Deborah Kauffman
Los Banos, California
3rd grade Unit
Native Americans
California Content Standards:
History/Social Studies 3.2:
Students describe the American Indian nations in their local region long ago and in the recent past.
Reading Comprehension 2.2:
Students ask and support answers by connecting prior knowledge with literal information found in, and inferred from, the text.
Reading Comprehension 2.3:
Students demonstrate
comprehension by identifying answers in the text.
Number Sense 1.2 Compare and order whole numbers up to 10,000.
Lesson #1: K-W-L Chart
Students will create, with modeling by teacher, a K-W-L chart listing what they already Know about Native Americans, what they Want to know, and then later in the unit will add what they have Learned.
Whole class chart/individual student charts.
Lesson #2: Vocabulary preview
Students will
create Native American vocabulary dictionaries with essential terms for the
study of Native Americans.
Whole class modeling/individual student work
Lesson #3: Overview of tribal areas
Teacher will show U.S. outline map on overhead, a list of the ten states with the largest native populations and each student will color in and label the appropriate states.
See: http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson038.shtml
Lesson # 4: (Math) Greatest to Smallest Populations
Students will put the ten largest groups of Natives into order from largest to smallest.
Lesson #5: Meanings of Tribal Names
After discussion of our names and what they mean, students will identify meanings of 15 Native tribes.
See: http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson038.shtml
Lesson #6: Different geographical regions and the tribes which lived in each
Students will explore the following website and answer comprehension questions about the area which they choose. (See attached worksheet)
See: http://www.ahsd.k12.il.us/Curriculum%20Info/NativeAmericans/index.html
Lesson # 7: Making Little Books
Each child receives pages about North America s First People and puts them together into a book. The books are then used to answer questions about the various tribes.
Lesson # 8: Oral sharing about computer lab explorations
Students will be grouped according to which region they explored in the computer lab and then will share as a group their learning.
Lesson #9: Native American religious beliefs
Teacher will explain the use of myths to explain natural occurring phenomena, this use in Ancient history and then will read aloud The Turtle Story. Students will answer listening comprehension questions at the end of the story.
See: http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson038.shtml
Lesson #10: Native American art/religion
Teacher will explain the use of art as a form of religious beliefs. Students will create a copy of a sand art turtle.
Lesson #11: Exploration of a Cherokee Village
Students will read a story about a Cherokee village in the computer lab and answer questions. Worksheet attached.
See: http://www.indian-kids-r.us/index.html
Lesson #12: Overview of Native homes
Students will read about a variety of Native homes, where each type was found, and draw/color samples of each.
Lesson#13: Overview of Native transportation
Students will read about the different ways that Natives got around, different styles of canoes, sleds, and other means of transportation and draw/color samples of each.
Lesson #14: Overview of Native dress
Students will read about the different syles of dress that Natives wore. Discussion will be held about why each tribe had different forms of dress. Students will explore the following website and answer comprehension questions about why each tribe had different forms of dress.