TAH Lesson Plan
Teacher
Grade
Title
Subject Area(s)
Ms. Leslie López
2nd Grade Bilingual
Living as an Native American Indian
Language Arts / Mathematics / Social Studies
Overview
Students will learn about the customs and beliefs of the Native American
Indians. This unit will focus on their unique bond with nature and animal
life, the importance and value of the wampum, and their clothing.
Essential
Understanding
Although we live in a world filled with many different cultures, our beliefs
and values can at times be the same.
Essential Questions
CT Standards
1. After reading this story, what connections did you make?
2. How is Little Zoo Sap feeling when he is lost? When he sees the
animals?
3. Why do you think the animals kept Little Zoo Sap warm and
happy?
4. What is a wampum? How was it used?
5. Describe this picture. What do you see?
Reading
GLE 27: Apply comprehension strategies, such as connecting, predicting,
questioning, inferring and visualizing to above grade-level stories
read aloud by the teacher and to own reading at independent
level.
GLE 46: Identify what is important to an author based on the content of
text.
Math
GLE 14: Solve Problems using addition and subtraction facts involving
sums and differences to twenty with flexibility and fluency.
Social Studies
GLE 2.2: Interpret information from a variety of primary and secondary
sources, including electronic media (e.g. maps, charts, graphs,
images, artifacts, recordings and text).
Objectives
Students will be able to (SWBAT):
1. Use one comprehension strategy to understand the text.
2. Make text-to-self connections.
3. Explain the significance of wampums to the Native American
Indians.
4. Use wampums to buy items in a “Native American Store”.
5. Identify clothing of Native American tribes from pictures.
Materials
Day 1
Thanks to the Animals
1. Thanks to the Animals by Allen Sockabasin
2. Chart paper
3. “Strategy Slip” worksheet
4. Writing journals
5. Wampum beads (both white and purple)
6. “Wampum Shopping” worksheet
7. Portraits of Native Americans
8. Projector to display images used by Native Americans.
9. Coloring paper
10. Crayons / Markers
Details of the Activity
 Students will be asked to sit in a circle on the rug.
 The teacher will begin the lesson by discussing the goals and
objectives of the unit and today’s lesson.
 Next, the teacher will ask the students to share what they already
know about Native American living. Students will turn-and-talk with
their neighbor to discuss their prior knowledge of this topic.
 In a whole group discussion, students will share their thoughts as
the teacher records their responses on chart paper. The teacher
will review all responses with the class.
 The teacher will then read Thanks to the Animals by Allen
Sockabasin. Throughout the reading, the teacher will stop to ask
those essential questions supporting the Native Americans’ belief
and strong bond to the natural world.
 Students will be asked to return to their seats.
 The teacher will inform the class that they will need to select one of
the six (6) comprehension strategies that helped them understand
the story and where they used that strategy in the story.
 First, the teacher will model. The teacher will say, “One strategy I
used today to help me understand this text was picturing. When I
heard that Little Zoo Sap had fallen off the family sled, I pictured in
my mind him falling into the snow and maybe getting hurt.”
 Working in pairs, each student will select one (1) strategy and write
down where they used it in the text on the “Strategy Slip”
worksheet.
 Once students have finished, the teacher will collect their
worksheets and review all answers in a whole group discussion.
 To close the lesson, students will be asked to make a personal
connection to the story and write it in their writing journals.
 The teacher will share with the students a Native American proverb
which says: “Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your
ancestors, the earth was loaned to you by future generations.”
Homework
Day 2
Wampum
Students will select another comprehension strategy that helped them
understand the story and describe where in the story they used it.
Details of the Activity
 Students will be asked to find a good listening spot on the rug.
 The teacher will begin the lesson by discussing the objectives for
today’s lesson.
 The teacher will show the students a picture of a white wampum.
The teacher will inform the students that the item they are looking
at is called wampum.
 Next, the teacher will ask the students what they think the wampum
was used in the Native American culture. Students will be given a
minute to think and if necessary talk to their neighbor about their
thoughts.
 The teacher will ask the students the students to share their
responses with the entire class. The teacher will inform the
students of the significance of the wampum so that the students
understand its importance.
 Now, the teacher will present a purple wampum. The teacher will
say, “Now that you know how the white wampum was used in the
lives of the Native American Indians, what do you think the purple
wampum represented?” Students will share their answers orally
with the class.
 The teacher will share with the class a wampum bracelet from the
Mashantucket Pequot Museum. Before students will get a chance
to look at it, the teacher will review how important the wampum was
and is to the Native American Indians.
 The teacher will say the following:
“To Native people of the northeast, wampum is valued and
respected. The giving of wampum symbolizes truth and integrity.
The purple beads are used to remind us of the gravity of life and
our responsibilities to the coming generations. The white beads
represent the good mind and its love of peace and hope.“
 Before the students are asked to take their seats, the teacher will
inform the class that wampum were so valued to Native American
Indians that they were also used as money. The purple wampum
was worth double the value/cost of the white bead.
 Working at their seats, the students will be introduced to some of
the items used by the Native Americans. The teacher will display
these items on the projector.
 Next, the teacher will distribute the “Wampum Shopping”
worksheet. The teacher will explain to the class that each student
will be working with 5 purple wampum beads and 10 white
wampum beads to buy some of the items on the sheet. Each
student will have their chose of those items they would like to
purchase.
 The teacher will model this exercise. In addition, the teacher will
remind the students that the purple wampum beads are worth
double than that of the white wampum bead. Each student will be
working with 15 total wampum beads which is actually worth 20
wampum (5 purple = 10 wampum + 10 white wampum = 20 total
wampum).
 Students will work on their worksheets and once completed, the
class will review each student’s purchase.
Homework
Day 3
Clothing
In their writing journals, students will write down one (1) thing they learned
about the importance of the wampum.
Details of the Activity
 Students will be asked to sit in a circle on the rug.
 The teacher will begin the lesson by discussing the objectives for
today’s lesson.
 The teacher will ask the students, “Why do we wear clothes?”
Student answers will vary.
 The teacher will explain to the students that the clothing worn by
Native Americans not only was used to protect them, but also
represented the tribe they belonged to, their connection to the
natural world, and those things that were significant to the family
and town.
 The teacher will inform the class that today they will be looking at
various pictures of Native Americans and their clothing.
 The students will be asked to return to their seats.
 The teacher will display the images of Native American clothing on
the projector. The teacher will go show and write the names of
some of their clothing.
 Next, students will be given coloring paper to draw themselves
wearing some of the Native American clothing learned in the
lesson.
 Students will be given crayons to decorate their clothing. The
teacher will leave the images on the board for the students to use
as a reference.
 At the end of the lesson, students will come to the front of the class
and describe what they are wearing in their picture.
 The teacher will collect all drawings and post them around the
room.
Homework
Students will be asked to write in their writing journals about their drawing
and describe why they would have worn the clothing they chose for
themselves in their drawing.
Suggested
For this unit, the suggested assessment will be the “Strategy Slip”
Assessment/Evaluation worksheet, the “Wampum Shopping” worksheet, and the drawing they
made to include clothing worn by the Native Americans.
Strategy Slip: Students will need to select one strategy that helped them
understand the text and write specifically where in the text they used that
strategy using complete sentences, proper punctuation, and capitalization.
Wampum Shopping: Students will need to show how they were able to
purchase the item by noting how many white and/or purple wampum they
used to purchase that item.
Drawing: Students will need to include at least 3 items learned about
Native American clothing in their drawing.
Rubric
Strategy Slip
 Two (2) complete sentences with capital letters at the beginning
and periods at the end. Details are included.
 One complete sentence with either a capital letter or period and
some detail.
 Sentence fragment with no capital letter, no period, and no detail.
Wampum Shopping
I will need to look at each student’s work in order to evaluate their learning
of the value of wampum and their problem solving (GLE 14).
Drawing
 Three (3) Native American clothing items included in drawing.
 Two (2) Native American clothing items included in drawing.
 One (1) Native American clothing item included in drawing.
Possible
Extensions/Resources
1. Students can draw a picture to illustrate the comprehension
strategy they used to help them understand the story (either from
class or from homework).
2. Students will be given a “Wampum Shopping” worksheet to include
additional items used by Native American Indians where students
will work with 40 wampums (10 purple wampums + 20 white
wampums).
3. Students label items worn by Native Americans in their drawings.
4. Read additional books about the importance of the natural world to
Native Americans.
5. Watch a video of a Powwow demonstrating the various clothing
worn by Native Americans.
Name: ______________________________________________ Date: _______________________
One strategy I used today to help me understand this text is:
(Circle one)
Connecting
Wondering
Picturing
Guessing
Noticing
Figuring out
Here is a place in the text where I used this strategy:
_____________________________________________________________________
Name: ______________________________________________ Date: _______________________
Wampum Shopping
You have 10 white wampum and 5 purple wampum. What items can you buy?
7 wampum
3 wampum
____ white
____ white
____ purple
____ purple
5 wampum
4 wampum
____ white
____ white
____ purple
____ purple
12 wampum
8 wampum
____ white
____ white
____ purple
____ purple
Pictures courtesy of
1, 2:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/3119120388_18950d486e.jpg&imgrefurl=http://w
ww.flickr.com/photos/rawlife/3119120388/&usg=__rofCtE4mur5NZ0AUTgOFaBv269Y=&h=334&w=500&sz=158&hl=en&start=1&itbs=1&tbnid=bLt
bGwD1gc63mM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnative%2Bamerican%2Bchildren%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3
D2%26ndsp%3D21%26tbs%3Disch:1
3, 4: http://nativepeoplephotographer.typepad.com