Native Americans
Unit 2 Lesson 3 from the MC3 Curriculum
Big Ideas of the Lesson
1. At the time European explorers reached the Americas, American Indians had been living there for thousands of years.
2. American Indians lived in several large cultural regions which included the Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, the nomadic nations of the Great Plains, and the Woodland peoples east of the Mississippi River.
3. The climate and natural resources of these regions were quite different. Therefore, different cultures developed in different regions.
4. By comparing the people of the Southwest and the Pacific Northwest, we can better understand how people adapt their way of life to their environment.
1. At the time European explorers reached the Americas, American Indians had been living there for thousands of years.
2. American Indians lived in several large cultural regions which included the Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, the nomadic nations of the Great Plains, and the Woodland peoples east of the Mississippi River.
3. The climate and natural resources of these regions were quite different. Therefore, different cultures developed in different regions.
4. By comparing the people of the Southwest and the Pacific Northwest, we can better understand how people adapt their way of life to their environment.
Southwest
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Northwest
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Vocabulary for this lesson:
geography: the study of the Earth and the way people interact with the Earth Example: When you study geography you learn about different places.
region: an area that has one or more features in common Example: The Southwest and the Pacific Northwest are two examples of American Indian regions.
human/environment interaction: ways in which people use, adapt to, or modify their environment. Example: When people of the Pacific Northwest used trees for houses and other things in their culture, they were interacting with their environment.
modifying the natural environment: when people change the environment to fit them Example: People in the Pacific Northwest modified their environment when they cut down trees for houses.
the five themes of geography: five big ideas that help people understand geography.
1. Location 2. Place 3. Human environment interaction 4. Movement 5. Region
Example: Location is one of the five themes of geography.
culture: the way of life for a group of people Example: The culture of the American Indians of the Southwest included eating corn, having ceremonies in hopes of a good harvest, and arts such as pottery and weaving.
adapting to the natural environment: when people make changes in order to fit their environment Example: People in the Southwest adapted to their environment by building houses of adobe.
CLICK HERE TO PRACTICE YOUR VOCABULARY WORDS
region: an area that has one or more features in common Example: The Southwest and the Pacific Northwest are two examples of American Indian regions.
human/environment interaction: ways in which people use, adapt to, or modify their environment. Example: When people of the Pacific Northwest used trees for houses and other things in their culture, they were interacting with their environment.
modifying the natural environment: when people change the environment to fit them Example: People in the Pacific Northwest modified their environment when they cut down trees for houses.
the five themes of geography: five big ideas that help people understand geography.
1. Location 2. Place 3. Human environment interaction 4. Movement 5. Region
Example: Location is one of the five themes of geography.
culture: the way of life for a group of people Example: The culture of the American Indians of the Southwest included eating corn, having ceremonies in hopes of a good harvest, and arts such as pottery and weaving.
adapting to the natural environment: when people make changes in order to fit their environment Example: People in the Southwest adapted to their environment by building houses of adobe.
CLICK HERE TO PRACTICE YOUR VOCABULARY WORDS
Summarizing Information
SouthwestFood: corn, beans, squash
Houses: adobe and stone pueblos, single family hogans Clothing: cotton clothing, embroidery on clothing Art: pottery, weaving, baskets Traditions: Kivas for religious ceremonies, Kachinas Other: irrigated land so they could farm in a dry area and strict rules about water use Click here to view a photo tour of the Anasazi cave dwellings! Essay QuestionAll students will write an essay to the prompt of "Compare how American Indians in the desert Southwest and the Pacific Northwest adapted to or modified the environment". Students may use notes and other resources, but must complete the work on their own.
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Pacific NorthwestFood: fish, deer, elk, berries, shellfish
Houses: large wooden houses that held several families Clothing: clothing of cedar bark, bark rainwear Art: totem poles, decorated pieces of copper, carved wooden boxes, baskets Traditions: potlatch ceremony Other: made fishing nets of cedar rope, hollowed out logs for large canoes Navajo and Tlingit AssignmentsAll students are asked to read about the Navajo and Tlingit tribes, which represent the Southwest and Pacific Northwest regions. On the back of each article students categorize the details found in the article based on the five themes of geography. These themes are region, location, place, movement, and human interaction with the environment.
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Click here to go to the Native American Project page where you can download the requirements.
Lesson 4- The Plains and Eastern Woodland Regions
Big Ideas of Lesson 4
- Eastern Woodland American Indians lived in a large region extending from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean.
- Although American Indians of this region had much in common, the many different climates and geographic features of this region resulted in many cultural differences.
- To better understand the people of this region, it is important to study cultural factors such as family structure and land use.
- Some American Indian nations of this region joined together to form a confederation.
- The Iroquois League was an example of a confederation.
- The Plains Indians were nomadic and lived in Tipis designed to be mobile, as they frequently moved to hunt the buffalo.
Scenes from the Eastern Woodlands region
Click here to view the online tour.
Sioux and Iroquois Assignments
All students are asked to read about the Sioux and Iroquois tribes, which represent the Plains and Eastern Woodland regions respectively. On the back of each article students categorize the details found in the article based on the five themes of geography. These themes are region, location, place, movement, and human interaction with the environment.
Vocabulary
confederation- a group of societies that united for a common goal.
long house- a building where the Iroquois lived
long house- a building where the Iroquois lived
Tipi
Used by the Plains Indians
Longhouse- used by the Eastern Woodland Indians
Textbook Assignments
Students are to read chapter four lessons two and three and complete the questions located at the end of each lesson. Additionally, students need to use an outline map of the United States to color and label the four different regions discussed in the Native American lessons. These will be noted 4.2 and 4.3 in the grade book.