New York Up Close Native Americans Teacher’s Guide Grade Level: 4
Curriculum Focus: State History
Lesson Duration: Five class periods
Program Description Native Americans — Each of the four videos in the series contains five segments on a separate theme: geography, history, economics, civics, and culture. This video presents the Iroquois longhouse as a building and a symbol, tells the history of the French and Indian War, and analyzes the division of labor in Iroquois communities. It also looks at how a belief in peace shaped the Iroquois Confederacy and introduces a few Iroquois myths.
Academic Standards and Assessment
New York Content Standards This teacher’s guide addresses state standards in Social Studies for Grade Four. To view the full descriptions, visit this Web site: http://www.nylearns.org/standards.
Writer’s Rubric Use this four-point rubric to evaluate students’ work in each lesson. Rated
Ideas
Organization
Word Choice
Sentences
Spelling and Punctuation
4
many original ideas
ideas are in logical order
appropriate and creative
complete, clear, and easy to understand
few or no errors
3
some original ideas
most ideas are in logical order
most choices are appropriate, some creative descriptions
many complete, clear, and easy-to-understand sentences
some errors
2
few original ideas
some ideas are in logical order
some choices are appropriate, few creative descriptions
some run-on, incomplete, or unclear sentences
many errors
1
no original ideas
no ideas are in logical order
few choices are appropriate, no creative descriptions
several run-on or incomplete sentences and many unclear sentences
serious errors
Geography People of the Long House Segment: 1
Standards:
SS3.E.1A, SS3.E.2A
Lesson Duration: One class period
Lesson Plan
Student Objectives •
Study how people live, work, and use natural resources.
•
Ask questions about where places are geographically located; why they are located where they are, what is important about their locations, and how their locations are related to the locations of other people and places.
Materials •
Native Americans video, first segment
•
a map of the original members of the Iroquois Confederacy superimposed on a current map of New York State; show the Seneca, Cayuga, Onandaga, Oneida, and Mohawk, from west to east
Procedures 1. Brainstorm examples of the geographic factors Native Americans had to consider when building homes. Begin with examples from the video; then ask students to think of others. Record their responses. Examples: • the availability of building materials, such as tree branches and bark • the amount of food sources such as game, fish, roots, nuts, and berries • the quality of the soil for planting • access to water for drinking 2. Generate a list of types of houses used by different cultures, including Native American cultures of the past and American culture today. Sample responses: • long houses • log cabins • teepees • igloos • apartment houses Ask students to speak briefly about the relationship between each type of house and the way of life and environment of the people using it. Sample response: A teepee is made of the dried skins of animals. It shows that the people hunted as a way of life. 3. Guide students in observing the locations of Iroquois tribes in relation to one another. Remark on how their locations determined their roles, for example, as the Keeper of the Eastern Door or Keeper of the Central Fire. Ask how the location of the tribes helps explain their joining as a confederacy, or a group united for a common cause.
Native Americans Teacher’s Guide
3
Name________________________________________________Date__________________________
Living in a Long House This simple diagram shows the locations of the original members of the Iroquois Confederacy. Study the diagram and answer the questions that follow it. N W
E S
N
S E N E C A
C A Y U G A
O N A N D A G A
O N E I D A
M O H A W K
Which tribe was the Keeper of the Western Door of the Iroquois longhouse? ________________________________________________________________________ Why were the Onandaga the Keepers of the Central Fire? ________________________________________________________________________ What special name did the Mohawk tribe have? ________________________________________________________________________ Write a paragraph explaining why the Iroquois chose to live in long houses. Discuss factors such as location, environment, and culture. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
Published by Discovery Education. © 2007. All rights reserved.
Native Americans Teacher’s Guide
4
History Taking Sides: Conflict in North America Segment: 2
Standards: SS1.E.3A, SS1.E.4B
Lesson Duration: One class period
Lesson Plan
Student Objectives •
Gather and organize information about the important accomplishments of individuals and groups, including Native American Indians, living in their neighborhoods and communities.
•
Explore different experiences, beliefs, motives, and traditions of people living in their neighborhoods, communities, and state.
Materials •
Native Americans video, second segment
Procedures 1. Brainstorm sources of conflict between groups. Begin with examples from the video; then ask students to think of others. Record their responses. Examples: • limited resources, such as land and water • control of trade routes or hunting grounds • different religious beliefs • crimes committed against another group’s members 2. Generate a class definition of the noun “ally.” Invite students to recall the definition in the context of the video. Sample definition: A friend or group who fights on the same side in a conflict. Review the alliance with the British that the Iroquois made during the French and Indian War. Ask students: Why did the Iroquois become an ally of the British? Sample response: The Iroquois thought that if they helped the British win, the British would not take their land. Also, the Iroquois’s enemy, the Huron, allied themselves with the French. The Iroquois would not be an ally to a group that was a friend to its enemy. 3. Discuss the role of groups in the history of the United States and New York State. Ask which groups have affected American history. Also ask which individuals stand out in American history. Which are more important, individuals, such as famous explorer, or leaders, or groups, such as the British and the Iroquois Confederacy? Why? Guide students in taking a side and making a clear main argument with strong supporting details.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2007. All rights reserved.
Native Americans Teacher’s Guide
5
Name________________________________________________Date____________________
Enemies and Allies Review the groups that fought for or against each other during the French and Indian War. Match each pair to the word “enemies” or “allies.” The British and the Huron Indians The Huron and the Iroquois Confederacy
enemies
The Seneca, the Oneida, and the Onandaga The British and the Iroquois Confederacy The French and the Huron Indians
allies
The Iroquois Confederacy and the French
Who has had the greatest impact on your country and in your community—a group or a single person? Which group or person was it? What effect did he, she, or they have? Write an essay explaining your answer. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
Published by Discovery Education. © 2007. All rights reserved.
Native Americans Teacher’s Guide
6
Economics Division of Labor: Feeding an Iroquois Village Segment: 3
Standards: SS4.E.1.E, SS4.E.1F
Lesson Duration: One class period
Lesson Plan
Student Objectives •
Understand how societies organize their economies to answer three fundamental economic questions: What goods and services shall be produced and in what quantities? How shall goods and services be produced? For whom shall goods and services be produced?
•
Investigate how production, distribution, exchange, and consumption of goods and services are economic decisions with which all societies and nations must deal.
Materials •
Native Americans video, third segment
Procedures 1. Brainstorm about different activities that communities or families throughout history have had to perform to survive. Begin with examples from the video; then ask students to think of others. Record their responses. Examples: • provide food • build shelter • make clothing and tools • look after and raise children • protect homes from storms or other natural disasters • defend the community from enemy attacks 2. Generate a class definition of the term “division of labor.” Sample definition: The way a community organizes work by giving jobs to people. Ask the class why the Iroquois chose to give different jobs to men and women. Guide them toward the answer that such a division of labor led to greater productivity, meaning more work got done as a result. 3. Discuss the difference between a “good” and a “service.” Sample response: A good is something you make or use, such as food; a service is an act that someone provides, such as cooking. Divide the class into groups of four to six students. Charge each group with planning a community. What goods and services will it provide and in what amounts? How will it provide them? Who will benefit from them? If time allows, invite a representative of each group to share their answers to these basic economic questions.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2007. All rights reserved.
Native Americans Teacher’s Guide
7
Name________________________________________________Date____________________
Goods and Services Write the letter of the correct answer in the blank. The main goods the Iroquois grew were corn, beans, and _______. a. tomatoes b. peppers c. squash An important service in Iroquois villages was growing and harvesting crops. The Iroquois grew different crops together, using a method called _______. a. mounding b. interplanting c. tilling In an Iroquois village, men and women did different jobs. Fill in the chart with some of those jobs. MEN
WOMEN
Write a paragraph about the division of labor in most American families today. Which jobs are done mainly by women? Which are done mainly by men? Which do men and women both do? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
Published by Discovery Education. © 2007. All rights reserved.
Native Americans Teacher’s Guide
8
Civics The Confederacy of Peace and Power Segment: 4
Standards: SS5.E.1D
Lesson Duration: One class period
Lesson Plan
Student Objective •
Understand that social and political systems are based upon people’s beliefs.
Materials •
Native Americans video, fourth segment
•
diagram showing the three branches of the U.S. government
Procedures 1. Brainstorm examples of the kinds of beliefs or values that can hold a country together. Begin with examples from the video; then ask students to think of others. Record their responses. Examples: • freedom and independence • peace • democracy • fairness and justice • patriotism, or love for one’s country 2. Generate a class chart comparing and contrasting the U.S. system of government and the Iroquois system of government. Provide a diagram of the three branches of the U.S. government. Compare the Onandaga, the Seneca and the Mohawk (the Elder tribes), the Oneida and the Cayuga (the Younger tribes) and the women’s councils to the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. 3. Discuss the ways in which the beliefs of the Iroquois affected their political system. For example, ask what the main value of the Iroquois was. (Answer: Keeping peace.) Ask how this value affected the way the Iroquois decided important issues. Would they want leaders to disagree with each other? Or would they want everyone to agree unanimously, or completely. Sample answer: They would want everyone to agree unanimously, because then there would be peace. If some people disagreed, they might cause fights or wars. Contrast this way of governing with way our federal, state, and local governments operate. Because we value freedom, including freedom of expression, we can accept a great deal of disagreement. Americans believe they have a right to say what’s on their minds, even if it goes against what most other people think. Ask which students prefer: Total agreement to promote peace or disagreement to promote the value of freedom.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2007. All rights reserved.
Native Americans Teacher’s Guide
9
Name________________________________________________Date____________________
United in Peace Match each part of the Iroquois system of government to a branch of the U.S. government. Part of Iroquois Government The Onandaga
Branch of U.S. Government The Judicial Branch
The Seneca and Mohawk, and the Oneida and Cayuga
The Executive Branch
The Women’s Council
The Legislative Branch
Write an essay about the effects of the Iroquois belief in peace. Explain why it led the Iroquois to aim for complete agreement on issues. Why was disagreement a problem? Should it have been? Use real-life examples to support your opinion. ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________
Answer key
Published by Discovery Education. © 2007. All rights reserved.
Native Americans Teacher’s Guide
Part of Iroquois Government The Onandaga central tribe whose chief led the Grand Council The Seneca and Mohawk, and the Oneida and Cayuga Elder and Younger Tribes that helped decide issues The Women’s Council a group of women who settled arguments and served as judges
10
Branch of U.S. Government The Judicial Branch the Supreme Court The Executive Branch the President, Vice President, and Cabinet The Legislative Branch the two houses of Congress--the Senate and the House of Representatives
Published by Discovery Education. © 2007. All rights reserved.
Native Americans Teacher’s Guide
11
Culture An Oral Tradition: Iroquois Storytelling Segment: 5
Standards: SS1.E.2B, SS1.E.4B
Lesson Duration: One class period
Lesson Plan
Student Objectives •
Recognize how traditions and practices were passed from one generation to the next.
•
Explore different experiences, beliefs, motives, and traditions of people living in their neighborhoods, communities, and state.
Materials •
Native Americans video, fifth segment
Procedures 1. Brainstorm examples of elements of culture. Explain that by studying these elements, one can learn a lot about a group of people. Begin with examples from the video; then ask students to think of others. Record their responses. Examples: • folktales and myths • arts (paintings, drawings, sculpture, movies, comics, music and songs) • holidays and celebrations • religion • rituals (e.g., marriage, funerals, initiation rites) • dress or costumes • food and cooking 2. Generate a class definition of the word “tradition.” Give examples of American traditions such as fireworks on the Fourth of July. Challenge students to consider traditions held by families or small groups of people, such as meeting on a certain day of the year, or eating something special every Sunday at dinner. Sample definition: An established custom or belief that is passed from generation to generation. 3.
Discuss with students why preserving traditions is especially important for Native Americans. Place this idea of tradition in the context of Native American history since the arrival of European colonists. Challenge students to think about what they would feel if they were forced to move away from home and had to give up their favorite foods and holidays. Would they give up their traditions easily? Or would they try to recreate some traditions?
Published by Discovery Education. © 2007. All rights reserved.
Native Americans Teacher’s Guide
12
Name________________________________________________Date____________________
Myth and Tradition Mark with an “M” statements that tell about myths, and mark with a “T” those that tell about traditions. ____ The Iroquois believed North America grew on the back of a turtle. ____ The Iroquois thought that telling stories to children was important. ____ The Iroquois have been playing lacrosse for hundreds of years. ____ The Iroquois believed in two twins that created the world. Write a myth. Tell the story of the creation of something you see everyday. Draw a small picture to illustrate your story in the bottom right corner. ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________
Published by Discovery Education. © 2007. All rights reserved.
