will review the literature written during the time by an Arkansan who is a major character in Surprised by Death, a novel based on a true story. Students may also study the American literature author Washington Irving, whose book, A Tour on the Prairies, features one of the characters in Lankford’s book.

Lesson Plan

Courtesy of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

Grade Level: 9-12 High School

Time period: Louisiana Purchase Through Early Statehood 1803-1860

Arkansas Academic Standards are subject to revision every six years by the Arkansas Department of Education. The frameworks used in the majority of lesson plans on the Arkansas History Hub are from the 2006 Social Studies Frameworks and the 2007 Arkansas History Amendments and School Library Media Frameworks.

G.1.AH.9-12.2, TPS.4.AH.9-12.4, TPS.4.AH.9-12.5, TPS.4.AH.9-12.6