The West: Won or Lost?

Lesson 1: Native American Diversity

Time Estimated: 1 day

Objectives:

Students will:

1. Recall prior knowledge about Native American culture, specifically what they remember about the tribes of the Great Plains.
2. Explore aspects of the diverse cultures by examining informational handouts.
3. Work in groups to create presentations about their aspect of tribal culture.
4. Present the most important characteristics orally to the class.
5. Examine the loss of identity by reading The Buffalo Go and the relationship between this loss and the movement of settlers westward.

Materials:

• Handouts from http://www.saskschools.ca/~gregory/firstnations/index.html
• The Buffalo Go by Old Lady Horse

Strategies:

1. Hook: Think-Pair-Share: Make a list of what you remember about Native American culture from our previous study and what you remember specifically about those cultures on the Great Plains.
2. Students will work in small groups to explore Native American culture on the plains by examining one of the following aspects:
   • Beliefs
   • Food
   • Bison (buffalo)
   • Clothing
   • Decoration
   • Tipis
   • Family and duties
   • The Winter Count
   • Tools
   • Transportation
3. Once students have had time to process through the informational handouts, they will present the information to the class.
4. Once students have finished with presentations, they will be given a reading from Native American Testimony: Chronicle of Indian — White Relations from Prophecy to the Present, 1492 – 2000 by Peter Nabokov. I chose an excerpt by Old Lady Horse found on pages 174 – 175 of the revised and updated edition. As they begin to read, I will challenge them with the following thought provoker — her words and how she combines them provide equal insight into her culture.
5. Discussion: What does she tell us with her words and what does she tell us by how she puts the words together?
6. Closure: How closely connected is she to nature and her surroundings? Is her connection indicative of the tribes on the Great Plains?

Differentiation:

I place students in diverse groups to ensure that all students will be able to answer the questions and I go over all of the information to ensure all students understand the information.