Florida's Native Americans, Engineers or Not?

This WebQuest is designed for 4th grade students.

This WebQuest will allow students to explore Florida's Native Americans and learn about their basic needs and some of the challenges they faced in Florida's environment.

This WebQuest is intended to help students learn about the tools used by Native Americans in Florida.  Students will apply what they have learned by designing and constructing a tool to meet the basic needs of humans. NO WEAPONS OF ANY KIND MAY BE MADE!  This tool or item should be related to clothing/accessories, utensils such as those used for meals or beverages, nets or traps used for hunting, or model of types of home and should be constructed using materials found in Florida.

This WebQuest will provide students with the knowledge to compose a one page paper identifying a tribe specific to the state of Florida, explaining a need in which this tool used, therefore, validating if Florida's Native Americans were truly engineers or not.

Guiding Questions:

1. How can we use things we find in the environment to construct tools?

2.  What doe it mean to be an engineer?

3.  How did the Native Floridan tribes meet their basic needs?

This assignment: Florida's Native Americans, Engineers or Not? is a 2 week long project.

Task 1: a. Students will use the websites provided to research Native American tribes of Florida (Apalachee, Calusa, Tequesta, Timucua or Tocobaga). 

             b. Students will then choose a tribe to do the assignment.

Task 2: a. Students will research and understand the definition of a human need.

             b. Students will identify a need for the tribe selected.        

             c. Students will identify a tool, utensil as those used for cooking, eating, drinking, gathering, etc, an item used to trap or fish for food, items used for clothing or accessories to clothing, a model of the types of homes used by the tribe.

Task 3: Students will design and construct a tool that might have been used by any Native American tribe of Florida (Apalachee, Calusa, Tequesta, Timucua or Tocobaga), to meet their needs.These items should be related to clothing/accessories, food or beverage utensils, traps or nets for hunting/gathering, or models of homes. NO WEAPONS MAY BE CONSTRUCTED. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Task 4: Students will prepare a one page paper including the following:

            a. the Native American Tribe chosen.

            b. the need, the tool and how the tool meets that need. 

            c. the decision based on your construction of the tool, if Florida's Natives are truly engineers or not.

Task 5: Presentation of tool or item constructed to class.

Websites needed to complete the assignment: Florida's Native American, Engineers or Not?

http://www.kawvalley.k12.ks.us/schools/rjh/marneyg/archived_projects/02_plains-history/02_jmckenzie_weapons.htm (Tools)

http://classroom.synonym.com/tools-weapons-used-by-cherokee-indian-tribes-12082712.html (Tools)

http://www.bigorrin.org/calusa_kids.htm (Calusa Tribe)

http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/calusa/calusa1.htm (Calusa Tribe)

http://www.losttribesflorida.com/tequesta---keys.html (Apalachee, Calusa, Tequesta, Timucua and Tocobaga Tribes)

https://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/cur.htm#tocobaga (Apalachee, Calusa, Tequesta, Timucua and Tocobaga Tribes)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tequesta (Tequesta Tribe)

https://www.nps.gov/timu/learn/historyculture/timucua.htm (Timucua Tribe)

https://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/timucua/timucua1.htm (Timucua Tribe)

http://manataka.org/page1232.html (Timucua Tribe)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need (Definition of Need)

Day 1: 

         a. Use the websites provided to research Native American tribes of Florida (Apalachee, Calusa, Tequesta, Timucua or Tocobaga). 

         b. Choose a tribe to do the assignment.

         c.  Have selection approved by teacher.

Day 2:

         a.  Research and understand the definition of a human need.

         b.  Identify a need for the tribe selected. 

         c.  Identify a tool, utensil as those used for cooking, eating, drinking, gathering, etc, an item used to trap or fish for food, items used for clothing or accessories to clothing, a model of the types of homes used by the tribe.

          d.  Have tool/item approved by teacher.

Day 3, 4, 5, 6, 7:

          a.  Design and construct a tool that might have been used by any Native American tribe of Florida (Apalachee, Calusa, Tequesta, Timucua or Tocobaga), to meet their needs.These items should be related to clothing/accessories, food or beverage utensils, traps or nets for hunting/gathering, or models of homes. NO WEAPONS MAY BE CONSTRUCTED. NO EXCEPTIONS!  These items must be constructed using materials found in Florida's environment.

         b.  Consult with teacher for any concerns, suggestions and progress.     

Day 8:  Prepare a first draft of one page paper including the following: 

         a. the Native American Tribe chosen.

         b. the need, the tool and how the tool meets that need. 

         c. the decision based on your construction of the tool, if Florida's Natives are truly engineers or not.

         d.  Have teacher view first draft for corrections/suggestions.

Day 9: Submit one page paper.

Day 10: Class presentations.

Students will be assessed on:

• Design and construction of tool or item (see qualifications on Task and Process pages).
• Composition of one page paper (see requirements on Task and Process pages).

The following Rubric will be used for grading.  A total of 100 points may be earned.

Students will have tapped into their creativity and designed and constructed a tool or item that could have be used by a Native American of Florida.

Students will have comprised a one page paper of the Florida Native American that was fact and opinion based.

Students will be able to conclude through research and application, that Florida's Native Americans are in fact, very resourceful engineers.

Students will have participated in interactive learning through this Social Studies assignment.

I hope that this method of learning was as innovative for the students as is it was for me.

Resources

CPalms.  Retrieved on November, 19, 2017 from http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceLesson/Preview/37950

McKenzie, J. (2002). 8th Plains History. Tools & Weapons of the Plains Indians website. Retrieved on November 19, 2017 from  http://www.kawvalley.k12.ks.us/schools/rjh/marneyg/archived_projects/02_plains-history/02_jmckenzie_weapons.htm

Morris, M. (2001-2017). Leaf Group Ltd. CLASSROOM, Tools & Weapons used by Cherokee Indian Tribes website. Retrieved on November 19, 2017 from http://classroom.synonym.com/tools-weapons-used-by-cherokee-indian-tribes-12082712.html

Native Languages of Americans (1998-2015), Calusa Indian Fact sheet.  Retrieved on November 19, 2017 from http://www.bigorrin.org/calusa_kids.htm

College of Education, University of South Florida (2002). Exploring Florida, The Calusa: "The Shell Indians. Retrieved on November 19, 2017 from http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/calusa/calusa1.htm

Morris, T. Florida Lost Tribes - Theodore Morris. Retrieved on November 19, 2017 from http://www.losttribesflorida.com/tequesta---keys.html

College of Education, University of South Florida (2004). Exploring Florida, A Short History of Florida. Retrieved on November 19, 2017 from https://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/cur.htm#tocobaga

Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. Tequesta. Retrieved on November 19, 2017 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tequesta

National Park Service. Timucan Ecological & Historic Preserve Florida. Timucua Indians. Retrieved on November 19, 2017 from https://www.nps.gov/timu/learn/historyculture/timucua.htm

College of Education, University of South Florida (2002). Exploring Florida, The Timucua. Retrieved on November 19, 2017 from https://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/timucua/timucua1.htm

Manataka American Indian Council. Timucua Indians of the Southeast. Retrieved on November 19, 2017 from http://manataka.org/page1232.html

Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. Need. Retrieved on November 26, 2017 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need

This WebQuest is designed for students on the 4th grade level.

Standard

SS.4.A.2.1: Compare Native American Tribes in Florida

Title: Pre-Columbian Florida

Subject: Social Studies

Strand: American History

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this WebQuest students will be able to identify Florida's Native Americans and understand their basic needs and some of the challenges they faced in Florida's environment. Students will be understand basic needs of humans, and relate that the a tribe Native to Florida.  Students will use that knowledge to identify a need of their chosen tribe and design and construct a tool/item to meet that need, using materials specific to Florida's environment. Finally, students will analyze through their own research and applications, whether, Florida's Native Americans are truly engineers or not.

Prior to the start of class, place a selection of natural materials from the environment on a table. Cover the materials with a sheet or tablecloth as to have none of the materials visible to the students. Ask for volunteers to share the basic needs of humans.  Students may not realize that we are animals, and we have the same basic needs as all animals:  food, water, shelter, air, and space.  Ask for examples of how we meet these needs in our own lives.  If unable to take students to an area with natural environment that Florida's Natives would have lived in, show a picture of a natural Florida environment.

List of materials:

• shells common to Florida's coast (clam, scallop, whelk, conch, etc.)
• raffia (to simulate palm fiber)
• feathers (purchased from a hobby store)
• palm fronds
• rock (native limestone or chert)
• sticks
• straw
• pieces of leather
• string
• Popsicle sticks(in the place of animal bone) any other native items the students decide to use in the design

Visit www.floridastateparks.org. website for possible photos of natural environment.

Classroom items:

• projector
• computer
• chalk board