Common Core Literacy Module
Title: Utah’s Native Americans
Author: Kylie Owens (kyowens@wsd.net)
Grade Level: 7th grade
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Teaching Task: Narrative Template Tasks; Task 27: After reading journals, statements, and other
historical documents, write and draw a graphic novel narrative article from the perspective of a Native
American.
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Essential Question: Native Americans have a very detailed and long history. Each tribe has their own
traditions, way of life and unique culture. We often look at American history through American eyes and
forget about the native people who inhabited North America. We will take an in depth look at the five
native cultures that live/d in present day Utah and look at some of the struggles they faced with their own
identity. What can historical accounts teach us about someone’s struggle to defend their way of life?
Anticipatory Activity: This will be the first task given to the students. This will allow the students to
begin feeling historical empathy for the Native Americans. Put students into groups of four or five.
There will be a prompt on the overhead for their “Warm-Up” when the walk into the classroom for the
day. It will explain how the United States has been taken over by a more technologically advanced
civilization. Each group will get a folder with their “new” language, religion, clothing, etc that they will
be expected to adopt in it. They will be placed on a piece of land that is practically useless and will have
to decide what they will do next. Will their group choose to rebel, adapt to the newcomers way of life,
comply, etc.
Vocabulary Task: Students will participate in a “Give One, Get One” activity in order to learn the
vocabulary words necessary for this unit.
Vocabulary Task: Students will be placed in groups and they will be coming up with their own
“Vocabulary Diamond.” After every group has completed their diamond, they will trade with another
group and the first group to finish WINS!
http://www.saisd.net/admin/curric/sstudies/handson/vocdiamond.png
Mini-Task: I will have students participate in an A-B-C square activity. They will review the material we
are discussing with this task. I will put the students in groups and have them fill in as many “letters” as
possible. I will give them small post-its to write each word corresponding with the letters on and have
them place them around the room next to the letter.
http://sscommoncoreacademy.wikispaces.com/file/view/alpha+box.pdf
Mini-Task: Students will read one of the documents in the “We Shall Remain” primary source series in
groups and will come up with questions to ask other groups in a “Q-Chart” activity.
http://sscommoncoreacademy.wikispaces.com/file/view/Q+Chart.pdf
Mini-Task: Students will look at pictures of Native Americans (Navajo, Paiute, Ute, Goshute and
Shoshone) and will create “I am…” poems. http://sscommoncoreacademy.wikispaces.com/file/view/Iam-poem%5B1%5D.pdf
Mini-Task: Students will look over Native American historical accounts of “When the Strangers Came”
and will fill out a “Summarization Pyramid” for the article that they were given. They will then share the
stories in a group setting. After, they will write their own interpretation of the events that occurred.
http://sscommoncoreacademy.wikispaces.com/file/view/Summarization+Pyramid.pdf
Materials Needed: See hyper-links above. One would also need the Utah History books in the
classroom, “We Shall Remain”, and other articles associated with this. Students would also need to be
given paper to create their graphic novel on.
Day 1:
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Begin class with the anticipatory activity listed above.
They will write their responses as a group and we would share and discuss as a class.
Ask if any of the students can begin to draw conclusions in order to figure out what we will be
discussing next as a class.
Introduce Native American topic.
Day 2:
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Warm-Up
Vocabulary Task: “Give One, Get One.”
Begin short Powerpoint and have them take notes in “Tarzan Talk.”
Day 3:
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Warm-Up
Vocabulary Task: “Vocabulary Diamond.”
Students will begin walking around the room looking at the photographs.
Introduce “I am…” poem.
Day 4:
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Warm-Up
Begin “I am…” poems
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Share a few poems.
Introduce and begin the reading for the “Summarization Pyramid.”
Day 5:
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Warm-Up
Finish “Summarization Pyramid.”
Share in group setting
Discuss as a class!
Day 6:
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Warm-Up
Students will look at the map of where these tribes lived and I will have them draw it in their
“Warm-Up” journal and color it.
Hold a short “review” on the board with their cell phones through the poll everywhere website.
Clip “We Shall Remain” with it they can fill out a “Stop & Write” activity.
Day 7:
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Warm-Up
Q-Chart activity & game.
Introduce final project: Graphic Novel