EDC 458 - 3rd Grade Unit Plan

Running head: Native American Culture, Practices, Traditions

Curriculum Planning: Native American Culture, Practices, and Traditions

Alexandra Keresztes, Katie DeCourcey, and Emily Fabrizio

University of Rhode Island

EDC 458.0003 Social Studies Methods in Elementary and Middle School Teaching

Native American Culture, Practices, Traditions

Keresztes, DeCourcey, Fabrizio 1

UNIT INTRODUCTION

This unit focuses on the Culture, Traditions, and Beliefs of Native Americans. November

is National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, which is when we planned to

incorporate this unit of study. The topic was chosen to celebrate a culture which is often

overlooked in the elementary levels because we do not often focus on those who were here

before the colonists. A common focus for the third grade is the Cultures and Contributions of

groups in North America. This unit will dive further into the traditions that are important to the

Native Americans, many of which are common (or similar) across different groups in the United

States.

The students that this unit has been developed for are third graders in an urban school

district. Many of them are not motivated at home but if there is something that interests them,

they become extremely motivated to succeed in the classroom. These students have a range of

behavioral issues and some also have IEP and 504 plans so we need to adapt their lessons to

make sure that they can be active in a non-disruptive way. Throughout this unit, we are

incorporating lessons which allow the students to participate in activities like in the music and

physical education unit, but also making these lessons active by having he students do group

work and then adjust their groups, as well as completing art projects. Some of these students

have a Native American background so we have been careful to ensure that we are being

culturally competent and respectful of different traditions.

UNIT GOALS

Students will develop respect for Native American cultures, traditions, and beliefs.

Students will participate in activities that are special to or originated with the Native

Americans.

Students will identify at least three different Native American tribes and the area they are

from.

Students will describe the reasons for and uses of the different activities that we cover in

the lesson.

TOPIC

CONTENT

This unit is comprised of seven lessons, all of which have a Social Studies basis. All of

the lessons will be centered on Native American culture, traditions, and beliefs. The seven



lessons bridge: English Language Arts, Math, Visual Arts, Science, Health, Physical

Education, and Music. In each of these lessons we will focus on at least one element of

Native American culture and implement a skill/topic important to the subject itself. This

unit will dive further into the traditions that are important to the Native Americans, many

of which are common (or similar) across different groups in the United States.

CURRICULUM CONNECTION

The curriculum connection for this unit is the Cultures and Contributions of groups

in North America. While we will look at local Native American groups, we will also

discuss some from across the country including the Southeast, Northwest, and Midwest. It

is important to look at different groups so that students have the ability to compare them

based on their cultures, practices, and traditions and to make an attempt to determine what

factors could cause the similarities and differences.

The students will be looking both locally and nationally to determine different ways

that these groups may be connected

STANDARDS CONNECTION

The major standard connections for this unit are demonstrating an understanding of how

the Earths people are interconnected and demonstrating an understanding that various

perspectives and people have led to the interpretation of events as well as how we have

adopted many ideas and practices from the Native Americans.

DEVELOPMENTAL APPROPRIATENESS

DESCRIPTION OF STUDENTS

The students that this unit has been developed for are third graders in an urban

school district. Many of them are not motivated at home but if there is something that

interests them, they become extremely motivated to succeed in the classroom. These

students have a range of behavioral issues and some also have IEP and 504 plans so we

need to adapt their lessons to make sure that they can be active in a non-disruptive way.

Throughout this unit, we are incorporating lessons which allow the students to participate

in activities like in the music and physical education unit, but also making these lessons

active by having he students do group work and then adjust their groups, as well as

completing art projects. Some of these students have a Native American background so we



have been careful to ensure that we are being culturally competent and respectful of

different traditions.

CONTENT

This unit is comprised of seven lessons, all of which have a Social Studies basis. All of

the lessons will be centered on Native American culture, traditions, and beliefs. The seven

lessons bridge: English Language Arts, Math, Visual Arts, Science, Health, Physical

Education, and Music. In each of these lessons we will focus on at least one element of

Native American culture and implement a skill/topic important to the subject itself. This

unit will dive further into the traditions that are important to the Native Americans, many

of which are common (or similar) across different groups in the United States.

SKILLS

From these lessons, students will be able to compare and contrast key details of a type of

story that exist in many Native American cultures. They will learn some of the percussion

and dances that are essential to a rain dance as well as why rain dances are performed. In

science, they will understand how different groups in different areas adapted their houses to

suit their surroundings, and in art they will create a dream catcher. During physical

education, students will improve their aim by practicing archery while they will learn about

Native American and modern medicines. In mathematics, students will gain familiarity in

estimating larger numbers and creating bar graphs.

STUDENT MOTIVATION AND ENGAGEMENT

Students will be motivated by the variety of activities they will be doing throughout this

unit. They will not only have the chance to participate in culture music, dance, art, and sport, but

also have a variety of activities to participate in for the subjects that are not automatically

associated with activities for the students to move around.

In some lessons, students are expected to become the teachers while in others they can

play matching games and complete compare/contrast worksheets. There is something in this unit

that caters to at least one students preferred learning style, but there is also the opportunity to

branch out and learn in a way that students may not have originally tried. There is more freedom

to make mistakes as some of the lesson assessments look at effort instead of a right or wrong

answer. Worrying less about the grade at the end will encourage student engagement and

participation.



UNIT ORGANIZER: Native American Culture, Practices, and Traditions

Content Area Topic Activities

1. Social Studies and

English

Language

Arts

What are different Native American

beliefs about where the world came

from?

Comparing and contrasting different

Native American stories.

Reading groups each get a story to

become an expert on and the class

moves to jig saw groups to teach their

story.

Details chart to visually see what details

are present in the four stories and to help

compare and contrast the stories.


Music

What types of instruments are

characteristic of songs used for rain

dances?

What goes into a rain dance?

Practice creating the songs used in a rain

dance in an I do, you follow fashion and identifying loud and soft sounds.

Perform a rain dance.


Science

What types of homes did the Rhode

Island Natives Americans have?

How did the Native Americans build

their homes based on the

environment?

Adaptation.

Read a primary source document about

one Native American home.

Discuss features of non-local Native

American homes and the climate of

different regions.

Play a matching game to connect homes

to the region they can be found.


Visual Arts

What are dream catchers used for?

What are dream catchers made

from?

How do you make a dream catcher?

Read aloud to describe where the dream

catcher came from and why it is used.

Making a dream catcher.

Write a few sentences about where the

dream catcher will go in your room and

what it will do.


Phys. Ed.

Where did archery come from?

How do you use a bow and arrow?

Read aloud of an Apache story about

archery.

Participate in an archery lesson.


Health

How have the Native Americans

contributed to modern medicines?

What is a Medicine Man?

Compare and contrast modern medicine

and the medicines used by Native

Americans.

7. Social studies and

Math

Current populations of Native

Americans in eight states.

How do I create a bar graph?

Estimating to the ten thousands.

Graphing the Native American

populations of the eight states on a bar

graph.



Grade/Content Area Grade 3

Social Studies history and traditions

English Language Arts comparing and contrasting details

Lesson Title A Native American Spoken Tradition: Origin Stories

Standards

Common Core or

GLE/GSE (state level)

AND

National Standards (in all

areas except Math and

ELA-use Common Core

for those)

Social Studies (Rhode Island GSEs)

C&G 5 (3-4) 1 Students demonstrate an understanding of the

many ways Earths people are interconnected by locating where

different nations are in the world in relation to the United States.

HP 5 (3-4) 1 Students demonstrate an understanding that a

variety of factors affect cultural diversity within a society by

comparing cultural differences and similarities between

individuals, groups, or communities (e.g., customs, beliefs,

language, religious faiths).

HP 5 (3-4) 3 Students demonstrate an understanding that

various perspectives have led individuals and/or groups to

interpret events or phenomena differently and with historical

consequences by comparing how people with different

perspectives view events in different ways.

ELA (Common Core)

ELA.3.RI 9 Compare and contrast the most important points

and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.

ELA.3.SL 1d Explain their understanding in a discussion.

ELA.3.SL 4 - Report on a text with appropriate facts and

relevant descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable

pace.

Context of the Lesson As a part of the third grade social studies curriculum, students

are expected to study the Cultures and Contributions of groups

in North America.

This lesson will discuss four different Native American

groups and discuss a major point of each groups culture,

more specifically to the oral tradition of storytelling.

We will look at four different origin stories (Iroquois,

Lakota, Cherokee, and Penobscot) and determine if certain

points are addressed in the story, as outlined in a table.

The Common Core State Standards expect third graders to read

more informational texts and to compare texts on the same

topic.

It will take about 50 minutes to complete this lesson.



Sources:

http://www.sioux.org/index.php/main/inner/sioux/lakota_sioux_creati

on_myth_wind_cave_story

http://www.celebrate-american-holidays.com/Native-Amerocan-

Creation-Stories.html

Opportunities to Learn Students will be able to work with their peers and individually

in this lesson. Before they begin working, there will be a read-

aloud of one story so students can fill out the chart without

concentrating specifically on the text.*

Students will have many opportunities to apply what they

learned:

They will teach the other groups about the story that they

read.*

They will identify and write a comparison and a difference

between at least two stories.*

To differentiate instruction and group the class I will:

Locate the region each Native American group is

historically from on a map of the United States so students

will be aware of what areas we are learning about.*

Conduct a read-aloud where we will fill in the chart for one

story as a whole group.*

Allow students to read texts with their reading groups and

discuss which details apply to their story.*

Ask students to teach a new group about what they just

read.*

Regroup and make sure that we all agree about the key

details in each story.*

Ask students to individually determine one similarity and

one difference between the stories.*

To get students attention I will use one of the clap

sequences.*

Materials for the lesson:*

One copy of the worksheet for each student

Enough copies of each groups story for the students in

each reading group

One clipboard per student

Conditions necessary for the lesson:*

Access to the SmartBoard (to find each group on the map

and to go through the boxes together as a class)

Three separate areas for groups to meet



Objectives Students will be able to:

Identify the areas that four different Native American groups

are historically located on a map.

Identify the details of the origin story that are important to the

culture.

Summarize the details in and explain their story to a group of

students who have never read the story.

Determine one similarity and one difference between any of the

stories.

Instructional

Procedures

Opening:

We will begin on the rug in front of the SmartBoard. Each

student will have a clipboard, a worksheet, and a pencil.

Recall information about the folklores students have been

studying. Although these may be considered fictional stories,

some people believe these stories to be truth. Similarly, we

may have different stories that explain how the world came to

be the way it is today based on what we have learned from our

families. Today, we are going to look at four different Native

American groups stories about why the world is the way it is.

We call these origin stories. On the SmartBoard, I have a

map of the United States; I want you to help me find where

these four Native American groups are from.

Four students will come up and circle the area

Read aloud the Iroquois story and determine the key facts as a

class.

Engagement:

Students will split into their reading groups on one of the rugs

or at the blue table. One student from each group will get their

groups stories from me.

The stories and worksheet are attached at the end of this

lesson plan.

Stories by group:

Red = Lakota (North Dakota, Great Plains Region)

Blue = Cherokee (Florida)

Green = Penobscot (Maine)

In their reading groups when reading the stories:

Students will be read their assigned creation story as a

group and work on filling in the worksheet.

After they have all finished, they will discuss as a group

and make sure everyone has the same boxes checked off.



In their jigsaw groups:

Students will teach the groups about their story. They will

talk about what the story was about and what they found

interesting and then tell the other students which details on

the chart were found in the story.

Closure:

After the students have successfully completed their jigsaw

group, I will call them back to the rug and students will guide

me through what they found for their story. I will make marks

on the same table they filled in so that students can refer to the

board instead of flipping their sheet back and forth when they

write the similarity and difference.

I will give students instructions for the backside of the sheet

and then send students back to their seats to complete the back.

I will leave the filled in table on the SmartBoard for each

student to refer to. When they are done, the will place their

sheet in the box of work to be graded.




Social Studies history and traditions Music percussion and dance

Lesson Title Rain Dance

Standards

Common Core or


AND



ELA-use Common Core

for those)


C&G 5 (3-4) 1 Students demonstrate an understanding of the many ways Earths people are interconnected by identifying multiple Native American tribes located in the United States and

recognizing that aspects of their culture such as the ceremonial

Rain Dance are practiced despite geographical location. Social Studies National Standards (NCSS)

Ic. describe ways in which language, stories, folktales, music,

and artistic creations serve as expressions of a culture and

influence the behavior of people living in a particular culture

by recognizing that the music in the Native American Rain Dance is part of a tradition expressing their need for rain to water their crops.

Music (National Standards)

Context of the Lesson This lesson is to give students a chance to recognize a rain dance as a characteristic of a Native American culture. Students

are able to make the connection that the ceremony is celebrated

by many different tribes in different geographical locations.

Students will also be able to relate the sounds they hear in the

rain dance to an actual thunderstorm. The musical aspects that

they identify such as soft and loud sounds during this lesson

helps deepen their understanding of the specific techniques

which are used in the Native American traditions. This lesson

will take approximately one hour.

Rain was essential for Native Americans to grow their crops so they often performed a rain dance when experiencing a drought.

Sources:

http://www.dosits.org/science/sound/characterizesound

http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/2050.html

http://www.indians.org/articles/rain-dance.html

Opportunities to Learn Students are given the chance to perform a Rain Dance as a class with the guidance of the teacher. They will create and

perform a rain dance in groups. This gives students a chance to

apply their musical knowledge and while including specific

attributes of different Native American tribes. *

Students will gain interest in the activity from listening to the Native American song at the start of the lesson. The book,

Dancing Drum will help them learn about culture while engaging students in a narrative text. The class performed rain

dance in an engaging and hands-on activity. Motivation is



instilled when groups are able to create their own rain dance

because choice plays a main role in engagment.*

This lesson engages multiple types of learning styles. Students who are visual learners will benefit from the Dancing Drum story as well as the map of Native American tribes, students

who are auditory learners will benefit from listening to the rain

dance and identifying the sounds, students who are kinesthetic

learners will benefit from the whole class and small group rain

dance performances using the instruments and students who are

interpersonal learners will benefit from working in small

groups.*

This lesson starts as a whole class teacher-guided activity because students are learning new information. After the

whole-class rain dance students will break into small groups so

they will be able to apply the new information they had

learned.*

Prior to this lesson students should at least have a general idea of who Native Americans are, some of their attributes and also

recognize that they are both a part of history but also exist in the

present.*

Materials for the lesson:* Musical instruments such as rain sticks The book The Dancing Drum Rain Dance group presentation hand-outs Rubrics for assessing the presentations.

Conditions necessary for this lesson:* There must be enough instruments for all of the students to

use.

The SmartBoard is a part of technology that will be utilized by the teacher.

There will also need to be an ample amount of space preferably on a rug in the classroom for all of the students to

sit in a circle.


Identify at least one attribute of a Native American ceremony

Identify loud and soft sounds in the Rain Dance

Perform a Rain Dance The objective is measureable because the teacher can observe the

students who are performing the soft and loud sounds during the class

Rain Dance by marking down their progress. A rubric will also be

used to grade their group performances of the rain dance which

includes one attribute from a specific tribe. The objectives are

appropriate because during the rain dance activity they will students

will be able to learn new information such as soft and loud sounds

which is one objective. Performing a rain dance in groups is the

second objective. The last objective is practiced during the



performance to include an attribute of a Native American tribe. All

of these will be achieved by the end of the lesson.

Instructional

Procedures

Opening:

To activate prior knowledge I will ask the students if they know any songs or instruments that are specific to a culture.

This will give them to discuss and understand that cultures all over the world use specific musical instruments and techniques

before introducing them to the topic of the Native American

traditional ceremony of the rain dance.

I will play the Native American song Chokelas from Ruma Pacha at the beginning of the lesson to get students interested in

the song.

I will ask them what they were thinking when they heard this song and what group it might belong to.

I will also ask if they can identify any specific instruments in the song.

I will explain to them that some songs are specific to certain cultures.

I will tell the students that the song we just listened to was a Rain Dance. Does anyone know or have any ideas of what a rain dance

might me?

Next, I will have the students sit on the rug and I will read the childrens book Dancing Drum A Cherokee legend.

Engagement:

After reading Dancing Drum do you think is the purpose of the Cherokee rain dance? (Rain dances are ceremonial dances

which Native Americans perform in hope for rain during crop

season)

Are the Cherokee the only Native American tribe? (No)

So do you think there is just one kind of rain dance? (No)

There are many different tribes which have their own versions of rain dances and I will describe the differences in ceremonies

according to tribes and include them on the SmartBoard.

I will use a map on the SmartBoard to mark where in the country different tribes reside such as the Cherokee, the Hopi

and the Sioux tribes. This will give students a chance to

recognize that this dance is a main attribute of the Native

American culture despite geographical location

We will sit in a circle on the rug and perform a rain dance as a whole class. There will be three students in the middle of the

circle which make wind sounds and the rest of the class follows

my lead. First, I will use my fingers to tap the floor and

students will repeat this motion in a counterclockwise domino

effect. Next, I will use the palm of my hand to tap on the floor

producing a louder sound. The same process will be repeated in



the opposite direction. Lastly, the softer taps are performed

counterclockwise as a closing. The rain dance will be

videotaped.

I will ask: do the sounds resemble anything you have heard before? (Parts of a storm)

I will ask: what does it mean when a sound is loud and when a sound is soft?

I will explain that soft and loud sounds depend on the intensity of wavelengths. I will make sure to explain that

this does not include high and low pitches to clarify any

musical misconceptions.

I will ask: What parts were loud and which part were soft? Which part of a storm would be soft? Which part would be

loud?

I can monitor students learning by observing their tapping and seeing if they are following my lead correctly as well as

evaluating their answers to my questioning after performing the

Rain Dance as a class.

Closure (20-25% of lesson):

I will have students go back to their seats and I will replay the videotaped rain dance. We will decide together which parts of

the Rain Dance are soft and loud and what specific parts of a rain storm they resemble such as a drizzle, a downpour or

thunder.

Why do you think the ceremony is called a rain dance? (Native Americans performed this when they needed rain for their

crops) (The sounds and instruments used resemble a storms

progression from beginning to end)

Students will be able to volunteer their understanding of the sounds they hear in the rain dance during a discussion. The

whole class will create a definition of a soft sound and loud

sound is. When the students come up with the definitions on

their own it shows that they understand the concepts that are

being taught.

I will also demonstrate two sounds, one after another and ask students which sound was loud and which was soft. The sounds

I make will vary from soft and loud to loud and loud and soft

and soft.

Assessment

Summative assessment: Students will break into 5 groups of 4 to perform their own rain dance. They will choose one attribute

of a specific tribe on a paper on a hand-out I will provide as

well as including soft and loud sounds.

Formative assessment: I will use an observation checklist the students during the class raindance and check off who is

understanding by their actions during the song and their answers



during discussions.

I will hand them back a graded rubric with comments included on their presentation.




Social Studies- History

Science- Weather and Engineering

Lesson Title Adapting Homes to the Environment

Standards

Common Core or


AND



ELA-use Common Core

for those)

Social Studies (Rhode Island GSEs) HP 2(304) -2 Describing, defining, and illustrating by example

Rhode Islands historical individuals, groups and events. HP 4 (3-4)-1 Students demonstrate an understanding that geographic

factorsaffectchanges in civilization. Next Generation Science Standards

G 4 (3-4) 1 Students explain how humans depend on their environment by a. identifying how needs can be met by the

environment (e.g., we grow food to eat.)

Context of the Lesson The purpose of this lesson is to introduce how Native American

tribes built their homes to adapt to their environment. Also learning

about the indigenous tribes of Rhode Island. This lesson will require

about one class period or one hour.

Opportunities to Learn The students will first learn about the housing of the people of Rhode Island and how they adapted to the environment. After

we will broaden the lesson to other types of housing across the

country. Students will play a matchng game where they will

match the type of house to the region of the country where they

feel it would best be placed.*

The lesson requires students to understand and apply the term adaption, and how tribes adapted their homes to different

weather situations. *

To accommodate different learning styles there will be both pictures and words to describe the houses. The pictures will

engage students in discussion about different portions of the

house. If students are struggling to understand then I could

show more pictures from different viewpoints, etc. to further

facilitate their learning.*

The beginning of the lesson will be done whole group as it is explaining concepts. Once the students break off to do the

activity they will work with partners who will not distract them,

and will facilitate their learning. For example it may be helpful

to have a high and low level student working together. The high

level students will be able to apply meaning by helping out the

lower level student. While at the same time the low level

student is benefiting from peer to peer talk and instruction.*

The students need to have an understanding of geography and weather in different parts of the country. This will help them in

the application part of the lesson.*

Materials:* Pictures of the Narragansett Tribe houses and also

descriptions of it.



A map that outlines the different parts of the country, with also the weather features such as hot, dry, humid, freezing,

windy, etc.

For the game I will need individual maps for each student and cut out pictures of different types of houses for them to

match.

To facilitate this lesson I will need the primary source, and also an Elmo machine to magnify the map on the board. *


Determine how tribes adapt and build their houses based on the weather of the region.

Instructional

Procedures

Opening:

I will start the lesson by asking students to describe what their house looks like.

Next, we will talk about how houses did not always look like this.

Next, I will show them a map of Rhode Island and talk about the three tribes that make up the area that we now to refer to as

Rhode Island

We will focus on the Narragansett tribe because they occupied most of Rhode Island.

Next we will describe the weather of Rhode Island. It will be important to point out the different seasons and how this effects

what our houses look like.

Next I am going to show them a picture of a Wigwam, which is the predominant house built by the Narragansett tribe.

To begin describing the house we will look at a primary source, a letter written by Daniel Cook an English settler describing

what the houses look like.

We will talk about the features of the house. The fire pit in the middle with a whole on top to let out smoke. The mud walls,

which keep heat in, in the winter but also keep it cool during the

summer, etc.

Engagement:

Now that we have looked at a wigwam from the Narragansett tribe we will look at other tribes from around the country, and

what their houses looked like.

I will hold up pictures of various homes such as an igloo, adobe, teepee, etc.

We will talk about the features of the houses and which types of weather they are good for.

Igloos are good for the cold environment, made of ice help keep in heat

Adobes are made out of mud, they help keep out heat in extreme temperatures, also good in very dry climates for the



mud to melt.

Teepees are good for extreme weathers, also a lot of rain and are very sturdy.

To help facilitate students they will be giving me their observations of the Native American homes. This will help

them to get more engaged, and also help me to see if they ened

more scaffolding.

This will also help me to monitor their learning and making sure that all students are participating equally.

Closure:

The closure of this lesson will consist of matching activity.

Now that the students have been exposed to several different types of housing I am going to hold up a map with different

Native American regions outlined.

Under each region will be a description of the weather that occurs there such as hot, dry, very cold, etc.

Students will work in partners so they can feed off of eachother using peer-to-peer talk.

They will each have a map infront of them and read the description of the weather from that region.

From there they will have pictures of different types of houses that we talked about prior in the engagement.

Students will glue the type of house to the region based off their knowledge of what we learned in class of which types of houses

are good for which reason.

At the end I am going to ask several students to place one of the houses they chose and place it in the correct reasoning. They

will have to explain to the class their reasoning for placing it

there.

Once one is placed we wil have a class vote, to see if everyone agrees on the placement. If one group does not, I will have them

place their house in the region and also explain their reasoning.

Once all of the houses are placed we will talk about the term adaptation.

I will describe how the native american tribes adapted to the weather by building certain types of houses with different

features.

After I will bring it back to their lives. We will talk about how a peron in the north may not have air conditioning in their house,

while that is essential in the south.

We will describe features of their houses, and compare them to houses around the country.

Assessment

The first assessment will be during the active engagement how the students are answering questions about the different features

of the Native American houses.



The second assessment will be formal based on where the students glued each house based on the region.




Social Studies history

Visual Arts making a dream catcher

Lesson Title What is a dream catcher really used for?

Standards

Common Core or


AND

National Standards (in

all areas except Math

and ELA-use Common

Core for those)



variety of factors affect cultural diversity within a society by

comparing cultural differences and similarities between

individuals, groups, or communities (e.g., customs, beliefs,

language, religious faiths).

HP 5 (3-4) 3 Students demonstrate an understanding that

various perspectives have led individuals and/or groups to

interpret events or phenomena differently and with historical

consequences by comparing how people with different

perspectives view events in different ways.

Visual Arts ()

VAD 1 (3-4) 2a Students demonstrate knowledge and skill of

media, tools, techniques, and processes of Visual Arts by

creating three-dimensional works of art and design.

VAD 2 (3-4) 1b Students demonstrate knowledge and

understanding of the role of Visual Art and Design in personal,

cultural, and historical contexts by describing the connections

between Visual Arts and design and other disciplines.



in North America.

This lesson will discuss the Ojibway beliefs relating to why

dream catchers are made after a read aloud of

Dreamcatcher by Audrey Osofsky and ask them to apply

the information from the story when they create their own

dream catcher by explaining what they will do with it when

they bring it home.


Opportunities to Learn Students will listen to me read Dreamcatcher aloud to get a

history of where dream catchers came from and why they are

important in Native American cultures.*

Students will have many opportunities to apply what they

learned:

They will first hear where dream catchers came from and

why they are important.



They will create their own dream catcher.

They will write a short paragraph about where they will

place the dream catcher when they go home. In this

paragraph they will also state the purpose of the dream

catcher.

To differentiate instruction and group the class I will:

Conduct a read-aloud.*

Provide instructions who want to give it a try on their

own.*

Go through the steps with them on an overhead/Elmo

projector so students can follow along.*

Students will individually decide where they want to hang

their dream catcher and what they expect the dream catcher

to do from what they learned in the read aloud. They will

write this down and receive credit for turning it in.*

To get students attention I will use one of the clap

sequences.*


Dreamcatcher by Audrey Osofsky

Ring with a 6 inch diameter

Yarn (to wrap around ring)

Craft strong (for inside of dream catcher)

Scissors

Beads

Feathers

Ruler

Hot glue (for my use only I will do this step for them)


Access to a rug for the read aloud

Desks arranged as tables so that the students may share

materials

Each group will have two different colors of yarn/string


Create a dream catcher.

Identify where dream catchers belong in a persons bedroom.

Identify what dream catchers are meant to do based on

traditional Native American beliefs and traditions.

Instructional

Procedures

Opening:

Students will organize the desks into groups of four and then

move to their spots on the rug.



While on the rug, I will read aloud the story Dreamcatcher.

Before moving back to the desks, I will organize students by

the colors they are interested in using for their dream catchers.

Engagement:

Students will follow the handout provided or make a dream

catcher at the same time that I do.

We will pause at the gluing spot because I will glue the

yarn onto the 6 inch ring so that the glue will be dried cold

and they can continue making the dream catcher more

quickly than with regular glue.

After the foundation of the dream catcher is made, I will walk

around, observe what students are doing, and help when

necessary as they add feathers and beads.

Closure:

In the last 10 minutes of the lesson, students will write a short

paragraph answering the following question that I will display

on the board:

o When you go home, where will you hang your dream

catcher? From what you learned today, what do you expect

the dream catcher to help with?

Suring the last few minutes, I will ask students to share their

dream catchers with the class and state if they made them for

themselves or for a family member/friend/etc.

Assessment

Informal Assessment:

While students are decorating their dream catcher and

writing their paragraph, I will walk around and see what

they are doing/have completed.

I will ask them why they chose certain elements or colors

as well as whom they have made the dream catcher for

(themselves or family/friend/etc.).

Formal Assessment:

Students will be expected to write a short paragraph. They

will receive credit if the assignment is fully completed.

A - indicates that the student made no attempt to write

the paragraph OR that the student answered the

question but did not relate it to the story we read at the

beginning of the lesson.

A will indicate that a student has written a full

paragraph that answers the question based off of the

story we read in the beginning of the essay.




Social Studies history and traditions

Physical Education games

Lesson Title Apache Toe Toss

Standards

Common Core or


AND



and ELA-use Common

Core for those)



variety of factors affect cultural diversity within a society

byidentifying that the Apache tribe childrens games

improved skills which introduced them to hunting and

becoming warriors, a valued part of their culture.

Social Studies National Standards (NCSS)

Ic. describe ways in which language, stories, folktales, music, and

artistic creations serve as expressions of culture and influence

behavior of people living in a particular culture byidentifying

that many Native American practices originate from myths

comparing games from different cultures and writing their own

myths for a game of their choice

Physical Education (National Standards)

Context of the Lesson This lesson gives students a chance to recognize that many Native American practices such originate from myths. Students

will also become aware that these games improve specific skills

such as coordination, balance and strength which can be used

during routine physical education activities. They will also be

able to apply these concepts to a sport or game they are familiar

with. This lesson will take approximately one hour.

Apache legends were taught to children ever since they were babies familiarize children with the skills of a warrior that were

greatly valued and admired by the tribe.

Sources:

http://nativeamericans.mrdonn.org/index.html

Opportunities to Learn Students are given the opportunity to apply the skills they learned by actively participating in the Archery Game and

collaboratively developing definitions for the terms

coordination, strength and balance. When they write their own

myth by applying their knowledge of legends/origin stories to a

different game as well as actively using the new physical

education vocabulary to their piece of writing.*

The Archery Game activity gives the students a chance to actively participate in a game the Apache tribe played. They

are able to identify the skills archery improves by through their

own experience. Giving the students a chance to define



vocabulary terms and labeling the diagram helps them reach an

understanding through their own thinking and experiences

which follows the systematic process of learning.*

I will differentiate instruction by:* The linguistic learners will benefit from class discussion and

their writing assessment.

The visual learners will benefit from the reading of the Apache myth as well as the labeled diagram and vocabulary

definitions on the smart-board.

The interpersonal learners will benefit from playing the archery game in groups.

The kinesthetic learners will benefit from the physical activity during the game.

The intrapersonal learners will benefit from the writing assessment which is individual.

During the engagement portion, the reading of the myth and the labeling of the diagram students will be seated individually in

their desks. When it is time to play the archery game students

will break into 5 groups of 4.*

The students need to have an understanding that Native Americans hunted animals for food and materials. They should

also know that warriors protected their people by defending

them.*

The materials that need I need to prepare prior to this lesson include 5 dart boards, 15 suction arrows, the PowerPoint with

the Apache story Child of Water & Little Blue Rock, a diagram of an archer and loose leaf paper for the children to

tally their scores as well as write their assesments.*

To facilitate this lesson I will use the SmartBoard to read the myth on a PowerPoint so the whole class can read along and

observe the pictures. I will also use the SmartBoard to write

down vocabulary definitions and label the diagram. The

Archery Game will be played outside or in a gym with the

dartboards attached to the walls of the school building. All

groups will all be facing the same wall with ample space

between them to make sure no students will be hit with a

suction arrow.*


Identify that Apache myths were the basis of many practices in their culture.

Play the Apache archery game.

Recognize that this game improves coordination, balance and strength.

The objectives are specific to the information that is being taught

in this lesson. The objectives are measureable because the



teacher can observe if the students are playing the archery

game correctly by using a checklist. The two other objectives

can be measured through discussion as well as the inclusion of

a myth and a skill in their assessment. All of these will be

achieved by the end of the lesson.

Instructional

Procedures

Opening:

To activate prior knowledge I will ask students if anyone think of a game that is specific to certain culture. What kind of

games do you play in physical education class?

Today we are going to learn about games that the children of the Native American Apache tribe played. Yes, children from

all cultures have been playing games for centuries before you

were born.

I will read the Apache story Child of Water & Little Blue Rock on a PowerPoint for the class.

Engagement:

Before reading the story I will ask them if they know what the word myth means (a traditional story which explains a situation usually involving supernatural events).

After reading the story/myth I will ask the students what they think is important to the Apache tribe?

Why do you think that it is important for the child to aim arrows? (they are warriors) (they are hunters)

Is there a game that resembles shooting arrows? (archery)

I will describe to the students that the games that Apache children play are to keep them fit and ready for battle and that

archery was the main sport they played

I will also discuss other games they played such as the Apache Toe Toss Stick and Foot Toss Ball.

I will explain to the students that we will be playing an archery game in small groups. Students will break up into 5 groups of 4

and each group will receive one dart board with three suction

arrows. I will instruct and model the form used to shoot the

arrows and tell them that I expect them to use the materials

appropriately and to never point an arrow at a classmate. Each

student will shoot three suction arrows at the dart board. The

board will include a bulls eye and two outer layers. The

bullseye is worth 10 points, the next layer is worth 5 and the

outer layer is worth 2. Students will have two turns each and

tally up their points as they play. At the end of their turns the

student with the most points wins.

During and after the game is played I will ask them what parts they thought were challenging and why? What parts did you

think were easy and why?

If they improved during practice?



I will monitor students learning during this lesson by observing their answers during discussion walking around the room during

the archery game to evaluate whether they are understanding the

material.

Closure:

I will ask what skill this game would improve to benefit an Apache warrior (coordination, balance, strength).

I will ask them what the vocabulary words coordination, balance and strength mean and clarify their definitions.

How do they think this game improves the Apaches hunting skills?

Why do you think the middle of the dart board is called a bullseye?

Do you know what kind of animals they hunted? (They hunted bison)

Are they fast or slow moving animals? (bison are surprisingly fast moving animals for their size)

Why would you need coordination in order to hunt?

What about balance?

What opportunities do you provide for students to share their understandings of the task?

As a class and on the SmartBoard we will label a diagram of someone playing this game pointing to which parts improve

(balance, coordination and strength).

Do you think that the Apaches were the only Native Americans that use games to stay fit?

Can you think of any other games that improve any of these three areas?

Have them brainstorm other skill building games.

Assessment

Summative: Students will choose a sport or game they are familiar with that improves balance, coordination or strength

and write their own short myth which includes the creation of

the game they chose, a description of the game and how it

improves the specific skill. This will be written in three

paragraphs.

Formative: I will use an observational checklist while the children are playing the game to make sure they are following

instructions correctly.

I will hand them back a graded rubric with comments on their writing piece.




Social Studies- History

Health- Medicine

Lesson Title The Medicine Man

Standards

Common Core or


AND



and ELA-use Common

Core for those)


G 4 (3-4) 1 Students explain how humans depend on their environment by a. identifying how needs can be met by the

environment (e.g., we grow food to eat).

CDC (National Health Education Standards)

1.5.1 Describe the relationship between healthy behaviors and

personal health

Context of the Lesson Students will learn about the Native American Medicine man and

what his/her purpose was in society. Students will be able to compare

and contrast modern medicine to the medicine used throughout

Native America. This lesson will take approximately one hour.

Opportunities to Learn Students will be given the opportunity to apply skills by using a venn diagram. This will allow students to see in front of them

the differences and similarities between modern and ancient

medicine.*

This lesson allows students to think outside of their comfort zone. They will be looking at spiritual medicine which is a

concept most of them will not have been exposed to before.

This will also help keep students engaged as it is something

new and interesting.*

This lesson helps to engage many types of learners. It allows for imagination and visualization of the spiritual man. The venn

diagram also allows students to see details right in front of them

rather than having to imagine it.*

This lesson will be new to all students so it can be done whole group. It would be best if they are working in partners or in

groups so they can feed off of each other.*

Prior to this lesson all students will need a basic idea of medicine and what it does to cure you.*

Prior to the lesson, I will need to have the set treatments with pictures to help the students better understand.*


gain knowledge of how the Native Americans contributed to health and medicines in present day.

discover the role the Medicine Man played in Native American society.

Instructional

Procedures

Opening:

To begin this lesson I will ask the students where they go if they are sick.

This will activate their prior knowledge and they will answer



things such as the doctors, school nurse etc.

Then we will talk about how the Native Americans did not have doctors and school nurses.

I will ask the students if they have any ideas of what the Native Americans did when they were sick. This will help to get them

actively engaged and interested in the lesson.

Once ideas are gathered I will introduce what the Native Americans called the Medicine Man.

We will talk about how this person was like a doctor except a little different.

To close out the introduction I will introduce the three most common types of medicine that Native Americans used; herbs,

meditations, and rituals

Engagement:

This portion will focus on the holistic type of medicine that the Medicine Man used

We will discuss the term Holistic healing and talk about spiritual healing.

One common thing the Medicine Man would do is called a sweat bath. This was one of the rituals that they performed. The

Native American believed this help cure illness by ridding the

body of toxins.

A person would go into a hut with a pit of fire in the inside. The sick person would stand next to the fire until they were soaken

wet with sweat.

Once this happened the Native Americans had believed that the illness would be gone from your body.

Another type of medicine was meditation. The Native Americans believed that meditation could help soothe the mind

and cure the disease.

To help the students understand, I will ask the students to sit on the floor and close their eyes. We will go through one example

of traditional meditation that the Native Amricans used so the

students can experience it themselves.

The third type of medicine used is herbal.

The Native Americans believed they could cure almost anything with herbs such as tee leaves, bark, berries, and flowers.

The Native Americans had hundreds of mixtures to clear many illnesses.

Closure (20-25% of lesson):

The closure of the lesson will focus on how the Native Americans medicine is still contributing to our society today.

We will discuss how holistic healing is very popular today. Many people use saunas and also use treatments like

acupuncture that were derived from holistic treatments.



Meditation is also very common today. It is used in Yoga practices and also sometimes in the classroom to help students

focus

The herbs that the Native Americans discovered and used may be the biggest contribution to modern medicine

Native Americans discovered many ingredients that are in Penicillin, a common treatment to hundreds of ailments such as

strep throat.

They also discovered ingredients that are used in asprin which is used to cure things such as sore muscles and headaches.

These are just two of the many many medicines that the Native Americans helped ot discover.

To finish the lesson I will give the students a sheet with 3 different categories.

They will have to outline the 3 different types of medicines that the Native Americans used, along with 2 of the characteristics.

At the end the students will need to write what they think the Native Americans biggest contribution was to modern

medicine.

Assessment

Students will be assessed based on their final worksheet. They will be

scored on a 3, 2, 1 scale. High scores will be received if the students

can recall all three types of medicine used, and also examples.




Social Studies populations across the US

Mathematics estimation and graphing

Lesson Title Where are some of the biggest Native Americans populations in the

United States?

Standards

Common Core or


AND



and ELA-use Common

Core for those)


RI.4. Geography: Human Systems. 4a. Student knows and

understands the spatial distribution of population.

Mathematics (Common Core)

Math.3.MD.3 Draw a scaled bar graph to represent a data set

with several categories.

Mathematics (RI State Standards)

M:N&O:3:7. Makes estimations in a given situation.



in North America.

We will look at the different current estimated populations

of Native Americans in eight states.

The Common Core State Standards expect third graders to

begin creating bar graphs. The Rhode Island Mathematics

Standards want students to be estimating as a part of all

mathematical units.

Students will be asked to estimate to the nearest 10,000.

Each square on the graph will represent 20,000 therefore,

students may need to practice filling in half squares.


Opportunities to Learn This lesson will be taught in the form of I do, We do, You

do so students can see the thought process of estimating and

drawing a bar graph.*

Students will complete their graphs individually, but I will be

walking around the room to assist them when necessary.*

Students will draw the graph on the SmartBoard and we will

discuss whether or not everybody agrees.*

I will intentionally ask one or two students to fill in a bar

partially or to give an incorrect answer so that we can

discuss the graphs more and so students can talk about why

common mistakes in graphing can cause skewed data.*


One copy of the populations sheet for each student

One copy of the graph paper for each student



8 colored pencils (or crayons) per student


Access to a SmartBoard


Estimate populations to the nearest ten-thousand.

Graph populations using a bar graph, given the information of

what each box means.

Demonstrate the correct way to display a bar graph with all of

the par completely filled in.

Instructional

Procedures

Opening:

We will begin with all students at their desks. Each student

will be handed the worksheet with the estimated populations by

state.

I will demonstrate for the class how to estimate and graph one

state. I will show that they must completely fill in each box if

the number if a multiple of 20,000. If it is not, then only half of

a box gets filled in (which will be emphasized with this state).

California = 309,000

As a class, we will walk through how to estimate and graph

another state. I will also emphasize to use a different color for

each graph.

Texas = 96,000

After removing the graph example, I will pass out the graph

worksheet to the students. I will have them re-graph the two

examples that I already showed them from my estimation and

the class estimation following the directions I give.

Engagement:

Students will individually complete the estimations (when

necessary) and graph for the remaining six states.

States remaining:

Alaska = 100,000

New York = 76,000

Arizona = 256,000

Oklahoma 263,000

New Mexico = 163,000

Michigan = 60,000

When they have finished, we will staple the graph to the back

of the estimation worksheet.

Closure:

As students finish, I will ask some of them to go up and fill in



the graph on the SmartBoard. If there is any disagreement, we

will discuss them.

We will also discuss alternative methods for formatting the

graph. (Instead of listing the states along the bottom, we can

put them in the key with different color codes)

Assessment

Informal Assessments:

I will be walking around throughout the time that they are

estimating the populations and filling in the graph. I will

answer any questions the students have and ask them

questions about what they are noticing.

Formal Assessment:

Students will be expected to fill out a graph of Native

American populations during the lesson.

The graph will be graded on a check system and given back

to the students by the beginning of the next days lesson. In

addition to the check system, I will write the students a

short sentence about how they accomplished the task.

A - indicates that the student has not attempted to fill

in the graph at all OR that I noticed it was not filled in

until the bars were being added to the SmartBoard.

A will indicate that some of the graph has been filled

out, OR that the graph is inaccurately filled out.

A + will indicate that the graph is filled out

accurately.



CULMINATING ACTIVITY

1. For our culminating activity the students will create a newscast about Native American

life. The class will be split up into seven different groups. Each one of these groups will be

assigned to one cross curriculum lesson. For example one group will focus on Native

American stories, another group will focus on the eight states of the Native Americans,

another group will be assigned dream catchers, the next group will talk about Native

American medicine, another group will focus on games and activities played, and the final

group will focus on rain dances. Each group will pull out what they believed was the most

important concepts from the unit. Then they will have the creativity to come up with how

they will present the material. The teacher would give them examples such as they could act

out the rain dances, show a video of Native American games, or give a demonstration of how

to create Native American homes. This freedom will help to establish motivation and get

everyone engaged in the video. Once the students come up with their idea they will write

scripts. Once they are finished they will each be videotaped doing their part. The video

camera also established engagement as all students have to be focused and participating or it

will show on camera. At the end the teacher would put all of the videos together into a

complete newscast.

2. The audience of this newscast will be the students parents. We will invite them into the

classroom and play the movie to show them what we as a class have been learning over the

past unit. The parents will be asked to judge what they thought their favorite lesson is. The

group with the most votes will win a prize. The idea of a prize will also help to establish

motivation for the students. For parents that cannot be there, we will make a copy of the

newscast for the students to bring home. This will make sure it is accessible for all parents,

even if they are working during the day. For ELL students whose parents do not speak

English at home we could try to add subtitles to the lesson. This will help to make sure our

unit is being culturally competent to everyone.

3. This movie day will take place in the classroom. It would be great if we could have it on an

open house night or parent teacher conference night so they parents are already there. If the

unit does not align with this in the school calendar, we could ask parents what time is best for

them. Obviously every parent would not be able to go, so having the option to have the CD

will make the lesson portable.



4. This newscast relates back to our unit goals by asking students to pick out what they

learned in the lesson. If each student focuses on one specific lesson then they will become

experts. After watching the video with their parents they will be able to become experts

on all other areas too. It also may be helpful to hear the information from their peers and

hearing terms that they can relate to. The lesson requires each group to look back at what we

have learned previously and focus on each of the objectives.

5. I believe this lesson will be a good way to pull the whole unit together. Instead of giving

them a unit test, the video allows them to express their creativity. This is something they do

not get to do often, so it helps to establish a high level of motivation and engagement. It also

at the same time pulls in another area of the curriculum with theater and acting out their

specific parts. The lesson also pulls in the parents, which can help to foster teacher/parent

communication, while allowing them to take part in their childs learning at the same time.



CULMINATING ASSESSMENT

1. The assesment will be given at the end of the unit And will include a field trip to the Pequot

Museum and Research Center in Connecticut. This is the largest Native American museum

which includes live performances, life size exhibits and walk throughs which transport

visitors back in time. During the field trip each student will be given a Native American

Scavenger Hunt worksheet that will be used as the overall unit assesment. Students will be

broken up into groups during the field trip for safety but are required to complete this form

individually. The unit is focused on culture, practices and traditions so it is appropriate for

the assesment to be interactive rather than a multiple choice test which would include an

enormous amount of information for third grade students to study. Students will use their

prior knowledge from the English, Math, Visual Arts, Science, Health, Physical Education

and Music lessons to aid their completion of the assesment. Each of the questions in the unit

test will involve an aspect of each lesson which can be identified within the museum

exhinbits, performances, educational programs, games and craft activities. This assesment is

appropriate because it allows students to apply the knowledge that they learned in a

meaningful way. hey will be able to actually experience the culture which establishes

motivation and engagment of students.

2. Students will hand in their Native American Scavenger Hunt worksheet at the end of the

field trip. To communicate the assesment data to students I will correct their scavenger hunt

unit tests with comments included and hand them back to them. Once students have their

individual worksheets I will have them sit on the rug and we will go over the questions as a

class and students will volunteer their answers. Through discussion students are able to

listen to their peers answers and clarify any misconceptions at the end of the unit. This will

also give the teacher a chance to close the unit in a collaborative manner rather than giving

the students a grade on their assesment and moving on.

EDC 458 - 3rd Grade Unit Plan

Documents

native american cultures

native american background

beliefs of native americans

unit goals students

traditions keresztes

unit introduction

unit of study

local native ame