SOCIAL STUDIES ALIVE!
CHAPTER 2
American Indians and Their Land
How did American Indians adapt to
different environments in North America?

Objectives (I can…)

trace the migration routes of American Indians into North
America. (Geography)

identify the elements of culture in Native American. (Culture)

summarize key features of four environments. (Geography)

identify ways in which the American Indians adapted to their
environment. (Geography/Economics)

define migrate, environment, adapt, migration, natural resource,
adaptation, and pictograph.
How did American Indians adapt to
different environments in North America?

Remember a time you’ve been to a new place.
 Did
you move with your family, visit relatives, go on a
vacation, or go camping?
 What
were some challenges?
 What were some benefits?

Now I want you to gather your belongings and form a
line outside the classroom.
 When
you come back in I want you to find a seat where you
would feel most comfortable sitting.
How did American Indians adapt to
different environments in North America?

In your social studies notebook:
 Describe
the area of the classroom in which you chose to
“settle.”
 Why did you choose this area?
 How could you make your area more comfortable for the
future?

We are going to learn how the first Americans came to
North America and adapted to the places they settled.
How did American Indians adapt to
different environments in North America?

Key social studies terms: ( * = write the definitions)
 Origin
story
 Migrate *
 Environment *
 Adapt *
 Kiva
 Migration *
 Natural resource *
 Adaptation *
 pictograph
How did American Indians adapt to
different environments in North America?

Look at the picture at the bottom of page 17  Environments


of American Indians.
How does this picture resemble the zoom lens of a
camera? What do people use zoom lenses for?
Zoom lens enables people to get a closer look at an
object or scene.
How did American Indians adapt to
different environments in North America?


In this chapter we will start by looking at the big picture
– migration routes of the first Americans.
Now we will “zoom in” to see where the first Americans
chose to live and how one group adapted to a
particular environment.
• Which continents do you see?
• The first Americans came to North & South America.
• What do you think these pictures represent?
• The 4 kinds of environments in North America.
• What kind of environment do these people live?
• This is an Inuit family living in the Arctic (very cold).
How did American Indians adapt to
different environments in North America?



There are different ideas about how American Indians
arrived in North America.
We will first learn what one American Indian group, the
Hopis, believes about how it came to settle in what is
now the Southwest region of the United States.
Let’s read pg. 18, section 2.2 – American Indian Origin
Stories.
How did American Indians adapt to
different environments in North America?


Over time, many American Indian groups orally passed
down stories to explain their history and experiences
and recorded them for future generations – their
ancestors.
Where did the American Indian group the Hopis (HOpees) live when they settled in the United States?
 Southwest

What type of physical (land) characteristic do you think
it’s like in that area of the U.S.?
 Desert
How did American Indians adapt to
different environments in North America?






Let’s at the map on pg. 19, section 2.3 – Migration
Routes to North and South America.
What does this map show?
Which continents do you see?
What do the arrows represent?
According to this map, where did the first Americans
migrate from?
Where did they migrate to?
• Why do you think the first Americans followed
these routes?
How did American Indians adapt to
different environments in North America?




In pairs, read pg. 19, section 2.3 – Migration Routes of the
First Americans.
Summary after reading (write a paragraph with your
partner):
What do scientists believe about when and why the first
Americans came to North America?
What can you tell about the migration, using these terms as
clues – migration route, Siberia, ice age, and big game ?

The first Americans came from Siberia during the last ice age. They
followed big game to North America. The paths they followed are
called migration routes. The routes went to all parts of North and
South America.
• What do these 4 photos show?
•How would you describe each environment?
• What natural resources might be found in each environment?
•In which environment would it be easiest to survive?
•In which would it be hardest to survive? Why?
How did American Indians adapt to
different environments in North America?



In pairs, read pg. 20-21, section 2.4 – American Indians and
the Environment.
Summary after reading (just the main parts):
What important points can you make about these four natural
environments, using these terms as clues – environment,
grassland, desert, mountain and Arctic ice field?

American Indians settled in many types of environments. Here are four
examples: Grasslands get enough rain to support grasses, but not trees
or bushes. Deserts get almost no rain. Mountains get a lot of rain and
snow. The Arctic ice fields are covered by sheets of ice for most of the
year. Most of the first Americans settled in areas with lots of natural
resources. Fewer people lived in the desert and Arctic regions.
How did American Indians
adapt to the environment?



In pairs, read pg. 22-23, section 2.5 – American Indians
adapt to the Environment.
Summary after reading (just the main parts):
What important points can you make about how the
American Indians adapted to their environment, using these
terms as clues – adapt, animal, Inuit and shelter?
 American
Indians had to adapt to their environment. The Inuits
adapted to the harsh Arctic environment. They used animals for
food and shelter. They sewed animal skins together to make
clothing, blankets, and tents.
Act It Out – reporter/interview




“Act It Out” – I will assign you a question and you
be interviewed – pretending to be one of the Inuit
family members from the picture on page 22.
Use the visual clues in the picture to help you!!!
Each person in your group will get one question to
answer as if you were the Inuit girl, father, or mother.
Using the information you learned from the readings,
be ready to respond to my interview questions.
 Specifically
pgs. 22-23
• This is an Inuit family living in the Arctic.
Act It Out – reporter/interview










Girl:
How do you like living here?
What do you do all day?
What are your clothes made from?
How do you help your parents?
Father:
How do you like living here?
How did you make your home?
What do you do all day to help your family survive?
What is the hardest thing about adapting to this
environment?
Act It Out – reporter/interview





Mother:
How do you like living here?
How do you prepare food for
your family?
How do you help your family
survive in this environment?
What will you do in the winter?