Passion Lesson
Nicole R. Goff
Topic: Native American tribes in Oregon
Standards:
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Historical Knowledge – Relate significant events and eras in local, state, United States, and world
history to past and present issues and developments.
o 4.1 Identify and describe historic Native American Indian groups that lived in Oregon prior to
contact with Europeans and at the time of Early European exploration, including ways these
groups adapted to and interacted with the physical environment.
o 4.4 Identify the 9 federally recognized Oregon tribes and their aboriginal boundaries.
Historical Thinking – Use multiple perspectives, primary sources, context, and reasoning skills to
understand the significance of events, people, ideas and institutions.
o 4.6 Create and evaluate timelines that show relationships among people, events, and
movements in Oregon history.
o 4.7 Use primary and secondary sources to create or describe narrative about events in Oregon
history.
Geography – Understand and use geographic skills and concepts to interpret contemporary and
historical issues.
o 4.8 Use geographical tools to identify absolute and relative locations and physical
characteristics of places in Oregon.
o Explain the influence of Oregon and the Northwest’s physical systems on humans, including
Native Americans.
o 4.11 Identify conflicts involving use of land, natural resources, economy, and competition for
scarce resources, different political views, boundary disputes, and cultural differences within
Oregon and between different geographical areas.
Social Science Analysis – Design and implement strategies to research for reliable information, analyze
issues, explain perspectives, and resolve issues using the social sciences.
o 4.19 Compare eyewitness and secondhand accounts of an event.
o Describe the sequence of events in given current and historical accounts.
o Analyze historical accounts related to Oregon to understand cause and effect.
Writing
o 4.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and
information clearly.
o 4.W.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different
aspects of a topic.
Comprehension and Collaboration
o 4.SL.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade
4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
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o 4.SL.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner,
using appropriate fact and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak
clearly at an understandable pace.
AR.05.CP.01 Use experiences, imagination, observations, essential element and organizational
principals to achieve a desired effect when creating, presenting and/or performing works of art.
Rationale:
The Pacific Northwest, specifically Oregon, has been and still is home to a variety of Native American tribes.
The indigenous people of our area were faced with many changes and challenges as explorations west were
made. Historically, we tend to research the growth of Oregon from the explorer’s perspective. In this lesson
the students will work in groups to research and define how a specific tribe(s) lived in Oregon prior to the
arrival of European Americans. They will look at housing, clothing, diet, belief system, family structure and
language. Additionally, each group will choose from a list, one area of extension to research and present on.
This could be areas such as; hunting rituals, ceremonies, the telling of legends, the meaning of drum beats,
recreational activities, forms of art, or the use of animals in their daily lives. The first part will be presented in
written/oral format with a visual presentation piece. The extension piece will be presented in a creative form,
chosen by the group (i.e. dance, skit, musical performance). This lesson will serve as one lesson in a larger unit.
The students will understand that their presentations need to be looked at as the first step in a timeline of
Oregon, they will be creating throughout the unit. As they do so, they will see the progression of how Oregon
became what they know it to be today. In the next lesson of this unit, they will look at how all of the
information gathered in this lesson looks different or similar once the European-Americans began entering
and inhabiting Oregon. They will change the perspective slightly by presenting the succeeding set of
information from the perspective of a Native American child their own age.
Objectives:
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Students will describe, in a classroom presentation, where a specific tribe resided in Oregon and what
their daily lives looked like before the European-Americans came to the land.
Students will have a visual presentation board, divided in half, with one side depicting the information
presented. The other half of the board will be utilized later in the unit.
Students will work together to creatively portray an area of Native American life.
Students will practice teamwork and organizational skills by researching and putting presentation
pieces together.
Students will compare and contrast information from all the groups.
Materials:
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Various books, websites, maps, text books, poster boards, art materials, computer access.
Additional items specific to each group, such as drums, costumes etc…
Assessment/Modifications:
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Students who need support working in a group setting will be assisted by the teacher/aides and will
have opportunities to research independently and bring ideas to back to the group to balance the
amount of group time.
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Students who are uncomfortable with performing in front of the class can have a modified role that
allows for comfort and success within the group.
Students will be supported and encouraged to take leadership roles in various areas of the work and
presentation. The teacher will encourage various students to take the lead in different areas of the
lesson, so everyone feels responsible in the completion of the project as a whole.
Procedure:
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OPEN: As the students enter the classroom a CD of traditional Native American music will be playing.
As they gather at their desks for the morning, the teacher will have picked a traditional Native
American legend and begin, without explanation, reading in a dramatic and realistic format.
o When finished explain to the students that they will be researching a Native American tribe of
Oregon. Give details of the project.
o Put a map of Oregon with the division of Native American tribes depicted and labeled. Choose
students at random to pick an area and add their name to that tribe. Do this until groups are
formed. It will take some direction and planning on the teacher’s part to make sure each area
of Oregon is represented and groups are formed so that they are diverse and well rounded.
o Explain expected time frame of research, putting final project together and presentation days.
BODY OF LESSON:
o Start each day with an authentic role play/music/video etc… to encourage student inquiry and
questioning.
o Continually help guide student questioning and inquiry about their tribe to enhance research.
o Throughout the time frame of research help and support groups and individual students.
o When the research is finished allow time and support to have groups organize and put
information into a presentation format.
o Help guide individuals into roles they are comfortable and beneficial to the group as a whole.
o Have the class help prepare a classroom wall for the first part of their projects to be displayed.
Also, have the class help set-up a stage area for performances.
Conclusion:
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Over the course of three days have 2-3 groups present their information and perform their extension
pieces.
Place posters on the bulletin board to be compared/contrasted and eventually added to.
Lead group questioning/wondering/discussion sessions after each project.
At the end of all the presentations have students discuss as a whole group similarities and differences
in each of the tribes. Discuss things that surprised, interested, and baffled them. Discuss how they felt
performing/depicting a Native American tradition.
Have them extend into the next part of the unit by sharing what they are intrigued by and areas they
question and wonder further about.
Resources:
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Native-languages.org/Oregon.htm