Social Studies/Science with Language Arts Unit
Incorporate the following into your unit:
Your name __Melissa Olson__________
Title of your unit __Cultural Awareness-American Indians/Native Americans______
Target grade level __4th________________
Day 1: Students will write in their journal about everything they know about Native
Americans and what they think it would be like to have been a Native American living
here before the white settlers arrived.
We will then read the book North American Indian.
Students will fill out a Venn diagram to show the similarities and differences in how
Native Americans lived back then and how Native Americans and all people live
today.
Students will answer comprehension questions over the reading material. Included
on the comprehension sheet will be both facts and critical thinking/open ended
questions.
Day 2: Students will select a poem from the book Earth under Sky Bear’s Feet:
Native American Poems of the Land. Students will then practice reciting this poem
and share it with the rest of the class.
Students will then listen to Native American music such as Brule while they look at
pictures of Native American crafts, leaders, and villages. Students will also view the
following website for information on the current reservations.
http://raysweb.net/anasazi-images/index.html
Next, I will divide the students into groups and each group will take turns visiting each
center where I will have games, activities, and crafts from the book A Kid’s Guide to
Native American History: More than 50 Activities.
Day 3: We will read the book Cultures Collide: Native American and Europeans
1492-1700. As we read the book, students will fill out their timeline of events.
Students will then write a letter as if they were a Native American writing to someone
from today. They will describe where they live, how they live, and a general
explanation of life as a Native American before the settlers arrived.
Day 4: We will read the book The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush. Students will then
write in paper format and “publish” their own stories using pictures on a paper bag
that has been crumpled up several times to give the appearance of deer skin.
Students will also view the following websites for images of pictographs and
information on pictographs.
http://www.inquiry.net/OUTDOOR/native/sign/pictographs.htm
http://sd.water.usgs.gov/projects/TribalStudies/National-atlas-indianreservations-south-dakota.gif
Day 5: Students will use the book Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes as well as
the other books from the week to create their representation of a Native American
village.
Extra: I will have activity sheets from the book Native American Arts and Cultures for
students to work on if they finish any of the daily activities.
Language Arts
Oral Communication
(Drama?)
Written Communication
Listening
Literature (list of books is
expected)
Where in the unit is this
found?
Students will read and
practice saying Native
American chants and
poems.
Students will write a letter
as if they were a Native
American writing to
someone from today. They
will describe where they
live, how they live, and a
general explanation of life
as a Native American
before the settlers arrived.
The story students will be
writing of their choice to be
drawn using symbols on
the “deer skin” will also be
written in paper form.
Listen to Native American
music such as Brule.
The Legend of the Indian
Paintbrush By: Tomie
dePaola
North American Indian By:
David S. Murdoch
Encyclopedia of Native
American Tribes By: Carl
Waldman
A Kid’s Guide to Native
American History: More
than 50 Activities By:
Yvonne Wakim Dennis
Earth under Sky Bear’s
Feet: Native American
Poems of the Land By:
Joseph Bruchac
Visualization (What goes
into their brain so they can
see it)
Representation (What
comes out of their brain to
show they understand it)
Reading
Preparation before reading
Assistance during reading
Comprehension after
reading
Cultures Collide: Native
American and Europeans
1492-1700 By: Ann Rossi
Native American Arts and
Cultures By: Ellen L.
Kronowitz and Barbara
Wally
View Native American art,
pictures of well known
leaders, maps of where
they lived and where the
reservations are now,
crafts they made, etc.
Students will write and
“publish” their own stories
using pictures on a paper
bag that has been
crumpled up several times
to give the appearance of
deer skin.
Students will also work in
groups to create a model
of a Native American
village.
Students will write in their
journal about everything
they know about Native
Americans and what they
think it would be like to
have been a Native
American living here
before the white settlers
arrived.
Students will fill out a Venn
diagram to show the
similarities and differences
in how Native Americans
lived back then and how
Native Americans and all
people live today.
Students will answer
comprehension questions
over the reading material.
Included on the
comprehension sheet will
be both facts and critical
Use of reading strategy –
KWL is overused
(remember this is
expository reading)
Readability of text
students will be reading
Give name of book and
include readability form. If
the reading text and grade
level are not within one
grade level, explain how
you plan on closing that
gap.
thinking/open ended
questions.
As students read, they will
be making a timeline of
events for this topic.
Anytime a date or event
comes up, the students
will add this to their
timeline.
1. The Legend of the
Indian Paintbrush
Lexile: 840 ATOS
book level 4.4
2. North American
Indian
Ages 8-12
3. Encyclopedia of
Native American
Tribes
Ages 8-12
4. A Kid’s Guide to
Native American
History: More than
50 Activities
Ages 9-12
5. Earth under Sky
Bear’s Feet: Native
American Poems of
the Land
Ages 9-12
6. Cultures Collide:
Native American
and Europeans
1492-1700
Ages 9-12
7. Native American
Arts and Cultures
Grades 4-8
What are your science/social studies resources?
1.The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush By: Tomie dePaola
2.North American Indian By: David S. Murdoch
3.Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes By: Carl Waldman
4.A Kid’s Guide to Native American History: More than 50 Activities By: Yvonne
Wakim Dennis
5.Earth under Sky Bear’s Feet: Native American Poems of the Land By: Joseph
Bruchac
6.Cultures Collide: Native American and Europeans 1492-1700 By: Ann Rossi
7.Native American Arts and Cultures By: Ellen L. Kronowitz and Barbara Wally
8. http://raysweb.net/anasazi-images/index.html
This is a link to images of Native American pictographs.
9.http://www.inquiry.net/OUTDOOR/native/sign/pictographs.htm
This is a link to images of Native American pictographs as well as information on
pictographs.
10. http://sd.water.usgs.gov/projects/TribalStudies/National-atlas-indianreservations-south-dakota.gif
This is a map of the reservations in South Dakota.