Standards
Introduction
Did you know that Native Americans introduced the early settlers to corn, indigo dye, cornmeal, Thanksgiving, popcorn, gunpowder, cornbread, moccasins, and tobacco? What else can you find out about the Native Americans?
Students will be placed in small groups. Using texts and internet sites, students will research a specfic aspect of a Native American tribe. With this research, students will, individually, write a one-page paper and create a visual aid about their topic. With the group, students will create a totem pole and put together an oral presentation.
Task
Students will learn about the lives of Native Americans and make connections to their own world. This project consists of five phases. Students will:
1. Research
2. Write a One-Page Paper
3. Create a Visual Aid (Entirely done at-home!)
4. Create a Totem Pole
5. Prepare an Oral Presentation
Process
1. After the teacher assigns your group, you must agree on a tribe to research:
Apache
Aztec
Cherokee
Hopi
Iroquois
Inca
Mayan
Mohawk
Pueblo
Sioux
Wampanoag
Zuni
2. After your group chooses a tribe, each member needs to choose a specific aspect of the tribe to research:
Food and Agriculture
This person should research common foods made and eaten by the tribe. This member should also focus on farming and hunting, if used by the tribe.
Music and Religion
Music and religion were important parts of Native American culture. This person should research the most important parts of their religious customs, as well as, find information related to instruments used in sacred ceremonies.
Clothing
This person should research the clothing worn by the tribe and how they were made.
Housing
This person should research the housing of the tribe, how it was made, and how it helped protect the tribe from the environment.
Arts and Craft
This person should research the arts and crafts created by the tribe, the materials used, and the importance of the creations.
Roles of Men, Women, and Children
Just as men, women, and children have duties today, each member of a family was responsible for helping the tribe. This person should research how individuals helped keep the tribe successful.
3. When you have chosen a specific aspect of your tribe's culture to research, begin using texts provided by your teacher or from your school's library to find information. You should also use a variety of websites to find information. Below, you will find numerous links to help you with your search.
Native American Links
Mrs. Whitman collected a lot of fantastic websites to help you research. PLEASE NOTE: If any of the links are "dead" and do not take you where you were supposed to go, try a different link.
Boolify.org This website will help you search your specific topic by using key words and phrases.
Destiny
Check our school's library for books about your topic.
You should be finding the most important information related to your topic, as well as, making connections between what you have learned and your own life/the world around you. Use your notebook to take notes as you research. Make sure to include the source you are using when taking note. This will help you stay organized.
When you write your paper, you will have to create a "Works Cited" page, or "Bibliography." Your teacher will provide you with a layout for the bibliography he/she wants you to use. However, you can start creating a bibliography with this format:
BOOK:
Author's Lastname, Author's Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
WEBSITE:
Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of website creation or last update (if available). Date of access.
AT-HOME PORTION: During this entire project, you should be working on your visual at home. You may make a poster or diorama to show what you have learned. You will use your visual during the oral presentation.
4. Once you have collected enough information, begin writing your one-page paper. Remember what you have learned about writing. Although it is very important to have reliable information, you must have proper sentence/paragraph structure and very few spelling/grammatical errors.
First, write a rough draft and proofread. Then, type your paper.
PAPER SET-UP
Paragraph One - Introduction
Paragraphs Two through Four - Body (Information and Connections to Your World)
Paragraph Five - Conclusion
5. Once each member of the group has completed their research and written portion, the group must work together to create a totem pole. As you learned in this unit, totem poles were a very important cultural aspect of Native American life. The totem pole should have a section for each group member to use pictures/symbols to show their part of the tribe's culture.
Use construction paper, cardboard, etc. to create the totem pole. Each group need only make one totem pole.
6. Finally, your group must prepare an oral presentation. Each group member must participate and share the information they have learned. Remember to be engaging. Get your classmates excited about your topic and interested in learning more!
Evaluation
Students will be evaluated according to the attached rubrics. Students should read and understand the expectations of the rubrics before completing the assignment.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have worked so hard on this project. You are now an expert on your Native American tribe. If you are interested in learning more about another group's tribe, ask them, or use the links on this WebQuest to do some more research.
Remember to take the skills you have learned about research and paper-writing to other assignments/projects that you will do during the rest of the year.