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Summary and Objective
Students will understand that Native People used resources available to them to make the things they needed or wanted. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, the land products and animals available in the Northeast were used to provide basic needs of the people. Through their investigations of pictures of objects, students will begin to understand the rich culture and the resoursefulness of these people.
Teaching Plan
Step 1.
Pre-activity: Review or teach about historical timelines by writing events such as the present, students birthdays, the landing of the pilgrims, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, other times familiar to your class, and the dinosaurs on individual clothespins. Attach the clothespins to a clothesline to form a timeline. Show children on the timeline the period of time before the arrival of the Europeans.
Step 2.
Pre-activity: Lead children in a visualization activity to help children imagine themselves in the past. Show pictures from books like those found in "People of the Breaking Day" by Marcia Sewall. If possible do this in a wooded area. What would they use to make their shelter, tools and clothing? What would they eat? What if what they needed could only be found on the land?
Step 3.
Arrange pictures of objects from the American Centuries web site randomly in a picture splash and give to the children. Tell the children that the pictures show objects that were used by Native People in the Northeast prior to the arrival of the Europeans. Use the clothespin timeline to help children understand the time in history.
Step 4.
Divide students into small groups and ask them to discuss and make predictions about the use of the objects and the materials used to make them. As a group, older children write their responses in complete sentences. Younger children rejoin the whole group and dictate their responses as an adult writes.
Step 5.
Predictions are shared with the whole group. The teacher reads the labels of the objects as posted on the PVMA American Centuries web site. These labels tell the materials used, the place they were found and the time period. Revisit the timeline as the labels are discussed. Allow time for responses and questions from children.
Step 6.
Post activity: Read "Tampenum's Day" by Kate Waters. Point out pictures of objects like the clothing, tools and dugout canoe. Using the web site pictures or others selected by the teacher, have students draw pictures of the objects that show how they would be used. All of the student work and the web site pictures can be posted together on a bulletin board for further viewing and discussion.
Step 7.
Post activity: Show other pictures from the American Centuries web site, such as the Otterskin Bag, that show how objects changed after the arrival of the Europeans. Where did the objects come from? What was the impact of trade.
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