Native American WebQuest
Adapted by Duston Gladfelter
Introduction
Our class has an exciting opportunity!
It has been chosen as the site of a new museum!
This museum will show how Native Americans lived from
about 1500 to the 1800's.
We need your help to make this museum a great success!
You have been hired as a museum curator. It will be your job to research and
help set up a display of an Indian Tribe for the Native American Museum.
Introduction:
Long ago, North America was very different from the way it is today. The first people arrived in
North America from Asia by crossing a land bridge that temporarily connected the continents. Since
these were the first people to live in North America, they are known as Native Americans. Many
different cultures of Native Americans developed over the course of time. Culture refers to the
people's way of life. Each culture was affected by the natural resources that were available to them.
Natural resources were used as tools for survival providing such necessities as food, clothing, and
shelter.
Intro/ Task/ Description/ Process/ NE Natives/ SE Natives/ Plains/ SW Natives/ NW Natives/ WS 1/ WS 2/ WS 3/ Checklist/
Project Plan Sheet
Task
Your task is to research a North American tribe and to make some things that depict the daily life of that
tribe. You will add these things to the museum display of the Native Americans of one of five Native
American cultures of the 5 regions of the United States. You must be sure to keep track of all of your
information using the supplied worksheets (1) (2) (3). Use those worksheets to make sure you learn the
most information possible about your selected tribe.
The worksheets will guide you to learn the following information:
•Location -Where did they live? -Describe the geography of the area. -Find a picture of the area. How did they adapt to the land in order to survive?
•Shelter -Describe the type of home. -What natural resources were used to construct the home? Find or create a picture of the shelter
•Diet -What did they eat? -How was the food prepared? -Find or create a picture of their food.
•Clothing -What did they wear? -How was their clothing affected by the climate and natural
resources? -Find or create a picture of their clothing.
•Transportation -How did they move from place to place? -Did they have a need to travel from place
to place? Why or why not? -Find or create a picture of a device that was used to transport people or
things.
•Arts and Crafts -What are some examples of the arts and crafts of this culture? -What natural
resources where used in creating the arts and crafts? -Find or create a picture of an art or craft
from this culture.
•Interesting Facts What other unique things did you find out about this culture? Did they play
games? Have a government? Have certain religious or burial practices? Build great structures? Have
social classes?
Intro/ Task/ Description/ Process/ NE Natives/ SE Natives/ Plains/ SW Natives/ NW Natives/ WS 1/ WS 2/ WS 3/ Checklist/
Project Plan Sheet
Project Description
To represent your learning you will construct a project of your choice to display
something important about the everyday life of your Native American tribe. You
might make:

a diorama

clothing - dress a cardboard silhouette

a house

jewelry

baskets or pottery

a miniature rug or blanket

a replica of a useful animal

anything that would show something interesting about their way of life
You will write an information display card to post anything important with your
final project. You will also give an oral tour of your particular section of the museum.
The tour should last around 2 minutes and everyone in the group should talk. Discuss
any problems or changes to this part with the museum director. Be prepared to
answer questions from museum visitors.
You MUST also make a map showing where your tribe lived.
Intro/ Task/ Description/ Process/ NE Natives/ SE Natives/ Plains/ SW Natives/ NW Natives/ WS 1/ WS 2/ WS 3/ Checklist/
Project Plan Sheet
Process
First, you will be placed in museum team groups of two or three.

Each person in the group will use a worksheet to record the facts you will need.

Each person will have a checklist to insure that all the work has been completed.

I am the museum director. I will choose which display your team will be working.
Regions: Northwest Coast Southwest Plains Northeast Southeast

Use the selected Information Sheets (1) (2) (3) to record the information you find. (This copy will
be a rough draft of your group paper.)


Use your Checklist to stay on task!

On white lined paper, rewrite the information from your Information Sheets in complete
sentences. Edit this copy with the help of the Museum Director. Turn in your group report to the
Museum Director.




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Next:
Choose a project to add to the museum.
Fill out a plan sheet for your project to be approved by the Museum Director (that's me!)
Gather the items you will need for your project.
Complete the project at home with your group.
Write a display card for your project.
When your display is complete, give the museum director a tour of your display.
Intro/ Task/ Description/ Process/ NE Natives/ SE Natives/ Plains/ SW Natives/ NW Natives/ WS 1/ WS 2/ WS 3/ Checklist/
Project Plan Sheet
Indians of the Northeast
Tribes of this area lived in the woodlands or by the Atlantic Ocean in the Northwestern corner of the United States where
there was fish and game. You may choose from one of these tribes: Iroquois, Wampanoag.
Iroquois, Haudenosaunee
The Iroquois of the Northeast
Native Homes- Find your tribe’s
3 Iroquois Legends
Lacrosse - An Iroquois Tradition
Iroquois Creation Story -legend
Native American Lore (legends)-Various
Tribes
Clothing
Homes- and other great info
Landforms - Geography
Wampanoag
Wampanoag History
Wampanoag
Native Homes- Find your tribe’s
Wampanoag- Homes
Wampanoag- Food-1
Wampanoag- Food- 2
Wampanoag- Clothing
Landforms – Geography
Wampanoag- 2
Wampanoag Games-Crafts
Legends
Native American Lore (legends)-Various Tribes
Intro/ Task/ Description/ Process/ NE Natives/ SE Natives/ Plains/ SW Natives/ NW Natives/ WS 1/ WS 2/ WS 3/ Checklist/
Project Plan Sheet
Indians of the Southeast
These tribes were found in the woodland areas or by the Atlantic Ocean in the Southeastern
corner of the United States. You may choose from one of these tribes: Cherokee, Hopi,
Seminole
Cherokee
Seminole
Cherokee- Lots of Info
Seminole Culture
More Culture
Seminole Houses
Seminole Food
Native Homes- Find your tribe’s
The Unconquered Seminoles
Seminole Clothing
More Clothing
Encyclopedia Britannica
Seminole Crafts
More Crafts
Crafts 3
Legends
Native American Lore (legends)
Cherokee Crafts
Native Homes- Find your tribe’s
More Crafts
Cherokee History -Location
Encyclopedia Britannica
Three Cherokee Legends
Legends
Native American Lore (legends)
Intro/ Task/ Description/ Process/ NE Natives/ SE Natives/ Plains/ SW Natives/ NW Natives/ WS 1/ WS 2/ WS 3/ Checklist/
Project Plan Sheet
Indians of the Plains
These tribes were hunters and farmers. After 1500, many turned to hunting as a way of life
because they had acquired horses. You may choose from one of these tribes from this area:
Cheyenne
Sioux
The Plains Indians
Cheyenne Info
Legends
Cheyenne Speaking
Cheyenne Clothing
Cheyenne Games
Native Homes- Find
your tribe’s
Native American Lore
(legends)
Lakota of the Plains
(Western Sioux) – General Info
The Plains Indians
Sioux Clothing
Sioux
Sioux Crafts and other
information
Sioux food, location, and other
good info.
Native Homes- Find your tribe’s
Legends
Native American Lore (legends)
Intro/ Task/ Description/ Process/ NE Natives/ SE Natives/ Plains/ SW Natives/ NW Natives/ WS 1/ WS 2/ WS 3/ Checklist/
Project Plan Sheet
Indians of the Southwest
These tribes were desert Indians who either lived in brush covered shelters or in adobe
houses. They had a hard life because of the lack of rain. Find out about how they
survived. You may choose from one of these tribes from this area:
Navajo
Navajo Indians
Navajo
Native Homes- Find your tribe’s
Navajo - Sand Painting
Navajo Rugs 1
Southwestern Indian Baskets
Navajo Homes
Navajo Clothing and Pictures
Indians of the Southwest
Legends
Native American Lore (legends)
Apache
Native Homes- Find your tribe’s
Apache Various Information
Apache Info
Apache Clothing and Shelter
Apache Variety of Info- and
Numbers
Apache Creation Story
Southwestern Indian Baskets
Indians of the Southwest
Legends
Native American Lore (legends)
Intro/ Task/ Description/ Process/ NE Natives/ SE Natives/ Plains/ SW Natives/ NW Natives/ WS 1/ WS 2/ WS 3/ Checklist/
Project Plan Sheet
Indians of the Northwest Coast
These tribes lived close to the Pacific Ocean and had a prosperous life of fishing and
whaling. They are famous for their totem poles. You may choose from one of these tribes
from this area:
Chinook
Nootka
Northwest Indians
Native Homes- Find your
tribe’s
Chinook Information
Chinook Pictures and
information
Chinook Hat-Clothing
Encyclopedia Britannica
Legends
Northwest Indians
Native Homes- Find your
tribe’s
The Nootka
Nootka Traditions
Nootka Food and other info
Encyclopedia Britannica
Nootka Legend 1
Nootka Crafts- 4 Pictures
Intro/ Task/ Description/ Process/ NE Natives/ SE Natives/ Plains/ SW Natives/ NW Natives/ WS 1/ WS 2/ WS 3/ Checklist/
Project Plan Sheet
Worksheet 1
In what part of the United States did this tribe live? What states are in this area
now? What bodies of water, rivers or landforms are in this area?
Location
What did their homes look like? What were they made of? How big were they? How
many people lived in each house?
Shelters
How did this tribe get their food? What kinds of food did they eat?
Food
Intro/ Task/ Description/ Process/ NE Natives/ SE Natives/ Plains/ SW Natives/ NW Natives/ WS 1/ WS 2/ WS 3/ Checklist/
Project Plan Sheet
Worksheet 2
What kinds of clothing did this tribe wear? What were their clothes made of? Describe
men's and women's clothing.
Clothing
Landforms in
the area
Customs
and
Traditions
What was the land like in the area that your tribe lived? Did they use the land for
farming? Hunting? Both? How did the land influence their lives?
Describe the celebrations and traditions of this tribe year after year. Why did they
celebrate?
How were their customs different from ours? (for instance: wedding ceremonies, naming
their babies, religions, etc.)
Intro/ Task/ Description/ Process/ NE Natives/ SE Natives/ Plains/ SW Natives/ NW Natives/ WS 1/ WS 2/ WS 3/ Checklist/
Project Plan Sheet
Worksheet 3
What were some things the men and women of this tribe made by hand?
Crafts
In your own words tell a story that this tribe told over and over for many years.
Legend
Other
Interesting
Facts about
This Tribe
Write down any other interesting things you find about this tribe.
Intro/ Task/ Description/ Process/ NE Natives/ SE Natives/ Plains/ SW Natives/ NW Natives/ WS 1/ WS 2/ WS 3/ Checklist/
Project Plan Sheet
Checklist
____I am in a group of two or three.
____I have chosen a region of the United States.
Region: _________________________________________
____I have chosen a tribe to research.
Tribe: ___________________________________________
I have researched the Internet and books to complete the following things on
my Information Sheets:
____Location
____Shelters
____Food
____Clothing
____Landforms
____Customs and Traditions
____Crafts
____Legend
____Other Interesting Facts About This Tribe
____I have chosen a display project and filled out a Project Plan Sheet:
____What we plan to make Project: _________________________
____Materials we need for our project
____A picture of what it will look like
____My project has been approved by the Museum Director
____I have completed my project for the museum.
____I have written a display card for the project.
____I have given the Museum Director a tour of my section of the museum.
Intro/ Task/ Description/ Process/ NE Natives/ SE Natives/ Plains/ SW Natives/ NW Natives/ WS 1/ WS 2/ WS 3/ Checklist/
Project Plan Sheet
Project Plan Sheet
What I Plan to Make for the Museum Display
Projects you might make: a diorama, clothing (dress a cardboard silhouette), a house, jewelry,
baskets or pottery, a miniature rug or blanket, a replica of something important to the tribe
(animals, landscape), you must show a MAP showing where your tribe lived, anything else that would
show something interesting about their way of life
Materials I Will Need
Picture of What I Plan to Make
Intro/ Task/ Description/ Process/ NE Natives/ SE Natives/ Plains/ SW Natives/ NW Natives/ WS 1/ WS 2/ WS 3/ Checklist/
Project Plan Sheet