3rd Grade Communities
Local Native Americans
Folsom Cordova Unified School District

Cynthia Casner, M.A., White Rock Elementary

Teacher Lesson Plan

Introduction
Standards
Objectives
Activities
Assessment 
Results
Resources

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Introduction

This lesson reviews the regional Native Americans in the Sacramento and El Dorado County regions; Maidu and Miwok.  You will teach the geography of the region including landforms, climate, and natural resources  and their effect on the native people.  You will then explore the native communities, comparing and contrasting them to each other and to our local community. 

Subject: Social Science & Language Arts
Topic: Regional Landforms and  Native People
Grade Level:3
Student Lesson name and URL: http://ctap295.ctaponline.org/~ccasner/student/

 
 

Standards Addressed
Third Grade Social Science: Continuity and Change
Students in grade three learn more about our connections to the past and the ways in which particularly local, but also regional and national, government and traditions have developed and left their marks on current society, providing common memories. Emphasis is on the physical and cultural landscape of California, including the study of American Indians, the subsequent arrival of immigrants, and the impact they have had in forming the character of our contemporary society.

3.1 Students describe the physical and human geography and use maps, tables, graphs, photographs, and charts to organize information about people, places, and environments in a spatial context.

3.1.1. Identify geographical features in their local region (e.g., deserts, mountains, valleys, hills, coastal areas, oceans, lakes).
3.1.2. Trace the ways in which people have used the resources of the local region and modified the physical environment (e.g., a dam constructed upstream changed a river or coastline).
3.2 Students describe the American Indian nations in their local region long ago and in the recent past.
3.2.1. Describe national identities, religious beliefs, customs, and various folklore traditions.
3.2.4. Discuss the interaction of new settlers with the already established Indians of the region.

 http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/grade3/literature/02.html 

Third Grade Literature  
3.2 Students will describe the American Indian nations in their local region long ago and in the recent past, in terms of:

3.2.1 the national identities, religious beliefs, customs, and various folklore traditions

3.2.2 how physical geography including climate influenced the way the local Indian nation(s) adapted to their natural environment (e.g., how they obtained their food, clothing, tools) 

3.2.3 the economy and systems of government, particularly those with tribal constitutions, and their relationship to federal and state governments 

3.2.4 the interaction of new settlers with the already established Indians of the region 

 


Instructional Objectives

  1. Using the textbook, students will define landform terms with 70% accuracy.
  2. Given a map on page 40 in the textbook (McGraw-Hill), students will be able to label the landforms of California with 70% accuracy.
  3. Given a regional map of Sacramento and El Dorado  counties, students will be able to identity and label landforms of the local regions with 70% accuracy.
  4. Given direct instruction web site links, students will be able to compare and contrast the Maidu and Miwok Indians culture, religious beliefs, customs, folklore and traditions with their own culture.
  5. Given background information, direct instruction, and web sites students will write  paragraphs about their research on the Native communities that they studied and put it together into a PowerPoint presentation to be graded by the Rubric on the "Your Grade" page.
  6. Given the opportunity and computer usage, students will present their TRIBE in a PowerPoint Presentation Powwow at the end of the unit.

 

Student Activities
This unit is two-fold.  Geographical landforms of California needs to be taught initially so that students have an idea of how the environment and geography of the area impacted how these people lived.  They then need to be split into two TRIBES which will further explore the specifics of each group and present their findings in (a) their journal and (b) as a group PowerPoint presentation which will be scored both individually (for their expert page) and as a "tribe."

Introductory Activity

TEXT: Communities: Adventures in Time and Place  by McGraw Hill

BUILDING THE BACKGROUND: You need to have taught the following lessons prior to teaching this special unit.  Worksheets and mini-lessons will be available at the Teacher's Corner.

Unit 1:  Living in Communities 

There are many types of communities in the United States and around the world.  People live in rural, urban, and suburban areas.
Using Map Scales 
Using Intermediate Directions
Understanding Hemispheres

 

Geography Skills

Part 1 Using Globes,  pp.G4
Part 2 Using Maps,  pp.G5
Maps and symbols, pp. G6
Map title and Map key,  pp. G7
Cardinal Directions & Compass Rose, pp. G8
Locators, pp. G9
Part 3 Different Kinds of Maps,  pp. G10
Landform map,  pp. G10
Grid Map, pp. G11
The students will be guided through the geography of California, our region (Sacramento & El Dorado Counties), and learn about the Native People that live there.   

One can start with the geography lesson if it has not been taught.  If it has been taught, you can go on to the next part of the lesson about  native peoples, focusing on the  Maidu and Miwok Indians.

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 Enabling Activity(ies)
1. As students enter the classroom, they will hear Native American music with a display of artifacts (baskets, walking sticks, acorns, hide, arrows, etc.)  The artifacts and music can be found at various locations including Indian Grinding Rock, Pacific Western Traders, and Effie Yeaw Nature Center.

Here are some sites to get Native American Music (You may need to download "RealAudio 5.0+" in order to play the samples of music.  Native American music is available at local bookstores.):
http://library.thinkquest.org/3081/drum.htm Drums and songs (You can get RealAudio downloaded from this page!)
http://www.rainbowwalker.com/ 
http://web2.si.edu/folkways/amindian.htm Smithsonian Folkways Recordings of American Indian Music
http://kids.infoplease.lycos.com/ce6/ent/A0834979.html Great link that also takes you to Native language links.
http://www.nativespiritproduction.com/ Includes information about Hoop Dancing.
http://www.highspirits.com/ Gives you the ability to listen to some Native American flute music online!

http://library.thinkquest.org/J001677/miwoksongs.html Miwok music can be heard at the following site 

2. After listening to the music and looking at the artifacts, the class will discuss how the music made them feel.  Did they like it or not? 

3. Students now need to develop their sense of Who Are Native Americans? by looking at the following site.  Do a  brainstorm with the class about what they "know" or "think they know"  and "What they want to know" about Native Americans.

Now visit the following sites.  The first gives a readable paragraph about The First Americans and the second site discusses Common Misconceptions of the Native American Indians.

The First Americans http://www.germantown.k12.il.us/html/intro.html 
Common Misconceptions http://www.shadowwolf.org/misconceptions .html 
If you would like a basic reference page of Native American web sites, check out http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/k12/naha/nacurr.html

4. The Student Journal is a book made by the teacher or black-line masters  can be accessed at Materials page .  As they do an activity, they will be required to log their responses in their journal in the appropriate page.

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Cultural anthropologist

Culture is defined as “the way of life of a group of people including that group’s language, music, foods, holidays, and beliefs.” 
Explore what culture is and apply the definition to the Maidu and Miwok cultures.  Here are some general Native American sites to get you started. More sites will be listed in the webliography for your use.
CALIFORNIA INDIANS: This site focuses on the Native Americans of the California-Intermountain Culture.  It gives information on food, fertile land, as well as, hunting and gathering habits. 
http://www.germantown.k12.il.us/html/California.html 
http://www.germantown.k12.il.us/html/culture.html
http://www.germantown.k12.il.us/html/northwest
 

For information on what the students will be required to do, go to the page links here:   MIWOK   MAIDU

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Linguist 

(incorporated into Cultural Anthropologist)

 

Many Nations were divided into smaller “tribes.”  Each tribe, then may have had its own language.  Check out these web sites to hear examples of the languages of the Blackfoot, a tribe from the mid-west.

Penutian: 

The Mewuk, or Miwok, Indian language belongs to the Penutian language family, other languages of which are spoken by peoples from the coast of Canada to the U. S. Southeast and south to the Yucatan Peninsula. Today few tribal elders under the age of 60 speak the Mewuk language. 

A language family spoken by a number of central and northern California Indian peoples, including the Wappo, Yuki, Yokuts, and Wintun Indians. This language family extends all the way from coastal Canada to New Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico, and on to the Yucatan Peninsula. (CALIFORNIA INDIANS AND THEIR RESERVATIONS: An Online Dictionary http://libweb.sdsu.edu/sub_libs/pwhite/calinddictmp.html )

To find out more about the Penutian language go to Britannica.com at the following site.  Read the entry and write you findings in your journal.  http://www.britannica.com/seo/p/penutian-languages/

 

MIWOK LANGUAGE http://www.sierra.parks.state.ca.us/cbt/mwklang.htm 
 

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MUSIC

(Included in the artisan)

 

Music is an important part of Native American culture.  It is integral to their religion, ceremonies, and celebrations.
Visit this web site with your class to play selections of Native American music.  You may also use the sites that were listed in the Introduction. Remember to download RealAudio (see Introduction for site).
SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS: American Indian http://www.si.edu/folkways/indian/htm
WOOD THAT SINGS: Indian Fiddle Music of the Americas http://www.si.edu/nmai/pub/pubwood.htm
JOURNAL ENTRY
After each selection you play, have students write:
 How the music made them feel?
What pictures did the music make?
For what purpose do they think this music would be used?
 

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HERBS & MEDICINE

(Included in Culinary)

Native Americans used what they found in nature to heal or treat medical problems.  See what different herbs from your geographical area were used.

http://www.shadowwolf.org/native_american_herbal_remedies/html

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STORYTELLING & TRADITIONS

(Included in Sociologist) 

Storytelling is an important part of Native American life.  It is a way of recording their history.  Before there was formal written language, these aboriginal people told their stories over and over to pass their history, folklore, and traditions form one generation to another.  They would literally memorize the stories.

As systems of writing developed, some tribes would have a recorder who would paint stories on hides, cave walls, or whatever they could utilize to paint, draw or write their own stories.

Have students explore these different sites and/or books about Native American storytelling. 

INTERACTIVE STORIES 

http://www.glenbow.org/srobe/srobe.htm 

GREAT INDIAN LEGENDS

http://www.germantown.k12.il.us/html/legends.html

http://www.seanet.com/~eldrbarry/rabb/rvn/rvn.html 

READ the story Ooti: A Child of the Nisenan by the American River Natural History Association about the Nisenan (Maidu tribe) girl and her daily life .

MAIDU Myths & Tales http://nativeauthors.com/search/title.0023.html 

JOURNAL ENTRY:

Why is storytelling such an important part of Native American life?

What is a legend?

Why were they important to the Native Americans?

EXPLORE what legends we have in our culture.  Relate them to the Native American legends.  Compare as a whole class activity.

BOOKS about the Miwok . . .

Bone Man, The: An Adaptation of a Modoc Folktale by Laura Simms, Disney, 1997.
In this Modoc legend, the story told is similar to Jack and the Beanstalk.

Chumash Through a Child's Eyes, The by John Wilcox, Pacific, 1997.
Depicts Chumash daily life before the mission period.

Day With Tupi by Fran Hubbard, Awani Press, 1940.
This story of Tupi, a Yosemite Miwok boy describes the life of his people and includes two Miwok legends.

Dog Who Walked With God, The by Michael J. Rosen, Candlewick, 1998.
A Kato Indian creation story begins after the people and animals of the world have been swept away by water and the Great Traveler, accompanied by a dog, begins fashioning a new earth.

 

Fire Race: A Karuk Coyote Tale About How Fire Came to the People by Jonathan London, Chronicle, 1993. This charming tale is a Karuk story which tells how animals in the early days outsmarted some mean yellow jackets to get fire.


Lord of the Animals: A Miwok Indian Creation Myth by Fiona French, Millbrook, 1997.
Coyote gathers a council of animals and invites them to create a "Lord of the Animals" who will rule over them all. Each animal thinks the lord should be in its image, and the arguments begin
until, in the end, Coyote combines the best traits of all animals to form a man.

Miwok Indians, The by Kim Covert, Children's Press, Inc., 1998.
Description of the Miwok Indians for children from ages four to eight.

Rainbow Bridge, The: Inspired by a Chumash Tale by Audrey Wood, Harcourt Brace, 1995. This story is based on the Chumash Indian legend about the origin of dolphins.

When the Animals Were People by Kay Sanger, Malki Press, 1983.
A collection of nine legends about Coyote and his friends as told by the Chumash Indians.

MORE BOOKS about the Maidu...

Creation of a California Tribe: Grandfather's Maidu Indian Tale, by Clifford E. Trafzer, et. al., Trade Paperbacks

River of Sorows: Life History of the Maidu-Nisenan Indians, by Richard Burrill & Dalbert Castro, Trade Paperbacks.

The Maidu Indian Myths & Stories of Hanc'ibyjim, by William Shipley, Trade Paperbacks.

The Northern Maidu, by Marie Potts, Trade Paperbacks.

Ooti: A Child of the Nisenan, by The American River Natural History Association.  Available at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Fair Oaks.

All of these books are available at borders.com (pictures of books acquired from borders.com)

For more information about SCORE for grade 3 History & Social Science go to http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/grade3/index.html 

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 Architect  
The kind of shelter Native Americans used for homes depended on the natural resources available.  Have students explore the map of California (focusing on the Sacramento & El Dorado County) to determine what natural resources were/are available.
Have students go to this site and learn about what Indians around the U.S. used for shelter.  Make sure to check on the map to select our geographical area.
NATIVE AMERICAN SHELTERS
http://www.anthro.mankato.msus.edu/prehistory/settlements/index.shtml 
MIWOK & MAIDU VILLAGES  http://mmoffet.newworld.net/Miwok-Maidu.htm 
MIWOK VILLAGE http://calvincrest.com/summer/miwok.html  
Take a Virtual Filed Trip to Indian Grinding Rock, the site of the Miwok tribe in Northern California  at : http://www.sierra.parks.state.ca.us/igr/igr_main.htm
JOURNAL ENTRY:
What type of shelter did your  tribe use?
What materials were used?
How was it constructed?
Draw what it looked like.

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FOOD FROM PLANTS & ANIMALS: Culinary Expert

The Native Americans needed to rely on the natural resources around them for food. 
Explore with the class the animals and plants of the Sacramento & El Dorado county area that the Indians would have used for food. 

http://www.virtual-markets.net/vme/ARNHA/acornepi.html This site will give you more information about acorn preparation.

Recipe for Acorn Soup

 

Have students record what they find in their journals.

Flora (Plants) . . .

Check out the following sites and collect information about the flora (plants) of the area.

Indian Grinding Rock area (Volcano, CA) http://www.sierra.parks.state.ca.us/igr/igr_flora.htm
Big Trees area (Yosemite, CA) http://www.sierra.parks.state.ca.us/cbt/nhistory.htm
Native Plants of California http://www.cnps.org/activities/natives.htm
More California Native Plants http://www.csubak.edu/fact/ESAPLANTS.HTMl

Fauna (Animals) . . .

Check out the following sites and collect information about the fauna (animals) of the area.  Some were used for food and hides.

It is sometimes said that the Miwok ate every species of living creature available to them, except the skunk. The statement is not true. They regarded the skunk as excellent food, and this opinion was shared by many other tribes, not all of whom were inhabitants of California. other animals not commonly used for food, but eaten by the Miwok, were the bat and several species of snakes." (from http://curtis-collection.com/tribe%20data/miwok.html )

Indian Grinding Rock area (Volcano, CA) http://www.sierra.parks.state.ca.us/igr/igr_fauna.htm

 

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fashion expert

The Native Americans once again used the Natural Resources they had for clothing.  Some used deer and buffalo skins, others wove hemp for material.  There is not a lot of information about Miwok and Maidu clothing.  A site you can have them explore has a Native paper doll that they can dress.  You may just want to use the pictures provided to discuss what the students thought they may have  used through observation.

Some general information from a fourth grade project can get you started.  Go to the Central Valley portion of the site (at the top) and click on your subject http://www.cuca.k12.ca.us/la/tribes.html .

You can find some basic information about clothing at the following sites:

  http://curtis-collection.com/tribe%20data/miwok.html 

http://www.sacbee.com/goldrush/part1/01maptopast.html 

http://www.cuca.k12.ca.us.la.tribes.html 

http://www.unionsd.k12.ca.us/noddin/4th.html 

Miwok men wore a deerskin loincloth and women wore, either the same or a double fringed apron of deerskin. Both sexes used, when necessary, deerskin moccasins with attached leggings.

Maidu men, elderly women, and children ordinarily had no clothing whatever. Younger women wore an apron of bark.

Go directly to the student "fashion" pages to see more specific information by clicking on the specific tribe here:  MIWOK    MAIDU

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artisan: CRAFTS

Native Americans had to make make everything for everyday life.  Some of their essential tools, supplies, jewelry, dolls, musical instruments and money are now know to us as “crafts.”
Have students explore these sites and write about them in their journal.  Remind them that they should take good notes and draw pictures, because they will be using their journal entries to help write their presentation for the Powwow.

http://www.hoodcanal.wednet.edu/heritage%2099%20a/default/a%20basket_map.htm

http://www.nativetech.org/cornhusk/index.html

http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/BAE/Bulletin164/tptoc.htm 

http://www.nativetech.org/beadwork/index.html 

BASKET WEAVING

CORNHUSK 

HAIR PIPES

NATIVE BEADS


 There is so much information here, again I would recommend going directly to the student page to se everything.  The above links are "the basics" and I built each page from there and expanded the information available on specific and general Native American crafts. Click on the tribe links below to see the specific on each tribe. Remember that some information is generalized for use by both classroom "tribes."

MIWOK       MAIDU 

 

Archaeologist

As the archeologist, the student(s) will need to research the artifacts that tell about how their tribe used tools, toys, musical instruments, or other ceremonial pieces in their lives.  The student must have pictures and/or a model along with their presentation.

There are many site here to check out. Make sure the students have enough information, relics, and pictures for your presentation.  THE STUDENTS are responsible for giving the basic overview of the tribe.  If the students find something in another person's report that doesn't not match what they have found, the BOTH student groups need to go back and check their information.  

Some general information from a fourth grade project can get them started.  Go to the Central Valley portion of the site (at the top) and click on the subject http://www.cuca.k12.ca.us/la/tribes.html .

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MIWOK http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/3/0,5716,54393+1+53067,00.html?query=miwok 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MAIDU

The Maiduan peoples lived traditionally in the north-central part of California, along the eastern tributaries of the Sacramento River, south of Lassen Peak. In the early 19th century, there were around 9,000 Maidus. There are three groups of closely-related peoples usually called the Maidu: the Maidu of Plumas and Lassen counties, the Konkow of Butte and Yuba counties, and the Nisenan of Yuba, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, and El Dorado counties. Their languages (Maidu, Konkow, and Nisenan) are of the Penutian family, and were probably mutually unintelligible. Their traditional way of life extended from the valley ecological type, dependent on marine resources and vegetables, to the foothills ecological type, the classic California way of eating acorns and small game. Gold was discovered in California at Coloma, in the heart of Nisenan territory, and gold miners overwhelmed this traditional Maidu territory in the 1850s. Today, there are approximately 2,500 Maiduan people who live primarily on the rancherias of Auburn, Berry Creek, Chico, Enterprise, Greenville, Mooretown, Shingle Springs, and Susanville, as well as on the Round Valley Reservation. The Konkow Reservation was established as Nome Lackee in 1854, but its residents were forced nine years later to abandon it and march to the Round Valley Reservation.       (CALIFORNIA INDIANS AND THEIR RESERVATIONS:An Online Dictionary http://libweb.sdsu.edu/sub_libs/pwhite/calinddictmp.html)

http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/1/0,5716,51371+1+50152,00.html?query=maidu  http://www.museumca.org/goldrush/fever04-ci.html              http://www.featherfallscasino.com/tribal.htm                            

The Maidu, which simply means "the people," lived in the Sacramento Valley and surrounding foothills. The southernmost Maidu were the Nisenan. Maidu society was organized in tribes. A tribes was a conglomeration of villages numbering from two to twenty or more. One village was the main village, sort of the capitol, and this would be the site of the ceremonial and religious buildings such as the temescals or sweat houses. Some villages had populations of 500 or more, and others were made up of one or two families. The villages were very loosely organized. Leaders of the villages were mainly advisors, not decision makers. There might be one leader for war, another for religious matters, but there was not a designated leader who could speak for the entire village on all matters. http://www.middlemountain.org/indians.htm 
 

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geologist

(UNDER THE HEADING OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY)

As the geologist, you will research how the geography of the area affected how your tribe lived and survived.

Some general information from a fourth grade project can get you started.  Go to the Central Valley portion of the site (at the top) and click on your subject http://www.cuca.k12.ca.us/la/tribes.html .

California's Geology...

California's remarkable geology is the result of volcanic and tectonic activity. Its majestic mountains were shaped by glaciers during the ice ages as well as by wind and rain. The scenic coastline of California is continually shaped by the pounding waves of the Pacific Ocean. California has a wealth of mineral resources, including the rich soil of the Central Valley, the gold of the Sierra, and oil off the coast and in various locations across the state.

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Meteorologist

General information about weather at Indian Grinding Rock can be found at http://www.sierra.parks.state.ca.us/igr/igr_flora.htm 

Northern California Climate Summaries by location http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/summary/climsmnca.html 

 The students or teacher will print the table on the Meteorologist page or from the Materials page to download the table they will be completing on weather in the area between the years of 1961 and 1990.  Not much has changed in California weather over the years.  Go to the locations listed below by clicking on the number on the map or finding the location in the alphabetical list to the left of the map. 

10 - Sacramento WSO

11 - Sacramento Airport

12 - Rocklin

13 - Folsom Dam

14 - Placerville

15 - Placerville IFG

25 - Hoopa

98 - Auburn

99 - Georgetown

For the Miwok tribe, you may want to check out some of the Bay Area locations for your average. 

San Francisco Bay Area Climate Summaries http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/summary/climsmsfo.html 

1 - Petaluma Fire

4 - Martinez Water Plant

5 - Port Chicago Naval Depot

You can have the students complete the chart on their own or as a whole class project. They are to do the math and make a report in their journal about their findings.  CHART LINK

EXAMPLE . . .DO THE MATH!  To find the average for each row, add all the numbers across and divide by the number of columns you had data for.  Example: (These are made up numbers, so please do not copy them as being real!) 

USE A CALCULATOR!!!!!!!!!!

 

MIWOK AND MAIDU TRIBES

MIWOK TRIBE ONLY

 

WEATHER AVERAGES

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15

#25

#98

#99

#1

#2

#3

TOTAL AVERAGE

Average maximum annual temperature

72º

63º

70º

64º

65º

63º

75º

52º

54º

50º

48º

53º

± 60º

So, I would add 72 + 63 + 70 + 64 + 65 + 63 + 75 + 52 + 54 + 50 + 48 + 53 = 729 ÷ 12 = ± 60º

Make sure you answer the following questions:

JOURNAL ENTRY . . .Based on your average temperature, rainfall and snow. . . .

How would the weather have affected how the Miwok dressed in the winter? summer?  

How would it have affected what they could grow as crops? (Check out the Farmer's Almanac for some ideas about what you can plant in what geographical areas and times of year! It should be available at your school or public library.  You teacher may also have a copy of this on hand for you to use.)

What animals may have been in the area based on climate?  Would they be available all year long?

 

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Culminating Activity
Students will be divided into two groups.  Each group will be responsible for the creation of  a multimedia report on the Maidu and Miwok tribes.  The following items must be included in the PowerPoint or Hyperstudio  presentation at the Presentation Powwow.

 

Each Tribal Expert is to create 1-2 pages for the presentation.  They need to provide pictures, relics, maps, etc. that are relevant to their tribe.  The "expert" fields are as follows:

· Archaeologist:
As the archeologist, you will need to research the artifacts that tell us about how your tribe used tools, toys, musical instruments, or other ceremonial pieces in their lives.  You must have pictures and/or a model along your presentation.

Architect
As the architect, you will research the housing of the tribe.  How was the housing constructed?  Was it for one family or many?  Why do you think the tribe built that type of housing?  You must have pictures and a model along with your presentation.
As the architect, you will also need to show transportation, if applicable.  What was it?  How was it made?  What materials did they use?  Create an example, in drawing or as a model.
· Geologist
As the geologist, you will research how the geography of the area affected how your tribe lived and survived.
 Meteorologist
As the meteorologist, you will research how the weather and climate affected how your tribe lived and survived.  How did it affect their crops? hunting? 
Sociologist
As the sociologist, you will research the rituals, myths, and ceremonies (such as the powwow) of your tribe.  You will need to have pictures and/or a copy of a myth or legend told in your tribe, along with your presentation.  You may also act out the legend.
Linguist
  As the linguist, you will research the language of your tribe.  You will need to have examples of written and    spoken language.  Be creative and assign a name in your tribe’s language for each person in the group for the Powwow.
Culinary expert
As the Culinary expert, you will research the basic diet of the tribe.  What did they eat?  Did they hunt and fish, grow food, gather food, or was it some combination of these practices?  How did they use herbs for medicinal use?  What herbs are indigenous to their area?
 Fashion expert
As the Fashion expert, you will research the clothing worn by the members.  How did they construct their  clothing?  You will need pictures and samples along with your presentation.
Artisan
As the artisan, you will research the art forms of your tribe.  Some examples are: basket  weaving, sand painting, weaving, pottery, drawing, painting, writing, music, etc.

The last page in the project should be the reflection . . .

Reflection
Compare the children of the Nation and their community to the community you live in.

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If students do not know what a POWWOW is, here are some great links to teach about what it is, the vocabulary, protocol (how to behave), dancing, and more!
What is a Powwow? http://www.shadowwolf.org/what_is_a_pow_wow.html
                                                 http://www.powwows.com/dancing/whatis/shtml
Powwow Dancing http://www.powwows.com/dancing/
Powwow Vocabulary http://www.thinkquest.org/3081/terms.html
Powwow Protocol (Behavior)  http://www.shadowwolf.org/pow_wow.html
 

 

Assessment
Students will start off the lesson by taking a pretest at funbrain.com. covering landforms and Native American history.

PRETEST - Regional Native People @ funbrain.com OR black line master and ANSWERS

As a team, the students will report their findings at the class Presentation Powwow, along with  pictures, charts, dioramas, or other artifacts.  The students should include  ideas about how the tribe lived in harmony with the land.

Students should provide information that answers the project research task:

  1. What are their traditions?
  2. What was their shelter like and how did they make it?
  3. What food did they eat?  How did they get it?
  4. What type of clothing did they wear?  How did they make it?  What was it made of?
  5. How did the geographical area and temperature affect the tribe?
  6. What type of art forms did they practice?
 

Finally, Their project will be graded by a rubric available on the Materials page and they will also be taking their final test at funbrain.com.
 
 POSTTEST - Regional Native People @ funbrain.com OR black line master and ANSWERS

Students will go to funbrain.com  to take the tests.  You will need to set up an account for yourself and the class.  Instructions on how to do this are on the site. funbrain.com provides you with the tests and answers.  It will also grade the tests and send you the scores, if you so desire. The word documents can be found at the links below:

 

Pretest black line master (MSWord)

Pretest Answers (MS Word)

Posttest black line master (MSWord)

Posttest Answers (MS Word)

Individual Multimedia Rubric (MSWord)

Group (Tribe) Multimedia Rubric (MSWord)

Meteorologist Project Grid (MSExcel)

MAIDU STUDENT JOURNAL (MSWord)

MIWOK STUDENT JOURNAL (MSWord)


 

 

 

Results
After implementing the lesson (sometime between January & March), insert a chart of your pre-test, post-test, and culminating assessment data.
 
STUDENT PRETEST                (% CORRECT) POSTTEST            (% CORRECT) AVERAGE GROWTH
#1 32% 86% 54%
#2 23% 68% 45%
#3 45% 100% 55%
#4 41% AB AB
#5 14% AB AB
#6 55% 32% -23%
#7 23% 77% 54%
#8 23% 64% 41%
#9 55% 68% AB
#10 41% AB AB
#11 50% 100% 50%
#12 27% 45% 18%
#13 55% 77% 22%
#14 45% 73% 28%
AVERAGE 38% 74% 36%

 
AVERAGE SCORE PRETEST (AVERAGE % CORRECT) POSTTEST (AVERAGE % CORRECT) AVERAGE % OF GROWTH
ALL STUDENTS 38% 74% 36%

 

 

 
 
 


Web Resources & 
                   Supplementary Materials

 

Introductory Activity 
List and link the web resources for this activity here. Also link supplementary materials such as PDF files and /or document files.

http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/grade3/literature/02.html

Back to the Top

 

Enabling Activity
Originally, I created a long list of web sites I used for my extensive research; however, the list make this section so daunting that I thought it better to link to a Word document that listed them.  Click on the links below to go to the Webliographies and Bibliography for this unit.

Many of the books on the Bibliography page would make good Read-Alouds or books for them to refer to for creation myths, or basic tribe information.  Some are at the local libraries, but many can be ordered through Borders.  (NOTE: Some of the books need to be special ordered and may take  a while to get.  Check with Borders.com to find out the status of the book before you plan on using it!)

 

MAIDU INDIANS WEB SITES used in lessons . . .

MIWOK INDIANS WEB SITES used in lessons . . .

BOOKS ON BOTH TRIBES used for literature and research . . .available through borders.com  


 Culminating Activity
Lists and links of the web resources for this activity. Also link supplementary materials such as PDF files and /or document files.

What is a Powwow? http://www.shadowwolf.org/what_is_a_pow_wow.html
                                                 http://www.powwows.com/dancing/whatis/shtml
Powwow Dancing http://www.powwows.com/dancing/
Powwow Vocabulary http://www.thinkquest.org/3081/terms.html
Powwow Protocol (Behavior)  http://www.shadowwolf.org/pow_wow.html
PRETEST - Regional Native People @ funbrain.com  

POSTTEST - Regional Native People @ funbrain.com

 

 


 

White Rock Elementary
10487 White Rock Road
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
Cynthia Casner, M.A. clcasner@jps.net  or ccasner@fcusd.k12.ca.us
Last Revised: 01/21/01

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