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Grade level: Fourth Grade Subject areas: Social Studies, Language Arts

COMPARING THE CHEROKEE AND THE MAYA Both Part of the Native American Story

Developed by: Linda McDonald Fourth Grade Teacher Avery’s Creek Elementary Arden, NC

UNIT ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

 

 

 

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Was the experience of North Carolina’s Cherokee similar to Native American experiences in other parts of our continent? DAY 1: Read to learn about Mayan Civilization Learning Objectives

Materials

NOTE: This unit assumes that students are already familiar with Cherokee history and culture through the fourth grade social studies curriculum. Therefore, this unit is best taught in the second half of the school year. Learning Objectives •

CCSS RI 4.4: Students will determine meaning of words in grade level text.

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CCSS RI 4.3: Students will explain events/ideas based on information in a text.

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CCSS RI 4.5: Students will describe the overall structure of a text.

Materials Meet the Maya (leveled readers part of the SF Reading Street series for fourth grade)

Opening Activity Introduce the essential question to students. Have them discuss and/or write in their journals their thoughts.

Main Activities Pre-Read: 1. Students pre-view vocabulary by noticing which words are familiar to them. Discuss Mesoamerica using the map on page 4. Also discuss astronomy (astro- prefix meaning “stars” or “space”) and list other words that use this prefix. Read: 2. Students read the text. Support below grade level readers. Post Read: 3. Students make a list of headings in this book. How is the text organized (i.e., is the Mayan story presented in chronological order or by topic?)

DAY 2 and 3: Compare and Contrast the Maya Experience with the Cherokee

 

 

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CCSS RI 4.3: Students will explain events/ideas based on information in a text.

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CCSS W 4.8: students will recall information from experiences, gather information from sources, take notes and categorize information.

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CCSS W 4.9 : Students will draw evidence from a text to support analysis, reflection and research

 

 

Meet the Maya (leveled readers part of the SF Reading Street series for fourth grade) Social studies textbook or other curriculum material used to learn the history of the Cherokee Organizer supplied with this unit

Opening Activity To open, have students turn and talk about one special thing they learned yesterday about the Maya. Main Activities Students will go back to the original texts and organize information about the Maya and Cherokee peoples. This work will take two class periods to complete.

Supplemental Materials: If internet access is readily available, here are appropriate websites that can add to student knowledge for this phase of the unit, possibly as a lesson extension: http://mayas.mrdonn.org/ http://nativeamericans.mrdonn.org/southeast/cherokee.html http://www.mayankids.com/mkintro.htm http://wsharing.com/WScherokeeTimeline.htm Assessment As students work on this phase, monitoring will provide formative assessment in addition to the opportunity to re-teach reading concepts as needed. Students will use their background knowledge about Cherokee history and their newly acquired knowledge of the Maya to compare and contrast their stories using a supplied organizer.

 

 

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DAY 4 and 5: Compare/Contrast Essay or Foldable Project Students will use the information that they have organized to produce a project that synthesizes their understanding about both cultures.

Learning Objectives •

CCSS RI 4.3: Students will explain events/ideas based on information in a text.

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CCSS W 4.8: students will recall information from experiences, gather information from sources, take notes and categorize information.

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CCSS W 4.9 : Students will draw evidence from a text to support analysis, reflection and research

Materials Meet the Maya (leveled readers part of the SF Reading Street series for fourth grade) Social studies textbook or other curriculum material used to learn the history of the Cherokee Organizer supplied with this unit Compare/contrast frame

Opening Activity N/A Main Activities To synthesize what they have learned, students will write a compare and contrast essay. Depending on the level of student, this can take the form of independent essay writing using their organizer for supporting arguments. If students need more support to write the appropriate structure for compare and contrast, the attached writing frame can be used. As a final option, students could prepare a venn diagram foldable booklet using the directions found at this website: http://sblc.registereastconn.org/foldables/VennDiagramThreeTabBook.pdf

Assessment The product will provide summative assessment for the stated learning objectives.

 

 

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Compare and Contrast Organizer

Cherokee

 

Writing

Beliefs

Shelter

Food

Wheree

Where

Maya

 

 

What do you know about their culture today? Result of contact (what happened?)

First European contact (who/when)

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Cherokee

 

Compare and Contrast Organizer  

Maya

   

 

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WRITING FRAME FOR COMPARE /CONTRAST ESSAY and

have many

similarities and differences. For example, they are both . They are also similar because . They both . However, they are different because . , on the other hand, . Another difference is that , while . Even though they have differences, makes them similar.