UNIT PLAN

Lesson 1:

The topic will be introduced to students. Problems concerning the study of American Indians will be addressed: stereotypes, oral tradition, and European bias.

Objective: Students will be able to list the problems concerning studying Native Americans. Students will be able to analyze American Indian Stereotypes

Activity 1 – Start-Up activity: students will be asked to list everything they know about Native Americans. They will be given 5-6 minutes to do this. After wards the teacher will ask students to share. This will lead directly into a talk on stereotypes, using the students work as examples in addition to those found on the internet. (10 minutes)

Activity 2 – The teacher will talk about stereotypes, how they started, why they started, and why it is important to dispel such myths when talking about Native Americans. (10 minutes)

Activity 3 – Students will read through page 4 in the text along with the teacher. The teacher will stop periodically to stress important concepts and to draw students into discussions. (10-15 minutes)

Closure: Teacher will ask the class why it is important to dispel stereotypes. Answers will be drawn out. Teacher will then say there is another important reason. “Are there any Native Americans around today?” Students will guess how many are in the U.S. today (4,210,000 as of 2000 census). “Is it fair to these people for these stereotypes to exist? No.”

Enrichment/Extension: The question, “why do you think stereotypes would make studying Native American Indians will be added to worksheet”.

Differentiation:

For EAL students the following words will be defined and examples given for meaning: Artifacts, settlement, hostile witnesses, motives, archaeologists, justify, glamorous, descendents.

Assessment:

Students’ progress will be assessed in class with the use of questions and discussions. A worksheet which requires students to analyze a political cartoon dealing with stereotypes will be given as coursework at the end of the 3^rd activity or as homework.

Lesson 2:

Objective: Students will investigate the arrival of the first people into North America.

Intro: Students will begin the class by reading a handout detailing the early history of man. How man emerged from the Great Rift Valley and spread throughout the world. After students have read the selection the teacher will ask the class if human life started out in Africa how did it reach North America, which is not connected to Africa? This will be a question that students shouldn’t answer yet. (7 minutes)

Activity 1 – The students will be asked to divide into three different groups. Each group will be given a different source which points to how the first Americans may have reached the continent of North America. The groups should discuss what the evidence reveals about the possible paths. What does the evidence tell us? Each student should write what conclusions the group reached about each source in their notebooks. The groups will then rotate to the next source until they have seen all 3. The whole class will then discuss the findings. (20 minutes)

Activity 2 – The teacher and students will read out loud pages 6 and 7 in the text.

Activity 3 – The students will write a narrative from the perspective of an early nomadic North American who has just crossed the land bridge and is settling down in what is now Alaska. Why did he pick up and move, if only a relatively small distance? What is he doing to survive? What tools does he have in order to survive?

Closure:

Homework: The students will write a narrative from the perspective of an early nomadic North American who has just crossed the land bridge and is settling down in what is now Alaska. Why did he pick up and move, if only a relatively small distance? What is he doing to survive? What tools does he have in order to survive?

Assessment: The students’ written work, completed during the group work portion of the class, will be graded. The homework/class work questions will also be graded.

Lesson 3: 

Objective: Students will be able to explain geographical reasons for differing cultures and life ways of American Indians.

Question: Why are there so many different tribes/groups all with different cultures?

Activity 1 – The teacher will talk about the geography of three different areas: the arctic, the plains, and the southeast. Using a powerpoint presentation the climate and geographical features will be discussed. After each one the teacher will ask what we can assume about how people lived in each area (i.e. in the arctic people would have to hunt for food). 15 minutes

Activity 2 – Students will be given a blank map of North America along with another map describing physical geography of the continent: Plains, mountain region, etc. The students will then draw a map showing the different environments found in the region. 25 minutes

Closure: The teacher will remind students how the environment affected the aforementioned groups of people. Now you have looked at some different regions. Assign homework.

Enrichment: Students who finish early will be asked to read page 8 and answer the questions at the bottom of the page.

Differentiation: Words that may not be familiar to some students will be explained to all (i.e. in Powerpoint presentation).

Assessment: The map will be graded on completion. The questions that go along with the map will also be graded.

Homework: Students will complete a worksheet on classification of Native Americans. One way to classify Native Americans was discussed today. Explain what that method was. What are some other classifications we can use? (language, religion, etc.) Do you think one classification is best? Which one if any? Why is that the best?

Lesson 4:

Objective: Students will be able to describe the way the Pueblo Indians lived

Introduction: Teacher will give a short introduction to the Pueblo Indians.

Activity 1 – 5 different handouts will be placed face down, 1 in front of each chair in a random order. The students will then be asked to silently read the selection then read the questions under the reading. They should then read through again, this time underlining important info. 10 minutes

Activity 2 – When everyone has had a chance to go over their article they will find the other 1 or 2 people who have the same topic. They will then work in their groups to do two things: answer the questions, and prepare to present the info to the rest of the class. 20 minutes

Activity 3 – Students will then present their topic to the rest of the class. 10 minutes

Closure: The teacher will say that they have learned a little bit about the Pueblos but will go more in depth next class period.

Enrichment: Most of this lesson is devoted to group work. I’m not sure how to enrich.

Differentiation: While students are reading the passages to themselves the teacher will go around and assist ESL students with troublesome vocabulary.

Assessment: The answers to questions and the presentations will be graded.

Homework: Students will receive the other passages and will complete the questions for each.

Lesson 5:

Objective: Students will be able to explain geographical reasons for differing cultures and life ways of American Indians.

Activity 1 – Teacher will give a lecture on the different types of shelter, clothing, food, etc. of 3 different American Indian tribes: Plain Indians (tepes, nomadic hunters), Inuit (arctic, fishermen, igloos), and Cherokee (farmers, thatched houses).

Activity 2 – Students will be given a blank map of North America along with another map describing physical geography of the continent: Plains, mountain region, etc. The students will then draw a map showing the different environments found in the region.

Activity 3 – The teacher will then ask where they think each of the earlier described tribes might be located on the map. Why? The teacher will then lead a discussion on how environment effects the way people live.

Homework: Students will complete a worksheet on classification of Native Americans. One way to classify Native Americans was discussed today. Explain what that method was. What are some other classifications we can use? (language, religion, etc.) Do you think one classification is best? Which one if any? Why is that the best?

Lesson 6 :

Objective: Students will be able to describe Pueblo lifestyles.

Star Up Task – Students will be asked to get into their groups and prepare to present their information to the rest of the class. 10 minutes

Activity 1 – Dispersal and explanation of note/question sheet. Presentations will be given to the class. After the presentations have been completed the teacher will go through the note sheet and will draw info (preferably not from group members who presented the info) from the class. Then explain the homework task required of them. 20 minutes

Closure: A powerpoint presentation talking about the contact with Europeans will be given. Make sure to connect with last unit by asking what motives did explorers have >>> Coronado. A stress will be put on why some Pueblos were able to keep their culture intact until present day.

Assessment: The presentations and worksheets to be completed for next class should illustrate whether or not students have attained the objective.

Homework: Students will complete the notes/question sheet.

Lesson 7:

Objective: Students will be able to describe Pueblo lifestyles.

Star Up Task – Students will be asked to get into their groups and prepare to present their information to the rest of the class. 10 minutes

Activity 1 – Dispersal and explanation of note/question sheet. Presentations will be given to the class. After the presentations have been completed the teacher will go through the note sheet and will draw info (preferably not from group members who presented the info) from the class. Then explain the homework task required of them. 20 minutes

Closure: A PowerPoint presentation talking about the contact with Europeans will be given. Make sure to connect with last unit by asking what motives did explorers have >>> Coronado. A stress will be put on why some Pueblos were able to keep their culture intact until present day.

Assessment: The presentations and worksheets to be completed for next class should illustrate whether or not students have attained the objective.

Homework: Students will complete the notes/question sheet.