Fourth Grade Eastern Woodland Nations (Native American History on Land Now Labeled Pennsylvania)

Unit Overview

Compelling Question How do the Native Americans who lived without colonial interference, in
what is now labeled Pennsylvania, experience belonging?

DC Social Studies Standards Common Core Literacy Standards C3 Framework Indicators

4th Grade Driving Concept 1: Early Craft and Structure: CCSS.ELA- D4.6.3-5.
Societies in the Americas (13000 BCE LITERACY Draw on disciplinary concepts to
to 1100 CE) RI.4.4 Determine the meaning of explain the challenges people have
4.2 Analyze how physical geography general academic and domain- faced and opportunities they have
(e.g., natural resources, waterways, specific words or phrases in a text created, in addressing local, regional,
landforms) influences the choices relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject and global problems at various times
people make and how people impact area. and places.
the natural environment.
4.6 Explain the development of various Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:
economies and systems of trade of CCSS.ELA-LITERACY
Indigenous peoples across the .RL.4.7 Make connections between
Americas using historical evidence. the text of a story or drama and a
4th Grade Driving Concept 2: visual or oral presentation of the
Civilizations of the Americas (1100 CE text, identifying where each version
to 1500 CE) reflects specific descriptions and
4.9 Analyze the political structure, directions in the text.
technological achievements, religious
beliefs and legacy of the Mississippian,
Hohokam or Haudenosaunee societies.
*Important note: I would need to
change the nation tribes to those who
originated in PA*
Big Ideas Supporting Questions
 Students will be able to define migration and SQ#1: How did migration impact the land now identified
analyze its impacts on historical changes to the as Pennsylvania?
land now considered North America, specifically
Pennsylvania. SQ#2: What do the similarities and differences of current
 Students will be able to compare and contrast the day Pennsylvania’s, Iroquois Nation’s, and Algonquian
societal organization of people of current day Nation’s organization of people teach us about how
Pennsylvania, the Iroquois Nation, and the humans interact?
Algonquian Nation.
 Students will be able to identify and categorize SQ#3: How did the Native American people live before
elements of Native American culture prior to colonial influence?
colonial influence.
Unit This unit focuses on Native Americans in “Pennsylvania”. Students will explore the concepts of migration,
Overview borders, culture, societal organization, and key vocabulary for the unit. This unit will create the
foundational background to help students understand the historical, cultural, geographical, and
economical concepts relating to Native American Nations located in what is considered Pennsylvania
today. Students will be able to create connections between their own lives to those of the Nation Tribes.
To make this successful, students will be working in heterogenous groups to conduct research and critical
discussions regarding the topics and compelling questions. The lesson structure will utilize a variety of
teaching strategies and collaborative learning activities. Students will complete a variety of formative
assessments at the end of each lesson. By the end of the unit, students will be completing a summative
assessment to answer the overarching question: How do the Native Americans who lived without
 colonial interference, in what is now labeled Pennsylvania, experience belonging? To do this, students
will be working in small groups to create a presentation of their choosing that defines belonging in Native
American Nation Tribes and compare it to their own definition of belonging in their community.

The Native American history unit will be the first social studies unit of the school year, setting the stage
for the fourth-grade social studies theme of Pennsylvania History. Previous knowledge they have
obtained to support their understanding in this unit includes a variety of research strategies taught
during previous ELA and Science lessons. The students in the current learning community are
significantly below grade level. Many students have IEPs that require adaptations and modifications
where needed. This unit will include scaffolding, graphic organizers, sentence frames, visual
Student
representations, simplified directions, movement, and much more to support the unique needs of this
and Course
class. The biggest skill gap that will challenge the students is reading comprehension. The unit will
Context
provide additional articles that are simpler to help struggling students gain a more in-depth
understanding of the concepts. Furthermore, there are a handful of students who are on grade level, the
groups will be heterogeneous to offer additional reading comprehension support. The biggest gift that all
the students have is creativity, this will be further empowered through the summative assessment. All of
this will help support students in be successful in the next unit that focuses on the first European
Colonists that came to Pennsylvania.
Unit Assessments
Multiple Choice Items.
Item #1:
DC Social Studies Standard: 4.2 Analyze how physical geography (e.g., natural resources, waterways, landforms)
influences the choices people make and how people impact the natural environment.

Stimulus:

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

Question: How did the Native Americans come to live in the land that is now considered Pennsylvania?
A. The people migrated from Africa.
B. The people migrated from Asia.
C. The people migrated from Europe.
D. The people migrated from South America.

Item #2:
DC Social Studies Standard: 4.6 Explain the development of various economies and systems of trade of Indigenous
peoples across the Americas using historical evidence.

Question: What is the economic system Native Americans used to trade goods?
A. bartering
B. begging
C. borrowing
D. buying

Item #3:
DC Social Studies Standard: 4.9 Analyze the political structure, technological achievements, religious beliefs and legacy
of the Mississippian, Hohokam or Haudenosaunee societies.
*Important note: I changed the nation tribes to those who originated in PA*

Question: Who was responsible for selecting tribal council leaders for the clans? The
A. elder men
B. women
C. young adults
D. elder men and women
Performance Task
As a small group, students will use their notes, social studies textbook, readings, and other materials to show their
understanding of the taught content regarding one of the Tribes we learned about in class. Students will complete two
tasks to show their understanding of Native American Tribes’ lives in what is now considered the state of Pennsylvania.
1. Mural: Each group will create a mural to describe key elements of their Tribe. (It is important to know that this
is NOT an informational poster but instead it is a collective image to represent the tribe’s way of life).
2. Presentation: Each group will present their mural to the class following expectations of oral presentations.
Through this, students will show their understanding by taking the key concepts they learned and applying it to a visual
representation of a Tribe that lived in what is now considered Pennsylvania.
Rubric

Criteria Description of excellence for criteria

Content The geographic, organizational, roles of the people, food, housing, and other
features that influenced that Tribe are accurately portrayed. Students showed
their understandings of these categories through a visual representation of
how the Native American Tribe interacted with the world around them.
Organization Students incorporated the following:
- Utilized important information from their research.
- Analyzed the information to accurately portray information.
- Created a visual mural to represent the information.
Presentation Students accurately conducted the following:
- Mura created is neat and easy to understand.
- Oral presentation communicates to the class all the categories.
- All information is accurate and clear.
Unit Objective Calendar

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Objective: Students Objective: Students Objective: Students Objective: Students Objective: Students
will be able to show will be able to define will be able to will be able to will be able to
their understanding migration and determine the compare and identify and
of Native American analyze its impacts geographical contrast the societal categorize elements
Tribes’ lives in what is on historical elements that Native organization of of Native American
now considered the changes to the land Americans used to people of current day culture prior to
state of Pennsylvania. now considered thrive. Pennsylvania, the colonial influence.
SQ: How do the North America, SQ: How did Native Iroquois Nation, and SQ: How did the
Native Americans specifically Americans of the the Algonquian Native American
who lived without Pennsylvania. Woodland Nation Nation. people live before
colonial interference, SQ: How did interact with the SQ: What do the colonial influence?
in what is now migration impact the ecosystem they live similarities and
labeled Pennsylvania, land now identified in? differences of current
experience as Pennsylvania? day Pennsylvania’s,
belonging? Iroquois Nation’s,
 and Algonquian
Nation’s organization
of people teach us
about how humans
interact?
Day 7
Day 6 Objective: Students Day 10
Objective: Students will be able to Day 9 Objective: Students
Day 8
will be able to identify Native Objective: Students will be able to create
Objective: Students
describe the American traditions will be able to a visual
will be able to
economic system and explore the describe Native representation of the
distinguish how oral
used within tribes cultural implications American customs by Native Nation’s
stories teach us
and between tribes. of the events. analyzing traditional culture.
about history.
SQ: What does the SQ: What are some art artifacts. SQ: How can we
SQ: How do oral
economic structure examples of Native SQ: In what ways can create a visual
traditional stories
of Native Nations American traditions analyzing art artifacts representation of
explain history of
teach us about their and what can we teach us about Native Native American
Native Americans?
interactions with learn about their American culture? culture of a specific
others? culture from these tribe?
traditions?
Day 15
Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14
End of Unit
Performance Task Performance Task Performance Task Performance Task
Assessment

Native Americans in PA Lesson 1

DATE 9/23/23 GRADE: 4th UNIT: Native Americans in Pennsylvania
:
AGENDA STANDARDS (DC Social Studies, C3, Common TEXTS/MATERIALS
Core)
D.C. Social Studies Exploring Pennsylvania Our
60 minutes 4th Grade Driving Concept 1: Early Societies in Geography, History, Economy, and
the Americas (13000 BCE to 1100 CE) Government 2nd Edition by Pellow,
Engage: 5 minutes  4.2 Analyze how physical geography Bowersox, and Wright
(e.g., natural resources, waterways,
Explore: 10 minutes landforms) influences the choices Activity Page 5
people make and how people impact
Explain: 15 minutes the natural environment. Lesson Slides
 4.6 Explain the development of
Elaborate: 20 minutes various economies and systems of Virtual Field Trip to Meadowcroft
trade of Indigenous peoples across Rock Shelter
Evaluate: 10 minutes the Americas using
historical evidence 3-2-1 Graphic Organizer
4th Grade Driving Concept 2: Civilizations of
the Americas (1100 CE to 1500 CE) Vocabulary Cards
 4.9 Analyze the political structure,
technological achievements, religious
beliefs and legacy of the
Mississippian, Hohokam or
Haudenosaunee societies
 *Important note: I would need to change the
nation tribes to those who originated in PA*

C.C. ELA
Craft and Structure: CCSS.ELA-
LITERACY.RI.4.4
 Determine the meaning of
general academic and domain-
specific words or phrases in a
text relevant to a grade 4 topic
or subject area.

C3 Framework
D4.6.3-5.
 Draw on disciplinary concepts to
explain the challenges people
have faced and opportunities
they have created, in addressing
local, regional, and global
problems at various times and
places.

CONTEXT
This will be day two in the unit focusing on Native Americans in “Pennsylvania”. Previous knowledge they have
obtained to support their understanding in this lesson includes a variety of research strategies taught during
previous ELA and Science lessons. Furthermore, students have had lessons in collaborative learning groups. This will
help them understand and be able to stay on task and engaged in their small group discussion. Students know the
roles within the collaborative learning groups, the expectations, and how to help keep their group together and all
learning (peers help each other stay focused and teacher walks around for support). This lesson will create the
foundational background to help students understand the historical, cultural, and economic concepts relating to
Native American Nations located in what is considered Pennsylvania today. To make this successful, students will be
working in heterogenous groups sitting on the floor in a circle to have a critical discussion related to the lesson’s
content. After this lesson, students will create connections between their own societal and governmental structures
to those of Nation Tribes located in PA. Overall, students will be able to understand the concepts of migration,
territories, boarders, and
COMPELLING QUESTION SUPPORTING QUESTION(S)
How did migration impact the land now identified as What is migration?
Pennsylvania?
Where and why did people of the past migrate?

What do artifacts teach humans living today about the

past?

What was in the Meadowcroft Rock Shelter and what

does it tell us about the first people in “PA”?

How is history shared throughout time?

OBJECTIVE
Students will be able to define migration and analyze its
impacts on historical changes to the land now considered
North America, specifically Pennsylvania.
ENGAGE
1. Show Path of Human Migration Video
ASSESSMENT
Students will answer two content specific questions to
show understanding of the key concepts taught during
this lesson (activity page 5).
DIFFERENTIATION
In my current classroom, there are a
2. Have students turn and talk about what they noticed about the human significant number of students who
movement in the video. have Individual Education Plans. I will
EXPLORE need to follow the written
1. Review key lesson vocabulary with a match game. expectations within this plan to meet
2. Hand out cards to each student (randomly). Each card will either have a the needs of my students.
vocabulary word on it or a definition. Students will then go and find Furthermore, I have a few students in
their ‘match’ by finding either the vocabulary word or definition that the process of identification who will
goes with their card. be given the same resources to help
3. Once all groups have found their ‘match’ call up the vocabulary words them have a more successful learning
and the students who have the term and the definition go to the front experience.
of the room to read the term and definition to the class.
EXPLAIN Accommodations:
1. Show students the virtual field trip to Meadowcroft Rock Shelter. Miss F will be pushing into the
2. Students will take notes while watching the video. classroom for student support.
- Students will use a 3-2-1 organizer to take their notes during the video (3
interesting ideas, 2 new facts learned, and 1 question they still have) There is the option for students to
ELABORATE use a stuffed animal to manage
1. Go over discussion expectations with the class. whose turn it is to talk in their small
- Students should come up with a variety of rules to be group discussion to create a visual
followed and display them on the board during the support for students who have
discussion. impulse control issues.
3. Break students up into three heterogeneous groups. Have the students
sit in circles on the floor facing each other. Sentence frames and conversation
4. Display one question at a time on the board and introduce the question. starters will be provided for students.
Students will then discuss the question in their small groups following
the expectations the group decided upon. Students will be given guided
Discussion Questions: questions instead of open-ended
- From what continent did the Native Americans move to questions for support during the
North America? What was this movement called? elaborate section of the lesson.
- What do archeologists do? What does their work tell us
about the first people to live in “PA”? Students will be given visual
- What was in the Meadowcroft Rock Shelter and what does representations of all vocabulary
it tell us about the first people in “PA”? words along with definitions.
During the discussion, the teacher should monitor the groups and offer
support through open-ended questions and reminders. Students may choose to have any
EVALUATE text read aloud for them.
1. Students will go back to their desks to complete a two-question reflection
sheet, independently, after the discussion. The teacher will collect this page Specific students may ask for a
as a formative assessment of understanding. Students who did not show teacher to scribe for them.
accurate understanding will be pulled for a small group discussion regarding
the main concepts. Teacher will check in with specific
students to remind them of
directions and expectations.
RATIONALE
It is important for students to understand what migration is and other vocabulary words that relate to
understanding the history of migration. Due to this, the vocabulary card game helps students explore the
foundational understandings before going into the direct lesson. It gives students the chance to learn through
inquiry, creating connections from their past understandings to new content. Furthermore, it is more engaging for
students to learn vocabulary this way than just having the teacher present the information. This will help students
better understand and remember the important vocabulary. Additionally, have a virtual field trip brings history to
life before their eyes. It allows them to learn the concept from experts in the field and to see what it looks like in an
engaging way. Finally, having small group discussions helps students to elaborate their understanding of the content
they have learned. Students need time to dissect the information to understand it and having a discussion group
gives them a great opportunity to do this. By ending with an independent response to questions, the teacher will be
able to better evaluate what each students’ individual understanding is.
DATE: 9/23/23 GRADE:
AGENDA
60 minutes
Engage: 10 minutes
Explore: 20 minutes
Explain: 15 minutes
Elaborate: 15 minutes
Evaluate: Teacher Planning
Time and students will have
a chance to read the notes
the following morning for
morning work
Native Americans in PA Lesson 2
4th UNIT: Native Americans in
Pennsylvania
STANDARDS (DC Social Studies, C3, TEXTS/MATERIALS
Common Core)
D.C. Social Studies Exploring Pennsylvania Our
4th Grade Driving Concept 1: Early Societies Geography, History, Economy,
in the Americas (13000 BCE to 1100 CE) and Government 2nd Edition by
 4.2 Analyze how physical Pellow, Bowersox, and Wright
geography (e.g., natural resources,
waterways, landforms) influences Lesson Slides
the choices people make and how
people impact the natural Research Graphic Organizer
environment.
 4.6 Explain the development of Venn Diagram with 3 sections
various economies and systems of Worksheet
trade of Indigenous peoples across
the Americas using Large Post it notes
historical evidence
4th Grade Driving Concept 2: Civilizations T-Chart with 3 sections to
of the Americas (1100 CE to 1500 CE) organize students response
 4.9 Analyze the political structure,
technological achievements,
religious beliefs and legacy of the
Mississippian, Hohokam or
Haudenosaunee societies
*Important note: I would need to change
the nation tribes to those who originated in
PA*
C.C. ELA
Craft and Structure: CCSS.ELA-
LITERACY.RI.4.4
 Determine the meaning of
general academic and
domain-specific words or
phrases in a text relevant to a
grade 4 topic or subject area.
C3 Framework
D4.6.3-5.
 Draw on disciplinary concepts
to explain the challenges
people have faced and
opportunities they have
created, in addressing local,
regional, and global problems
at various times and places.
 CONTEXT
This will be day 4 in the unit focusing on Native Americans in “Pennsylvania”. Previous knowledge they
have obtained to support their understanding in this lesson includes a variety of research strategies taught
during previous ELA and Science lessons. Furthermore, students have had lessons in collaborative learning
groups. This will help them understand and be able to stay on task and engaged in their small group during
research. Students know the roles within the collaborative learning groups, the expectations, and how to help
keep their group together and all learning (peers help each other stay focused and teacher walks around for
support). Additionally, the previous lesson in the unit focuses on the geographical concepts of the first people
who lived in what is now considered Pennsylvania. Students will have explored the concepts of migration,
territories, boarders, and key vocabulary for the unit. This lesson will create the foundational background to
help students understand the historical, cultural, and economic concepts relating to Native American Nations
located in what is considered Pennsylvania today. Students will be able to create connections between their
own societal and governmental structures to those of Nation Tribes located. To make this successful, students
will be working in heterogenous groups at tables to conduct research and critical discussions regarding the
topics. After this lesson, students will explore the specific cultural differences between the Nation Tribes in
context of daily life. This will allow students to build their knowledge from a larger system of societal
organization to the smaller family organization and structure. Overall, students will be able to compare and
contrast Native American Nations to their own lives to develop an in depth knowledge of important history.
COMPELLING QUESTION SUPPORTING QUESTION(S)
What do the similarities and differences of current day How does Pennsylvania organize people today?
Pennsylvania’s, Iroquois Nation’s, and Algonquian
Nation’s organization of people teach us about how Who were the first people to live in what is now
humans interact? considered Pennsylvania?

Who are the Iroquois Nation and how does their

society organize people?

Who are the Algonquian Nation and how does their

society organize people?

How are all the societies similar and different?

OBJECTIVE
Students will be able to compare and contrast the
societal organization of people of current day
Pennsylvania, the Iroquois Nation, and the Algonquian
Nation.
ASSESSMENT
Students will create and complete a Venn Diagram
to compare and contrast societal structures of
current day Pennsylvania, the Iroquois Nation, and
the Algonquian Nation.

ENGAGE DIFFERENTIATION
On one wall of the classroom, create three headings in large text In my current classroom, there are
(similar to a t-chart table with three sections): Current Day PA, Iroquois a significant number of students
Nation, and Algonquian Nation. who have Individual Education
3. Ask students the following question: How do we organize people in Plans. I will need to follow the
Pennsylvania? Think about how our government works, how people written expectations within this
interact, and the structure we have (who is in charge of who and plan to meet the needs of my
why). students. Furthermore, I have a
4. Students will work in small groups to create a visual representation few students in the process of
of this concept using a large sticky note. identification who will be given the
5. Once completed, students will place their sticky notes up under the same resources to help them have
Current Day PA section. a more successful learning
EXPLORE experience.
4. Students will be broken up into small groups and given a specific
Nation to research. There will be multiple groups for each of the Accommodations:
 two Nations. Miss F will be pushing into the
5. Students will utilize a variety of research skills and resources to classroom for student support.
gather information regarding the societal organization of their
specific Nation. Sentence frames will be provided
6. Students will be given a graphic organizer to help them gather their for students on both the research
research in a structured format. organizer and the Venn Diagram.
7. The teacher will be walking around the room, supporting students
where needed. Students will be given guided
EXPLAIN questions instead of open ended
5. Students will get with all of the groups that have the same research questions for support during the
Nation to create a large post it note to create a visual elaborate section of the lesson.
representation of the societal structure they researched. (if a group
is too large break them up into two groups of the same Nation). Students will need to list less
6. Each group will place their sticky notes under the designated pieces of evidence on their Venn
heading on the wall and present their findings to the class. Diagrams.
7. Listening students ask questions regarding each group’s
presentation to develop a further understanding of each Nation’s Students will be given visual
societal structure. representations of all vocabulary
ELABORATE words along with definitions.
1. Teacher will introduce and discuss with class how to find similarities
and differences and how to use a Venn Diagram with three sections. Students may choose to have any
2. The students will independently complete a Venn Diagram to write text read aloud for them.
down the similarities and differences between the societal organization
of people of current day Pennsylvania, the Iroquois Nation, and the Specific students may ask for a
Algonquian Nation. teacher to scribe for them.
3. The teacher will provide support through questioning where needed.
EVALUATE
1. The teacher will gather the Venn Diagrams to review student
understanding. Students who did not show accurate understanding
will be pulled for a small group discussion regarding the main
concepts.
RATIONALE
This lesson begins with connecting the main concept of societal structures to students’ personal lives and
previous content. This allows for students to open their cognitive pathways to allow for better understanding
and retention of the new information being taught. Then, students will use their research skills to engage in
higher level thinking regarding the societal structure of the Nation they were assigned to. This will be done in
small groups to allow for in-depth discussion and support between students. Furthermore, students will be
more engaged in the research process when they are working with their classmates in a collaborative setting.
Next, students will work together with other groups to clarify their understanding into a visual representation
to meet a variety of learning needs. Then, students will present their ideas to the class to show their
understanding of the new content. By being the expert presenter, students will develop a strong sense of
understanding by teaching their classmates. Finally, students will combine all the concepts in the lesson
together in a graphic organizer to solidify their understanding and prove what they have learned. Through
these steps, students will go through an engaging, student-centered learning experience that creates different
learning opportunities to meet the needs of diverse learners.

Native Americans in PA Lesson 3

DATE 9/23/23 GRADE:
:
AGENDA (with ~ times)
th
4 UNIT: Native Americans in Pennsylvania
STANDARDS (DC Social Studies, C3, Common TEXTS/MATERIALS
Core)
D.C. Social Studies Exploring Pennsylvania Our
60 minutes 4th Grade Driving Concept 1: Early Societies in Geography, History, Economy, and
the Americas (13000 BCE to 1100 CE) Government 2nd Edition by Pellow,
Engage: 3 minutes  4.2 Analyze how physical geography Bowersox, and Wright
(e.g., natural resources, waterways,
Explore: 7 minutes landforms) influences the choices Lesson Slides
people make and how people impact
Explain: 20 minutes the natural environment. Jigsaw Directions
 4.6 Explain the development of
Elaborate: 15 minutes various economies and systems of Jigsaw Notes Organizer
trade of Indigenous peoples across
Evaluate: 15 minutes the Americas using National Geographic Kids
historical evidence Additional Readings
4th Grade Driving Concept 2: Civilizations of
the Americas (1100 CE to 1500 CE)
 4.9 Analyze the political structure,
technological achievements, religious
beliefs and legacy of the
Mississippian, Hohokam or
Haudenosaunee societies
*Important note: I would need to change the
nation tribes to those who originated in PA*

C.C. ELA
Craft and Structure: CCSS.ELA-
LITERACY.RI.4.4
 Determine the meaning of
general academic and domain-
specific words or phrases in a
text relevant to a grade 4 topic
or subject area.

C3 Framework
D4.6.3-5.
 Draw on disciplinary concepts to
explain the challenges people
have faced and opportunities
they have created, in addressing
local, regional, and global
problems at various times and
places.

CONTEXT
This will be day 5 in the unit focusing on Native Americans in “Pennsylvania”. Previous knowledge they have
obtained to support their understanding in this lesson includes a variety of research strategies taught during
previous ELA and Science lessons. Furthermore, students have had lessons in collaborative learning groups. This will
help them understand and be able to stay on task and engaged in their small group during research. Students know
the roles within the collaborative learning groups, the expectations, and how to help keep their group together and
all learning (peers help each other stay focused and teacher walks around for support). This includes the steps to
participate in a Jigsaw activity. Students have also been taught how to write an opinion-based paragraph using
textual evidence during ELA. Additionally, the previous lesson in the unit focuses on the geographical concepts of
the first people who lived in what is now considered Pennsylvania. Students will have explored the concepts of
migration, territories, borders, culture, economics, societal structures, government, and daily life of the Native
Tribes living in the past, and key vocabulary for the unit. This lesson will create the foundational background to help
students understand the different social categories within a Native American tribe. Furthermore, students will learn
the role each that person within the tribe play. Students gather that information within a jigsaw activity.
COMPELLING QUESTION SUPPORTING QUESTION(S)
How did the Native American people live before colonial How is history shared without writing?
influence?
How can we gather and share information with others?

Who are the important categories of people within a

Native American tribal social structure?

What role does each category of people play within

OBJECTIVE
Students will be able to identify and categorize elements
of Native American culture prior to colonial influence.
Native culture?
ASSESSMENT
Index Card Exit Ticket: Students will answer the
following question using the information gathered
during today’s Jigsaw lesson in paragraph form. Which
category of the Native American social structure would
you want to live in?

Students are expected to use the notes they gathered

during the lesson to complete this 5 sentence
paragraph.
ENGAGE DIFFERENTIATION
Show students the images of Powwows and tell them the compelling In my current classroom, there are a
question. Ask students to turn and share what inferences they can make significant number of students who
about Native American culture from the images shown on the lesson have Individual Education Plans. I will
introduction slide. need to follow the written
EXPLORE expectations within this plan to meet
1.Tell students that Native American Tribes would tell stories that taught the needs of my students.
people of their history and moral lessons. Tell them that we will be Furthermore, I have a few students in
watching a video and that during the video they need to focus on the the process of identification who will
following idea: think about what is the history and/or moral lesson being be given the same resources to help
taught by the elder in this story. them have a more successful learning
2.Have students watch the story of the turtle shell. experience.
3.After the video have students share out their responses with the class
EXPLAIN Accommodations:
Groups for the Jigsaw activity should be prepared in advance. Miss F will be pushing into the
1.Review the expectations of the Jigsaw Activity with the class. This includes classroom for student support.
going over the collaborative learning organization, research expectations,
location of texts, group members and focus area, and overall group working Students will be given guided
expectations. questions instead of open ended
2. Tell students that we will be starting in the expert group. Students will questions for support during the
work together to research and take notes on category they are assigned elaborate section of the lesson.
(men, women, children, elders). By the end of this, each member of the
group will be an expert of their topic. You will be working together to gather Students will be given visual
information for your category using the readings provided. Every person in representations of all vocabulary
your group is responsible for taking notes. What you write down should be words along with definitions.
worked on as a whole group.
3. Have students work on completing the first page of the note taking Students may choose to have any
graphic organizer. text read aloud for them.
4. Check in with all of the groups and offer support through questioning
where needed. Students will be given sentence
5. If a group finishes early, have them go back and add in additional frames for their note taking or will be
 information to their organizers. expected to write less notes on each
ELABORATE category.
1.Now that students have completed the first page of their notes with their
expert group, they will be getting into their home groups to share out what For the assessment, some students
they learned. will only have to write a 3 sentence
2. The expert of each category (men, women, children, elders) will teach the paragraph instead of a full 5 sentence
other students in their Home Group about their category. The other paragraph.
students will take notes on what they learned. Students should use the
second page of the graphic organizer to complete this step. Students should Specific students may ask for a
not copy the experts page. teacher to scribe for them.
3. If a group finishes early, they should create a drawing of how the three
categories interact with one another.
EVALUATE
Index Card Exit Ticket: Students will answer the following question using the
information gathered during today’s Jigsaw lesson in paragraph form.
Which category of the Native American social structure would you want to
live in? Students are expected to use the notes they gathered during the
lesson to complete this 5 sentence paragraph. Once a student completes
their paragraph on the large index card, the teacher will collect them to
review each students individual understanding of the content taught.
RATIONALE – Reasons why, given the lesson objective, these are the best sequence of strategies to use
The lesson starts by them making inferences regarding culture based on images. This is to get them interested in
what they are learning while activating critical thinking skills that the rest of the lesson will require. Then the
students are watching a video that teaches them about an important aspect of Native American culture;
storytelling. This will get them in the mindset of thinking about how culture is shared between people. Then,
students explore and evaluate their understanding through the collaborative learning group strategy of a Jigsaw.
This allows them to gather knowledge, share that knowledge, and then learn from their peers. This develops a
unique opportunity for critical thinking and collaboration. Furthermore, students are expected to teach one
another, which pushes students to understand the content more in depth. The early finisher work for this lesson
does three things. The first is to keep students engaged in learning the entire lesson, even if they finish work early.
When students work in groups, often they will finish at different times so it is important to manage their learning
time so there are no behaviors that come from bored students. The second reason is to help stretch their
understanding of the Native American culture. Finally, it is preparing them for their performance task at the end of
the unit. Finally, the formative assessment during the evaluate section allows for students to make connections
between what they have learned to themselves. This will help them better retain the information taught during the
lesson. Overall, all of the elements of the lesson build on each other to create an engaging learning experience for
all students.

Additional Resources:
Some resources are located in the lesson slides pictured below, other resources are listed below the slides.

Lesson Slides
 National Geographic Kids Additional Readings for Jigsaw Activity

Elders
Native American elders are revered individuals who provide wisdom and leadership for their Tribes by exuding
grace, wisdom, and gentleness in their daily words and actions. A Native American is usually considered an Elder when
they are above the age of sixty to sixty five, although it varies from Tribe to Tribe. In rare instances, a Native American is
also considered an Elder if he or she is often sought out as a source of spiritual and traditional wisdom, regardless of age.
Elders are the heartbeat of their Tribes. Their age and wisdom allow them to perceive clearly from a cultural
perspective and understand deep truths about God and nature. It is of utmost importance that Elders be treated with
respect and reverence. Oftentimes in Native communities one will see the younger generation getting Elders their food
at community gatherings, or acquiring comfortable seats for them. Another way in which we honor our Elders is by
waiting for them to dance at Powwows before we begin dancing. Also, many Tribes initiate Elders’ programs to show
how much their Elders are cared for.
When an Elder speaks, an informed individual knows to listen. An Elder’s wisdom is invaluable to a tribe’s
prosperity and well-being. Elders are sacred bearers of golden truths and know many valuable stories about the Old
Ways. God often speaks through Elders.
A Prayer By a Native American Elder
Honor the sacred.
Honor the Earth, our Mother.
Honor the Elders.
Honor all with whom we
share the Earth:
Four-leggeds, two-leggeds,
winged ones,
Swimmers, crawlers,
plant and rock people.
Walk in balance and beauty.

Children
Have you ever wondered what it was like to grow up in an early Native American tribe? These children lived very
different lives than we live today.

Early Childhood

Young children and babies spent all of their time close to their mother. The mother would go about her daily work and
chores carrying the baby on her back in a cradleboard. The mother often nursed the young child until it was two or three
years old.

New children were generally treated as special and many tribes had ceremonies they performed on newborns.

Naming the newborn was also an important process. A person's birth name was usually not used in everyday
conversation. People referred to each other either by their relationship (ex. "son" or "mother") or by a nickname. Boys
were often given a nickname that described a characteristic or exploit of the boy.

Did they go to school?

The early tribes did not have any sort of official education or schools like we have now, but the children were expected
to learn. The boys followed the men around and were taught how to hunt and do men's chores. Young girls followed the
women around and learned to do traditional women's work like making baskets, working the fields, and cooking.

Children learned of the history and moral rules of the tribe from stories told by the elders. These stories were not only
entertaining, but also held meaning and taught the children how they were expected to behave.

Were they punished when they disobeyed?

One of the things that shocked early European observers of daily Native American life was the way children were
punished. Unlike European children, Native American children were seldom struck or "spanked" when they disobeyed.
Punishment usually involved teasing and shame in front of the rest of the tribe. At the same time, children who obeyed
were praised and honored in front of the tribe.

When were children considered adults?

The transition from child to adult was usually clearly defined in Native American tribes. The child would go through some
kind of rite of passage ceremony and then be considered an adult. They were expected to act like an adult from that day
forward. The ceremonies varied between different tribes and were usually different for boys and girls.

One type of ceremony was called a vision quest. During the vision quest, the child would go off alone into the
wilderness. They would stay there without food or sleep until they had a vision. The vision would provide a guardian
spirit or direction for the child's new adult life.

Interesting Facts about Life as a Native American Child

 The typical Native American family had around three to four children. This was small compared to the average
European family at the time, which typically had around six or seven children.
 Grandparents played an important role in teaching and raising children.
 Children were often taught at a young age to be strong and not show emotion. They were expected to conform
to the ways of the tribe.
 In some societies, boys were raised by an uncle, not by their father.

Women
No matter where Native American tribes lived in America, there was a lot of work to be done to survive. They had to
hunt, farm, prepare food for the winter, build homes, make their own clothing, and protect themselves from their
enemies. In the typical Native American society, the work was divided up between the men and the women. They each
took on different roles in society in their daily lives.

Although each tribe and region was different, the division of labor between men and women was generally similar
across most of the Native American tribes. The women were responsible for work around the house, like cooking and
raising the children. The men were responsible for work away from the home, like hunting and raiding.

Typical Women's Work

The women were generally in charge of the home and sometimes the fields. They worked extremely hard.
Cooking - The women cooked and prepared the meals. This could involve skinning and cleaning the animals, gathering
fruit and nuts, building a fire, and smoking meat to be stored for the winter.

Crafts - Women had a variety of crafting skills they used around the home including making baskets, weaving cloth,
preparing animal hides, and making clothing.

Harvesting - In many tribes the women were responsible for harvesting the crops. The men might help in this task, but it
generally fell upon the women.

Other Jobs - Women had a variety of other jobs including raising the children and gathering firewood. When a tribe
moved, it was generally the woman's job to pack up the home for moving and then set it back up at the new location.

Interesting Facts about the Roles of Women

 The women were in charge in the homes. They often owned the home and everything in it.
 Women were well respected in the tribes for their hard work and providing food from farming.
 Men and women had different roles, but generally had equal rights. In some tribes, the chief was a man, but he
was elected by the women.
 Today, around 25% of the Native American tribes that are recognized by the federal government are led by
women.

Men
No matter where Native American tribes lived in America, there was a lot of work to be done to survive. They had to
hunt, farm, prepare food for the winter, build homes, make their own clothing, and protect themselves from their
enemies. In the typical Native American society, the work was divided up between the men and the women. They each
took on different roles in society in their daily lives.

Although each tribe and region was different, the division of labor between men and women was generally similar
across most of the Native American tribes. The women were responsible for work around the house, like cooking and
raising the children. The men were responsible for work away from the home, like hunting and raiding.

The men were in charge of the tribe's activities away from the home.
Hunting - The primary job of the men was hunting and fishing. Animals were not only used for food, but their skins were
used for clothing and, in some cases, to make their homes.

Fighting - Men also were responsible for making war and protecting the village.
Crafts - Typical men's crafts had to do with their jobs such as weapons for hunting and boats for fishing and traveling.

Other Jobs - In most Native American tribes men were the political and religious leaders. They often did the heavy work
such as building permanent homes and planting crops.

Interesting Facts about the Roles of Men

 In some cases, men worked on detailed crafts such as ceremonial jewelry.
 Men and women had different roles, but generally had equal rights. In some tribes, the chief was a man, but he
was elected by the women.

Jigsaw Activity Note Organizer

Name:

Expert Group Notes:

Using your Exploring PA Textbook P. 69-70 and the Article given based on your Category, answer the following
questions.

What is your category? What are THREE unexpected details to know from your category?

1.

2.

3.

What are the jobs your category has Draw a picture below of your category doing their job to help your Home
within the tribe? Group visualize what you will teach them.

HOME GROUP Notes:

When an expert is teaching you about their category, write down their category (women, men, children, elders) and take
notes in the boxes below.

Category: Category: Category:

 Native American Nation Mural Assessment

Group Members:

Directions:
As a group, you will use your notes, social studies textbook, readings, and other materials to gather information
regarding one of the Tribes we learned about in class. You will complete two tasks to show your understanding of Native
American Tribes’ lives in what is now considered the state of Pennsylvania.
3. Mural: Your group will create a mural to describe key elements of your Tribe. (It is important to know that this is
NOT an informational poster).
4. Presentation: Your group will present your mural to the class following expectations of oral presentations.

Materials:
- Poster paper, markers, glue, scissors, tissue paper, pipe cleaners, construction paper, recyclables, etc.
- iPad for further research.

Steps:
1. Pick your Tribe.
2. Use the Category Chart to focus your ideas.
3. Research your tribe and take notes based on the Category Chart.
4. Create a draft to get approved by the teacher.
5. Create your mural.
6. Plan your presentation.
7. Practice your presentation.
8. Present your mural to the class.

Category Chart:
Below you will find each of the categories your group needs to focus their mural on. Additionally, there is a content
section that describes what each category includes.
 Category Content
Geography Location of Tribe, the way the specific geography impacted the lives of the Native Americans who
lived there (think trade, water, transportation, food, etc.)
Organization The way in which the tribe is structured
Roles The roles each person in the tribe played (women, men, children, elders, etc.)
Food The way people fed themselves and diet
Housing The specific homes the Tribe created
Traditions The traditions unique to the Tribe
Other Any additional facts that are important to understanding the Tribe

Category Note Chart:

With your small group, complete the following chart to gather your ideas.
Tribe:

Category Notes
Geography

Organization

Roles

Food

Housing

Traditions

Other