Writing For Understanding– Native American Lesson
Central Idea- What is it I want students to understand and know about the content?
2nd Grade Social Studies
Standard 1- Students will recognize and describe how people within their community, state, and nation are both similar and
different
Objective 1- Examine and identify cultural differences within the community
a. Explain the various cultural heritages within their community.
b. Explain ways people respect and pass on their traditions and customs.
c. Give examples of how families in the community borrow customs or traditions from other cultures.
3rd Grade Social Studies
Standard 2 - Students will understand cultural factors that shape a community.
Objective 1- Evaluate key factors that determine how a community develops.
d. Identify and explain the interrelationship of the environment (e.g. location, natural resources, climate) and community
development (e.g. food, shelter, clothing, industries, markets, recreation, artistic creations).
Objective 2 - Explain how selected indigenous cultures of the Americas have changed over time.
a. Describe and compare early indigenous people of the Americas (e.g. Eastern Woodlands, Plains, Great Basin,
Southwestern, Arctic, Incan, Aztec, Mayan).
b. Identify how indigenous people maintain cultural traditions today.
2nd Grade Writing Standards
W.2.3- Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe
actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure
W.2.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects
3rd Grade Writing Standards
W.3.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and
clear event sequences.
a. Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
b. Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the
response of characters to situations.
c. Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order.
d. Provide a sense of closure.
2nd Grade Speaking & Listening Standards
SL.2.4 Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in
coherent sentences
3rd Grade Speaking & Listening Standards
SL.3.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details,
speaking clearly at an understandable pace
Focusing Essential Question-What question will I pose so that students can see how to approach this
thinking and writing in a specific and appropriate way?
What are some customs and traditions of the different Native American cultures? (2nd & 3rd)
How is culture effected by the geography and environment? (3rd)
Necessary Foundation- What do student need to know to build upon? What can I connect the learning to?
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What is culture?
What are tradition and customs?
What is geography? (3rd grade)
Who are Native Americans?
What is a narrative piece of literature?
What are quotation marks and when are they used? (3rd grade)
Building Content Knowledge-How will I make sure the students know enough about the subject by the end
to actually write about it?
Reminder
CHECK LIST
 What to
read
 How to
Read
 Vocabulary
 Text
Depend
Questions
 Draw
 Make
 Do
 Speaking &
Listening
 Note
Taking
 Graphic
Organizers
 Craft
Lesson
Content Lesson:
DAY 1
Introduce the Essential Question - What are some customs and traditions of the different Native American
cultures? (2nd & 3rd) How is culture effected by the geography and environment? (3rd)
Dissect essential question and define key words with students.
Introduce and pass out the graphic organizer that will be used for gathering info for our essential question.
VOCABULARY- Remind them the definitions of Culture and Customs & Traditions. Culture is what a group of
people think or believe. Their ideas or way of life. Customs & Traditions are actions or ways of behaving. The
same way of doing things for a long period of time. Put definitions in the graphic organizer
Examples: The Chinese culture value the elderly (something they think or believe). It is a Chinese custom to
take off your shoes when entering a home (something they do). It is a tradition to celebrate the Chinese New
year with a big firework show (Something they do). The American culture values work (they believe it is
important). It is a custom in America to play baseball and go to baseball games and eat hotdogs (something
we do). It is a tradition to exchange gifts on Christmas day.
There is also customs and traditions that take place in individual families. For example my family has a custom
that when you are done eating you clear your plate from the table (something we do). It is also a tradition that
we open one gift on Christmas eve and it’s always pajamas.
To check for understanding, ask students to do a quick write about a tradition they do in their families. This is
a level 2 writing.
Read the book “Brother Eagle Sister Sky” to the students using the Slides or Doc camera to show the
illustrations
Text dependent question- (Key Ideas & Details) What does this piece of writing tell us about the Native
American culture? (Main Idea) Fill in graphic organizer. Most times it is easier to find the details and from them
find the main idea. You will double check after the details.
Students will close read a portion of the text “Brother Eagle Sister Sky” to find info for graphic organizer.
(Give the Brother Eagle Sister Sky Close Reading Passages)
 Fill in Details or Evidence from each paragraph in the passage in graphic organizer
o Every part of the earth is sacred to our people
o We are a part of the earth and it is a part of us
o The earth does not belong to us. We belong to the earth.
o All things are connected
o Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
Now that you have the key details do you need to change your main idea? Or were you correct?
Text Dependent Question:
What customs and traditions can you find within the text “Brother Eagle Sister Sky”? (Key Ideas & Details)
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Customs & Traditions-What they do. They share their beliefs with and teach the younger generations
Text evidence- for graphic organizer
o My father said to me
o My Mother said to me
o My ancestors said to me
o The voice of my grandmother said to me
o Teach your children what you’ve been taught
Text Dependent Question:
What geographical features are in the text “Brother Eagle Sister Sky”? (3rdgrade)
 Text Evidence- for graphic organizer
o Rocky Crests
o Meadows
o Dark Woods
Draw a picture to represent the text in your graphic organizer
DAY 2-3
In student groups, or teacher-lead small groups, students will read passages about Native American tribes from
certain geographical regions they will read closely, annotate, discuss and fill in the Native American graphic
organizer.
After filling in the graphic organizer, students will compare and have a discussion about the correlation
between the Native American’s tradition and their geography. Together they will write a paragraph describing
the correlation that will be a part of their poster and presentation.
Groups will create a poster identifying the key elements of their region. Which will include Region &
Geography, Tribes, Shelter, Food, Customs & Traditions, and Clothing. All students in the group will participate
by choosing one of the elements and creating text and pictures to glue on the poster. All participants will then
become experts knowing all they need to teach this particular region to other students.
DAY 4
Expert groups will now be separated so that one expert from each region will be in a group together. Poster
Pass activity. Each group will be given one of the expert posters. The expert of that particular poster will
present to that group. After a designated time posters will then be passed to around the room to the next
group for that expert to present. This will continue until all experts in all groups have gotten the chance to
present. Posters will be displayed around the room for future reference.
Understanding the Writers Craft- How will I make sure they know enough about the craft of Writing?
DAY 5- Introduce the “Someone*Wanted*But*So*Then*Finally” Strategy and organizer. Feel it in with the elements of “The Plot
Chickens”.
Then write a paragraph summarizing the plot chickens using the SWBSTF model.
Structure-How will the students know how to organize their ideas and construct a piece of writing?
DAY 6- NARRATIVE WRITING
Model how to use the SWBSTF strategy to create a Narrative writing piece. As a class or individual expert group brainstorm ideas
for the SWBSTF using the content learned about the Native Americans from their expert group. Then place the SWBST to the
plot. Must include the geography, shelter, food, customs & traditions, and clothing in the narrative piece. Model one scenario.
By taking the plot to a paragraph reminding them about the rules or suggestions from plot chickens.
Writing / Revising- How will students draft / revise so that their final writing is clearly focused, organized, and
developed to show understanding of the central ideas?
Students will be given a rubric to check for necessary elements and requirements. Students will do a peer share where they will
read their piece to at least two other students who will give positive and informative feedback and check for necessary elements
using the same rubric.