NATIVE AMERICANS: CULTURES AND CONFLICTS Grade level: Fifth Grade Unit by: Christine Andersen, Elbert County Charter School, Elizabeth, CO Gary Wilson, Cardinal Community Academy, Keenesburg, CO Length of Unit: About two weeks (seven lessons plus Culminating Activity) I.

ABSTRACT A. The lessons in this unit will begin with an introduction of the content that will be presented to the students over the next 2-week period. In the introduction we will discuss the major regions Native Americans lived in and activate students’ prior knowledge of Native Americans by completing the three sections of a KWL chart. Following the introduction, students will review information that they previously learned in second and third grade about Native Americans. Students will study the Eastern Woodlands, Southeast, Southwest, Great Basin, Plateau, Plains, California, and Pacific Northwestern Indians. Students will learn how the settlers’ expansion west impacted the Native Americans’ lives and how the U. S. government established several policies directed toward Native Americans in an effort to dominate the disputed land. Finally, students will learn about three major conflicts (the Sand Creek Massacre, the Battle of Little Bighorn, and Wounded Knee) between Native Americans and U. S. government soldiers.

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OVERVIEW A. Concept Objectives 1. Discover the significance of the relative location of a place. 2. Understand that societies are diverse and have changed over time. B. Content 1. Native Americans: Cultures and Conflicts a. Culture and Life 1) Great Basin and Plateau (for example, Shoshone, Ute, Nez Perce) 2) Northern and Southern Plains (for example, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Lakota (Sioux), Shoshone, Blackfoot, Crow) 3) Extermination of buffalo 4) Pacific Northwest (for example, Chinook, Kwakiutl, Yakima) b. American Government Policies 1) Bureau of Indian Affairs 2) Forced removal to reservations 3) Attempts to break down tribal life; assimilation policies; Carlisle School c. Conflicts 1) Sand Creek Massacre 2) Little Big Horn: Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, Custer’s Last Stand 3) Wounded Knee 4) Ghost Dance C. Skills 1. The students will locate on a United States map the areas in which different Native American tribes lived in the 1800’s. 2. The students will list some of the major characteristics (shelter, diet, mobility and lifestyle) of different Native American tribes studied. 3. The students will list laws made by the United States government that impacted the Native Americans’ lifestyle.

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The students will identify three ways the U. S. government tried to break down tribal life. The students will be able to identify the tribes and important people involved in the battles at: a. Sand Creek. b. Little Big Horn. c. Wounded Knee. The students will refine their research skills through practice of: a. note taking from written materials. b. paraphrasing. c. summarizing. The students will refine their writing skills through practice of: a. prewriting strategies. b. writing an essay with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. c. writing paragraphs with topic sentences, reason, detail and fact sentences, and explanation sentences. The students will refine their speaking skills through a presentation of an oral report. The students will use listening and note taking skills to acquire new information. The students will use cooperative group skills to produce oral and written assignments.

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE A. For teachers: 1. What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know, E. D. Hirsch 2. Native Americans of the West, Carter Smith 3. The Encyclopedia of Native America, Trudy Griffin-Pierce 4. A History of US: Reconstruction and Reform, Joy Hakim B. For students: 1. Students were previously exposed to Native Americans in second grade. The Core Knowledge content covered was: a. Sequoyah and the Cherokee alphabet b. Forced removal to the reservations: the “Trail of Tears” c. Some Native Americans displaced from their homes and ways of life by d. railroads (the “iron horse”) e. Effect of near extermination of buffalo on Plains Indians 2. Students also learned the following in third grade: a. Native Americans in the Southwest 1) Pueblos 2) Dine (Navajo) 3) Apaches b. Eastern “Woodland” Indians 1) Woodland culture 2) Major tribe nations 3. Information previously learned in the fifth grade westward expansion unit. 4. Students must also have a background knowledge of the reading/writing/ listening/speaking skills which they will be expected to demonstrate in the lessons that follow.

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RESOURCES A. Bighead, K. “More Indians Than I Ever Saw,” Available URL: http://www.stedwards.edu/cfpages/farrall/eye.htm, posted 1997. B. Grutman, J. H. and Matthaei, G. The Ledgerbook of Thomas Blue Eagle. New York, New York: Lickle Publishing, 1994. ISBN# 1-56566-063-3. C. Hakim, J. A History of US: Reconstruction and Reform. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1994. ISBN# 0-19-507757-1. D. Ives, S. “The West: Episode 8: Ghost Dance” (videotape) 1996.

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LESSONS Lesson One : Introduction to the unit (This lesson will take approximately one 45-60 minute period) A. Daily Objectives 1. Lesson Content a. Introduce key vocabulary (see letter D below) b. Identify the 10 main Native American cultural regions on a U.S. map c. Discuss how westward expansion of settlers led to conflict with Native Americans 2. Concept Objectives a. Discover the significance of the relative location of place. b. Understand that societies are diverse and have changed over time. 3. Skill Objectives a. cooperative group skills b. map skills B. Materials 1. 1 copy of a KWL chart for each pair of students (Appendix A) 2. 1 sheet of chart paper for large KWL chart 3. 1 copy of map of cultural areas for each student (Appendix B) 4. 1 transparency of the cultural areas map 5. overhead projector 6. each student needs a set of crayons or colored pencils C. Background Notes (This is a brief overview of the entire unit) 1. Following the Civil War, many Americans headed west in our country to escape an economic depression in the east. They had also heard that the free land that lay west was good for farming, ranching and mining. In their trek west, however, they encountered Indians that lived on the land. As more and more settlers came west, more and more Native Americans were forced off of their land. In many instances, the American government had to step in to settle the land disputes between the settlers and the Indians. This led to the creation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs which established many policies in an effort to free up land for white settlers (Native Americans were put on reservations), break down tribal life, and assimilate Native Americans into the new American culture. Often the effect of these policies was conflict between the U. S. government and Native American tribes. Some of these conflicts became very violent. 2. Students will also briefly study the cultural regions Native Americans originally inhabited and some of the major tribes and characteristics of those regions. (More background information on this is in Appendix C and Lesson Two.) D. Key Vocabulary 1. basin: a round, open shallow depression in land 2. plateau: an elevated, level area of land

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subarctic: below the arctic arctic: the region around the North Pole regions: a large continuous segment of a surface space land mining: digging into the earth to take out minerals culture: the beliefs, values, behavior, and material objects shared by a particular people 8. conflict: a clash of opposing ideas Procedure/Activities 1. In an effort to get students to recall information previously learned about Native Americans, ask students to work in pairs to fill in the “K” section (what they know) of a KWL chart (Appendix A). Encourage students to answer questions relating to who? what? when? where? why? and how? 2. After students have had about 5-10 minutes to make their lists, bring students back together as a class to share some of the things they wrote on their KWL charts. Record their responses on chart paper. 3. Discuss some of the key vocabulary words that students may encounter in this unit. 4. Hand out the map of Native American cultural areas (Appendix B). Display a copy of this map on an overhead. Discuss with the students where each of the regions are on the map. (“Who can show me where the Great Plains region is on this map?”) After you have identified all of the correct locations of the regions, instruct students to color the map according to the key. 5. Gear students toward the second objective of this unit by briefly discussing what they know about the westward expansion of white settlers. (Settlers are moving west to farm, mine, ranch, and lay railroad tracks on the western land.) Point out on students’ maps the areas that were affected most by this expansion that occurred after the Civil War. (Mainly the Great Plains, Great Basin and Plateau regions) At this point, lead students into a discussion of some of the conflicts that may have occurred as a result of the settlers moving west. Prompt students by asking them to think of situations when they’ve been invaded or when they’ve come into a new place and tried to find their niche there. 6. With the last few minutes of the class period, allow student to get back into their small groups to complete the “W” (what they want to learn) section of their KWL. Evaluation/Assessment 1. The teacher will want to check students’ KWL charts for two things: the background information students already have about Native Americans and their questions to determine whether students have narrowed in on Native American life during westward expansion.

Lesson Two: Researching Native Americans in cultural regions (The content of today’s lesson will take approximately one 30-45 minute period, however, to complete the research report from start to finish, it may take students two weeks or longer. A. Daily Objectives 1. Lesson content a. Important tribes and characteristics of Native Americans from the following regions: 1) Great Basin 2) Plateau 3) Plains

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4) Eastern Woodland 5) Southeast 6) Southwest 7) California 8) Northwestern Coast 2. Concept Objectives a. Discover the significance of the relative location of place. 3. Skill Objectives a. research skills b. writing skills c. speaking skills d. listening skills e. cooperative group skills Materials 1. resource books 2. computers/Internet 3. 1 copy of the research report graphic organizer (Appendix D) for each student 4. 2 copies of the report rubric (Appendix E) for each student (one for you to pass out to students and one for you to keep to use when assessing students’ reports) 5. 1 copy of the blank Native American cultural regions matrix (Appendix F) for each student Background Notes See Appendix C Key Vocabulary 1. Review these terms from Lesson 1: a. basin: a round, open shallow depression in land b. plateau: an elevated, level area of land 2. Introduce new words: a. predominant: to be of greater power, importance, or quantity b. mobile: capable of moving or being moved; changing quickly from one c. condition to another d. immobile: not movable; fixed; not moving; motionless Procedure/Activities 1. In today’s lesson, students will be given a cultural region to research. The writing and research for this assignment will be completed during time spent outside of this class period. In their research, they must locate information on the predominant land features of that region, predominant tribes that lived in that region, their type of home or shelter, the tribes’ diet, and whether the tribes were mobile or immobile within their regions. 2. Briefly review the process for writing a research report: selecting a topic, researching a topic (note taking), writing a rough draft, revising, editing, and writing the draft in final form. Use the graphic organizer (Appendix D) to help explain the process. Also, pass out the grading rubric that will be used to assess the report (Appendix E). Discuss your expectations of their report. 3. Students must select a partner to work with on their report. The partners will be assigned their topics by drawing the name of a region from a hat. 4. After students have had sufficient time to complete their research reports (about two weeks), each group of students must present their report to the class. The students listening to the reports must fill in each section of the matrix (Appendix F) for each region as the information is being presented.

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Evaluation/Assessment 1. Assess the research report with a report rubric (Appendix E). 2. After all of the reports have been given, allow students to work in small groups to discuss their matrixes and check them for accuracy and completion.

Lesson Three: American government policies (This lesson will take approximately one 30-45 minute period.) A. Daily Objectives 1. Lesson content a. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) b. Forced removal to reservations c. Attempts to break down tribal life 2. Concept Objectives a. Understand that societies are diverse and have changed over time. 3. Skill Objectives a. listening skills b. note taking skills c. map skills d. compare and contrast positives and negatives of the BIA B. Materials 1. 1 copy of the blank outline of today’s lecture (Appendix G) for each student 2. Large map of the United States 3. Colored yarn 4. thumb tacks 5. 1 copy of a U. S. map with a distance scale for each student (Appendix H) C. Background Notes 1. Northwest Ordinance (1787): a law stating: “The utmost good faith shall always be observed toward Indians; their lands and property shall never be taken from them without their consent; and in their property, rights, and liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed, unless in just and lawful wars authorized by Congress.” This law was largely ignored by settlers and the U.S. government alike. It was intended to treat Indians in a fair and humane fashion. 2. Bureau of Indian Affairs: In 1824, Congress established the Bureau of Indian Affairs (the BIA), a federal agency within the War Department that would administer government policies toward Indians. Their job was to help Indians adjust to life on the reservation and also to look out for the Indians’ rights under various treaties and policies that were established by the U.S. government. In 1849, the BIA became part of the Department of Interior. 3. Treaties made by the U. S. government and/or BIA: a. Proclamation of 1763: After defeating the British in the Revolutionary War, the new American government established the Appalachian Mountains as a border between Native Americans and settlers. The land west of the Appalachian Mountains belonged to the Native Americans. b. Indians were next promised land west of Missouri and Iowa. The white settlers originally thought that this land was useless. They soon learned, however, that it was valuable land for mining, cattle ranching, and for laying down railroads that would connect the east to the west. c. The Dawes Act (1887): Gave each head of a family a fixed amount of land to farm. This broke up Indian communities. 4. Forced removal to reservations:

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The American government promised Indians reservations that would be protected from settlers. Often, the reservations were not close to where the Native American tribes were living. As a result, the reservations may have had different natural resources than the Indians were used to. b. Each reservation had a BIA officer and a school which tried to teach Indian children to be U. S. citizens and to assimilate the white man’s culture. Children were punished if they spoke their native language in these schools. c. Trail of Tears (1838-1839) The U. S. government marched an entire Cherokee tribe a distance of 1700 miles, from Georgia to Oklahoma. 4000 people died along the way. Key Vocabulary 1. bureau: a government department or subdivision of a department 2. The Bureau of Indian Affairs: a government agency established in 1824 under the war department that administered government policies toward Indians 3. The Dawes Act: a law that allocated to each head of an Indian family a fixed amount of land to farm 4. The General Allotment Act: another name for the Dawes Act 5. reservations: an area of land that was said to be reserved for Native Americans 6. civilized: to bring out of a condition of savagery to a higher level of social organization 7. ordinance: an authoritative command or order 8. treaties: a formal agreement between two or more nations 9. policies: a general principle or plan that guides the actions taken by a person or group Procedure/Activities 1. Hand out a blank outline of today’s lesson (Appendix G). As the teacher is presenting this information, the students need to fill in their outlines. This will help students, especially special needs students, stay focused during the lesson. In a large group format, orally present factual information regarding when and why the BIA was formed and how it was to relate to and help the Indians. Include background information also on the Northwest Ordinance. 2. Present, in general, the concept that the BIA negotiated treaties with the various Indian groups to help open the way for westward expansion of settlers. 3. Discuss how BIA policies sometimes led to Indians’ forced removal from their land. (Discuss Dawes Act) Often Native Americans were taken to a reservation. (Recall from second grade the Trail of Tears) 4. Select one or two students at a time to mark with colored yarn and thumb tacks on a large wall map of the United States the paths the Native Americans would have traveled from their native lands to the reservations where they were newly assigned to live. (Pay attention to direction and distance.) Each student also needs to be marking the routes on their own U. S. maps (Appendix H), then calculating with a ruler and the map’s distance scale the distances the different Native American groups were forced to travel. Evaluation/Assessment 1. Check outlines for accuracy and completion. 2. Check maps for accuracy.

Lesson Four: Assimilation and the Carlisle School (This lesson will take approximately one 4560 minute period.)

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Daily Objectives 1. Lesson content a. extermination of buffalo b. BIA c. forced removal to reservations d. attempts to break down tribal life e. assimilation policies f. Carlisle School 2. Concept Objectives a. Discover the significance of the relative location of place. b. Understand that societies are diverse and have changed over time. 3. Skill Objectives a. listening skills b. dramatic role playing and presentation skills Materials 1. one copy of the book, The Ledgerbook of Thomas Blue Eagle 2. prepared slips of paper with role playing prompts (Appendix I) Background Notes 1. Review background notes on the BIA, forced removal to reservations, attempts to break down tribal life, and other assimilation policies from Lesson 3. 2. Extermination of buffalo: Plains Indians relied on buffalo for their livelihood. The meat, bones, and skin of buffalo provided food, clothing, shelter, and tools, among other things. Until white settlers invaded the land west of the Mississippi River, buffalo herds roamed free on the Great Plains. When settlers advanced west, buffalo were displaced by railroads, farming, and excessive hunting by white men. Between 1870 and 1900, the number of buffalo had been reduced from about 13 million to less than one thousand. This loss of buffalo devastated the Plains Indians. They were forced to either surrender to reservations or face starvation on their native tribal lands. 3. The Carlisle School: (1879-1918) The Carlisle Indian School operated from 1879 to 1918 in Carlisle Pennsylvania. The Carlisle School and other similar Indian schools were designed to teach young Indian children how to live in the white man’s society. School were often located in the East so that children would be completely removed from all Indian influences and more quickly assimilated into the new U. S. society. Indian children learned to speak, read, and write English. The schools also tried to conform the children to the Christian religion. The boys and girls there also learned skills and trades that would help them be independent, “civilized” people. Key Vocabulary 1. Review words from previous lessons: a. bureau: a government department or subdivision of a department b. The Bureau of Indian Affairs: a government agency established in 1824 under the war department that administered government policies toward Indians c. The Dawes Act: a law that allocated to each head of an Indian family a fixed amount of land to farm d. The General Allotment Act: another name for the Dawes Act e. reservations: an area of land that was said to be reserved for Native Americans f. ordinance: an authoritative command or order

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treaties: a formal agreement between two or more nations policies: a general principle or plan that guides the actions taken by a person or group i. i. culture: the beliefs, values, behavior, and material objects shared by a particular people 2. Introduce new words: a. assimilation: to take in, understand; to make or become similar b. indoctrinate: to teach to accept a system of thought uncritically c. Carlisle School: a boarding school for Native American children in d. Pennsylvania that tried to teach the kid’s how to live as the white people did. 3. Words from the book: a. ledgerbook: a book in which a record is kept b. invincible (p. 4): unconquerable c. coup (p. 6): a successful stroke; a sudden, brilliantly successful move d. council (p. 12): an assembly called together for consultation, or deliberation e. sinew (p. 14): a tendon; a cord of though connective tissue by which muscles are attached to bones f. breechcloths (p. 14): cloth worn around the hips with flaps coming down to cover the front and back of a person g. pemmican (p. 16): a concentrated food of dried beef mixed with fat and berries h. tallow (p. 16) a mixture of fats obtained from animals i. parfleche (p. 16): a container made from hide (usually buffalo) which had been stripped of hare and dried stiff j. despaired (p. 28): lost hope k. crags (p. 28): a steeply projecting rock mass l. treaties (p. 38): a formal agreement between two nations m. ceasing (p. 38): coming to a stop n. mourning (p. 48): an expression of grief o. dormitory (p. 58): a bedroom for a number of persons, commonly found at schools p. regard (p. 60): to have great affection or admiration for Procedure/Activities 1. Review from the previous lesson what the BIA was, what its intent was, and what some of the treaties and/or policies were. (Lead students into a discussion of the break down of tribal life.) 2. Discuss procedures the BIA used to try to break down tribal life and assimilate the Indians into the settlers’ culture. (Dawes Act, reservations) Discuss the Carlisle School as one example. 3. Introduce The Ledgerbook of Thomas Blue Eagle. Explain that it is a (fictional) story of one Native American boy’s life during the time of westward expansion. 4. Read the story, stopping at appropriate points to discuss and explain the story or vocabulary. 5. After finishing the story, discuss students’ reactions. 6. Have students get into groups to role play what the assimilation of Native Americans might have been like at places such as the Carlisle School. Use the prompts listed in Appendix I to show situations where government personnel are trying to indoctrinate the Indians while the Indians are trying to fight to hold on to

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their heritage. Evaluation/Assessment 1. Assess accuracy of students’ role playing performances.

Lesson five: Conflicts between whites and Native Americans (This lesson will take approximately one 60 minute period) A. Daily Objectives 1. Lesson Content a. extermination of the buffalo b. confliction between whites and Indians c. Sand Creek Massacre 2. Concept Objectives a. Discover the significance of the relative location of place. b. Understand that societies are diverse and have changed over time. 3. Skill Objectives a. reading skills b. recognizing cause and effect c. sequencing events d. cooperative group skills B. Materials 1. each student (or pairs of students) need(s) a copy of chapter 17 from A History of 2. US: Reconstruction and Reform 3. 2. strips of paper (one set for each group of 4 students) describing the events of the Sand Creek Massacre (Appendix J) 4. strips of chart paper with events of the Sand Creek Massacre written on them C. Background Notes 1. Review background notes on the extermination of buffalo from Lesson 4. 2. Sand Creek Massacre (Nov. 29, 1864): After three years of fighting for their land in eastern Colorado, a group of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians finally decided to surrender their fight and live peacefully under the protection of the Army at a federal army outpost in Fort Lyon, Colorado. Two months later, in a surprise attack led by Colonel John Chivington, a group of white soldiers attacked the Indians near Sand Creek and brutally massacred the men, women, and children who were there to make peace. The Indians rose both a white and a U. S. flag, but the soldiers continued to shoot, killing at least 100 people. D. Key Vocabulary 1. Vocabulary from chapter 17: a. disposed (p.80): inclined, likely, prone, susceptible b. brethren (p. 80): plural of brother c. uncultivated (p. 80): not developed, not used for growing crops d. extinction (p.81): no longer living e. individualist (p.81): a person of independent thought and action f. iron horse (p. 82): rail road trains g. Buffalo Soldiers (p. 84): black soldiers E. Procedure/Activities 1. Before reading chapter 17 from Reconstruction and Reform, allow students to skim through the chapter to get an idea of what the chapter is about. After students have finished skimming, discuss and record students’ responses on the chalk board.

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Students may then begin reading their chapters either alone or with a partner. After students have finished reading the chapters, ask them to take out a piece of paper and write two effects or results of settlers moving west and two effects of the extermination of buffalo on Native Americans’ lives. 4. Next, instruct students to include four more questions or statements that can be completed/answered from information provided in this chapter. At this point, students should not answer their own questions, but pass their papers to another student who will add four more questions to that paper. Students need to then pass their paper one last time to a new student who will answer the questions written. Students may use their chapters to help them write and answer questions. 5. When students have finished answering the questions on their papers, discuss with the class some of the important information students should have acquired from this chapter. Hopefully these were some of the questions on students’ papers: a. Why don’t hunters and farmers get along well? b. Name two ways white settlers removed Indians from desirable land. c. What were “iron horses?” d. What was Philip Sheridan and William Sherman’s idea for controlling Indians? e. Who were buffalo soldiers? 6. Next, tell students that beginning today and in the coming days, they will be learning about three major violent conflicts between the U. S. government and the Native Americans and they were all mentioned in this chapter: Sand Creek Massacre (p. 83-84), the Battle of Little Bighorn (p. 82), and Wounded Knee (p. 85). 7. In the last part of today’s lesson, students will learn more about the events at Sand Creek. From the short paragraph they read in chapter 17, challenge students to work in small groups to put the events listed in appendix J in its correct sequence. 8. After about 3 - 5 minutes, ask students to share aloud their sequence and compare their order with the rest of the class. Ask a couple of students from different groups to come up to the chalk board to arrange the events written on strips of chart paper the way they think had happened and explain why they are putting the events in this order. After a couple of volunteers have shared, announce the correct order of events. (The events are in correct order from top to bottom in Appendix J.) Evaluation/Assessment 1. The teacher may collect the papers with the questions and answers and assess those for accuracy. 2. The teacher may also informally assess the discussion from today’s class.

Lesson Six: The Battle of Little Bighorn (This lesson will take approximately one 45-60 minute period) A. Daily Objectives 1. Lesson Content a. the Battle of Little Bighorn b. George Armstrong Custer, “Custer’s Last Stand” c. Crazy Horse d. Sitting Bull

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Concept Objectives a. Discover the significance of the relative location of place. b. Understand that societies are diverse and have changed over time. 3. Skill Objectives a. listening skills b. drawing skills c. writing skills Materials 1. 1 copy of Kate Bighead’s eyewitness account of the Battle of Little Bighorn titled “More Indians than I Ever Saw,” copied off the Internet page http://www.stedwards.edu/cfpages/farrall/eye.htm 2. a large U. S. wall map or maps provided in the book, Little Bighorn, by Philip Steele, pages 4, 20, and 23 3. 11”x17” white, off-white, or light brown construction paper or paper grocery bags, cut open Background Notes 1. Little Big Horn (1876): When gold was discovered in the Black Hills, the U. S. government tried to persuade the Sioux, who were promised this land, to sell or rent the land to miners. The Sioux, believing that the land was sacred, fought to keep their land. That fight included Indians from Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes and was led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. In June of 1876, Colonel George Armstrong Custer led a small band of soldiers along a stream called Little Big Horn. Despite orders not to attack until backup help arrived, Custer’s small troop attacked a nearby camp where Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse were staying. The 2,500 Indians were prepared to fight and ended up defeating Custer’s group. When it was all over, Custer and his 265 men were dead. The Battle of Little Big Horn has also been referred to in history as “Custer’s Last Stand.” Key Vocabulary 1. Vocabulary from the lecture: a. sacred: dedicated to or set apart for worship, made or declared holy b. hostile: of or pertaining to an enemy, unfriendly c. columns: a line of soldiers on the march d. regiment: a unit of soldiers e. calvary: troops trained to fight on horseback 2. Vocabulary from the Internet excerpt: a. council: an assembly called together for consultation or deliberation b. forenoon: the period between sunrise and noon c. gullies: a deep channel cut in the earth by running water d. coup: a successful stroke; a sudden, brilliantly successful move Procedure/Activities 1. Begin by telling students that the Battle of Little Bighorn was the only major victory between U. S. soldiers and Indians that the Native Americans could claim. After this battle, no white eyewitnesses survived the fighting, but in today’s lesson, they are going to hear a Native American woman’s eyewitness account of the battle. 2. Before reading this information, provide students with some background facts about the Battle of Little Bighorn. Begin by showing where the fighting took place on a U. S. map (in the southern part of Montana, straight north of central Wyoming) or on the map on page 4 of Little Bighorn by Philip Steele. a. At this time, many of these Indians in this region did live on reservations,

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but were permitted to leave the reservations to hunt. They were promised sections of land in this part of the country, including the Black Hills, a western part of what is now South Dakota. The Black Hills was considered sacred land to the Sioux, but when miners found gold there, the U. S. government no longer wanted the Indians to have that land. The Indians refused to give it up and vowed to fight for their sacred land. In response, the U. S. government ordered the Native Americans back to the reservations. When the Indians did not return, the government declared war on them. This led up to the fighting at Little Bighorn. The U. S. soldiers in charge, led by Philip Sheridan, drew up an elaborate plan to conquer the “hostiles” and return them to the reservations. Their plan was to divide up nearly 2500 men into three columns, each closing in on the Native Americans from different directions in an effort to trap them. b. While the soldiers were preparing for war, the Indians were doing the same. They held a specia l Sun Dance ceremony in which spiritual leader, warrior, and chief Sitting Bull had a vision which foretold of an Indian victory against the soldiers. c. Before the three bands of soldiers could meet as Sheridan planned, one regiment, General Crook’s column, meet up with a group of Sioux and Cheyenne Indians on their way north. The two groups fought there, known now as the Battle of Rosebud, on June 17, 1876. Many of Crook’s men were badly hurt and could no longer continue northward to meet the two other columns of soldiers. Meanwhile, the group coming from the east, under General Terry and General Custer’s command, and the group coming from the west, under General Gibbon’s command met up to make final preparations. They split up their troops again then decided General Custer’s group would go ahead to scout out the Native American’s camp then meet up with Terry and Gibbon at a different location. d. Custer and his calvary were soon on the trail of the large Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes. He decided that he must strike against the Indians before they detected the U. S. soldiers and fled from their camp. Custer also decided he that he could not wait for Terry and Gibbons. Custer once again split up his calvary and sent one group, under Major Reno’s command, in to attack the Indians from the south. When the Indians heard the gunfire, hundreds of warriors mounted their horses and gathered to fight the soldiers. The Indian warriors attacked with a rage while the soldiers retreated in fear and confusion. The Indians managed to chase Reno’s men off. Shortly after Reno’s defeat, Custer and his men emerged from the north. The warriors, led by the dynamic Sioux warrior, Crazy Horse, were ready for him and beat Custer and his men quickly and easily. None of the soldiers survived. (There are great maps in Little Bighorn, pages 20 and 23, that illustrate the routes taken by the soldiers and Indian warriors.) Next, remind students that what they are about to hear is one Native American woman’s version of the events that took place at Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876. Read Kate Bighead’s account of Custer’s Last Stand beginning with “I was with the Southern Cheyennes...” stopping at appropriate points to discuss what the content and vocabulary. Tell students that they need to try to imagine the action that is being described and be able to illustrate the events on a mural after reading

Kate Bighead’s excerpt. Finally, when you have finished reading, pass out long sheets of construction paper or paper bags to replicate animal hides and instruct students to draw the events of the Battle of Little Bighorn as they imagined it from hearing Kate Bighead’s version of the battle. Students may also include illustrations of the events you presented before the reading. Explain that drawing was a common way for Native Americans to record their history. (An example of an Indian drawing can be seen on page 16 of Philip Steele’s book.) Evaluation/Assessment 1. Instruct students to write one or two paragraphs stating why they believe the Native Americans won this battle. (Possible answers: they outnumbered the soldiers, they were protecting their lives and the lives of their families, they were confident (especially after hearing Sitting Bull’s vision), they were angry, the soldiers fought poorly) Collect and assess their answers to determine whether they have accumulated the information from today’s lesson. 2. The teacher may also evaluate the student’s drawings for accuracy of the information presented. 4.

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Lesson Seven (This lesson will take approximately one 40-45 minute period) A. Daily Objectives 1. Lesson Content a. reservations b. The Dawes Act c. Sitting Bull d. The Ghost Dance e. Wounded Knee 2. Concept Objectives a. Understand that societies are diverse and have changed over time. 3. Skill Objectives a. listening skills b. dramatic presentation skills (in both performing Ghost Dance and telling about it) B. Materials 1. video- The West: Ghost Dance 2. TV and VCR 3. overhead projector 4. transparency of vocabulary words and definitions C. Background Notes 1. Ghost Dance (1890): In the late 1880’s, a Paiute Indian named Wovoka believed he had the solution that would return Indians to their traditional way of life. He believed a sacred dance called the Ghost Dance would banish white settlers and soldiers from their land, revive dead Indians, and replenish the herds of buffalo. The popularity of this dance spread quickly across many tribes and regions. White settlers feared the unfamiliar chanting and dancing. In the fall of 1890, the federal government once again intervened with the Native Americans’ rituals and tried to put an end to a particular Sioux groups’ dancing. The troops began by demanding the arrest of the Sioux’s chief, Sitting Bull. Sitting Bull did not resist, but another Indian protested by shooting one of the arresting officers. Consequently, that officer, a Sioux, himself, shot and killed Sitting Bull. 2. Wounded Knee (Dec. 29, 1890): Two weeks after Sitting Bull’s death at

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nearby Wounded Knee, a group of Sioux Indians were preparing to peacefully surrender to federal troops. As U.S. soldiers tried to disarm the Sioux, a shot from and Indian rifle discharged and the soldiers then opened fire. When they were done, more than 200 Indian men, women, and children lay dead. That massacre at Wounded Knee marked the end of the violent fighting between the U. S. government and the Native Americans. Key Vocabulary 1. Vocabulary from the video: a. Dawes Act: a law that allocated to each head of and Indian family a fixed amount of land to farm b. rations: a fixed share or allotment of food for a period of time c. appropriations: to set apart for a specific use d. epidemics: contagious diseases that spread rapidly e. prophet: the chief spokesman of a movement or cause f. purify: to make or become pure g. forswear: to give up or renounce h. restoration: to bring back to a previous or original condition i. inconsolably: incapable of being consoled or comforted j. remote: located far away k. plateau: an elevated tract of level land l. plat: a small piece of ground m. exuberance: characterized by good health and high-spirits n. penetrate: enter into o. simultaneously: done at the same time p. spectacle: a public display q. prostrate: overcome; helpless r. sickle: a tool with a curved blade attached to a short handle used for cutting grain or tall grass s. sporadic: occurring at irregular intervals t. buckwheat: a plant with small triangular seeds which are often ground into flour u. serene: tranquil, calm Procedure/Activities 1. Today the students are going to learn about the last major violent conflict that occurred between the U. S. government and Native Americans. Set the background for watching the video by telling the students that the Ghost Dance and the massacre at Wounded Knee took place in 1890, fourteen years after the events of Little Bighorn. In those fourteen years, very few Indian tribes have remained free on the land; most have resigned to Indian reservations where they were often treated poorly. They miss their old way of life and are desperate to get it back. In 1890, some Plains Indians learn of a new spiritual ceremony called the Ghost Dance which promises new hope for the Indians. As it turns out, however, the Ghost Dance may be what led to the white man’s conquer of the Indians. Ask students to pay special attention to the actual Ghost Dance ceremony, telling them that they will be performing the Ghost Dance when the video is over. 2. Before showing the video, the teacher should go over the list of vocabulary with the students quickly by showing the words and their definitions on an overhead projector. 3. Show video beginning with the section titled “Like Grass Before the Sickle.” (It

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begins about midway through the tape.) This section of the video is 17 minutes long. 4. After this section of the video is over, clear some space in your classroom so your students can stand up and perform the Ghost Dance. Students need to make a large circle, join hands, then shuffle right, then to the left with a side-ways step, chanting as they move. Some of the leaders remained outside the circle and sang and “kept time” on percussion instruments as the others danced. As the dance went on, the participants circled faster and faster and the chanting became louder and louder. The dancing continued until the participants fell to the ground from exhaustion. (You may want to go even further and have students decorate special shirts for their Ghost Dance ceremony. The Ghost Dancers believed the shirts they wore would be impenetrable by bullets.) 5. After a couple of practices, perform the Ghost Dance for other classes. Before each performance, choose a group of students to read a prepared, brief introduction explaining to the other classes what the Ghost Dance is and how this hopeful dance led to the final defeat of the Indians. Evaluation/Assessment 1. The teacher could collect or informally evaluate each group’s verbal introduction to the Ghost Dance performance.

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CULMINATING ACTIVITY A. To wrap up the unit and tie everything together, give each of the students a blank timeline (Appendix K). Students are to find out what important events relating to Native Americans happened during the years listed. Students need to illustrate a picture of the event then write a one sentence caption below the picture. 1. 1824: BIA established 2. 1838: Trail of Tears 3. 1864: Sand Creek Massacre 4. 1876: Battle of Little Bighorn 5. 1887: Dawes Act 6. 1890: Ghost Dance/Wounded Knee

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HANDOUTS AND WORKSHEETS A. Appendix A: KWL chart (Lesson 1) B. Appendix B: Native American cultural regions map (Lesson 1) C. Appendix C: Background notes on Native Americ ans by region (Lesson 2) D. Appendix D: Research report graphic organizer (Lesson 2) E. Appendix E: Report Rubric (Lesson 2) F. Appendix F: Native American cultural regions matrix (Lesson 2) G. Appendix G: Blank outline for lesson 3 discussion (Lesson 3) H. Appendix H: United States map (Lesson 3) I. Appendix I: Role playing prompts (Lesson 4) J. Appendix J: The events of the Sand Creek Massacre (Lesson 5) K. Appendix K: Blank timeline (Culminating Activity)

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BIBILIOGRAPHY A. Bighead, K. “More Indians Than I Ever Saw,” Available URL: http://www.stedwards.edu/cfpages/farrall/eye.htm, posted 1997 B. Blakely, M. Native Americans and the U. S. Government. Chelsea House Publishing, 1995. ISBN# 0-7910-2475-X.

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Ferrell, N. W. The Battle of the Little Bighorn in American History. Springfield, New Jersey: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 1996. ISBN# 0-89490-768-9. Griffin-Pierce, T. The Encyclopedia of Native America. New York, New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1995. ISBN# 0-670-85104-3. Grutman, J. H. and Matthaei, G. The Ledgerbook of Thomas Blue Eagle. New York, New York: Lickle Publishing, 1994. ISBN# 1-56566-063-3. Hakim, J. A History of US: Reconstruction and Reform. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1994. ISBN# 0-19-507757-1. Hirsch, Jr. E. D. What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know. New York, New York: Dell Publishing, 1993. ISBN# 0-385-31464-7. Ives, S. “The West: Episode 8: Ghost Dance” (videotape) 1996. Smith, C. Native Americans of the West: A Sourcebook on the American West. Brookfield, Connecticut: The Millbrook Press, 1992. ISBN# 1-56294-131-3. Steel, P. Little Bighorn. New York: New Discovery Books, 1992. ISBN # 0-02786885-0