In-depth Study Unit Topic or Title: In the Neighborhood
Essential Question(s):
Why do people live where they do?
What can we use maps for?
Curriculum written by: Katea Dreiling
Content area: Social Studies
Grade level: Kindergarten
Summary of Outcomes: Students will explore different maps to build their background knowledge and an understanding of
what maps can show. While exploring maps, they will be asked to find different symbols. This will then be compared to reading;
how they can use symbols to answer different questions. What people would enjoy living in different areas? Are there any other
factors in where someone lives, besides physical? Using maps and literature, we will introduce reservations: initially and now.
Students will then use flags to explore the differences between different Montana tribes. Students will then use this
understanding of tribal differences to “read” the different tribal flags. Tribal flags have differences and similarities that show what
is important to each tribe. Students can use this understanding to create their own flag that expresses what is important to them.
Content Standards
&
Essential Understandings
Content Standards
Social Studies
3.2 Students can locate on a map or globe physical
features, natural features, and human features
Long Term
Student Learning Targets
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Content knowledge, reasoning and skills
Literacy skills: Reading, Writing, Speaking
Citizenship
Assessments
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Possible sources of assessment
information
Communication of understanding
Final tests and products
I can locate the Flathead Indian reservation on a map.
Color the reservation on the MT
reservation map
1.3 Students can use information to support statements
and practice basic group decision making strategies in real
world situations
I can use information to change what I know.
What We Think graph
3.3 Students can describe and illustrate ways in which
people interact with their physical environment.
I can use a map key with at least 4 symbols to map
important things in my class.
Student maps
6.3 Students can identify and describe ways families,
groups, tribes, and communities influence the individual’s
daily life and personal choices.
I can design my own flag that represents me.
Student flag with “presentation”
Essential Understandings
1.1 There is great diversity among the twelve tribal nations
of Montana. Each nation has a distinct and unique cultural
heritage that contributes to Montana.
I can describe why individual tribal flags are important.
Class and small group discussion
Sequence of scaffolding lessons
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What sequence of steps will best engage, support and hold students accountable to reaching the above learning targets?
What student and teacher involved assessment for learning strategies and routines can you build in?
What instructional practices and protocols will you use?
Hook
 Begin “What We Think” graph using the following questions:
1. Are people ever forced to live somewhere?
2. Are there different kinds of Indians?
3. Are Indians still alive?
4. Is there only one kind of map?
Reservations
 Read-aloud Town Mouse & Country Mouse.
 Discuss why people live certain places and why some people like certain places but others don’t.
 Introduce why there are reservations and how they “work” today.
Tribal Diversity
 Using the United States flag, discuss how you can “read” a flag.
 Read-aloud Many Nations: An Alphabet of Native Americans.”
 Discuss how diverse different tribes are and different people are within those tribes.
 In small groups, students will have information (books, photos, teacher-made printout) for the different MT
tribes. They will try to match the tribal flags to the different tribes.
 We will compare what the small groups found in whole group and discuss how they decided.
 Have students create their own flag and the class will see if they can match each students’ flag to the
individual who made it. We will discuss similarities and differences between the flags.
Maps
 Treasure hunt in small groups!!
 Discuss what was easy or difficult about using the treasure maps.
 In small groups/individual, students will locate Arlee on different maps.
Symbols
 In small groups students will look at their map and find different symbols and discuss what they think they
mean.
 As a whole group we will discuss symbols that were the same or different. Students can then brainstorm
new ideas about what the symbols mean.
Instructional Practices selected:
Inquiry
Maps! (free exploration)
What We Think graph
Comprehension
Town Mouse & Country Mouse
Maps
Student made maps
Compare/Contrast tribes
Vocabulary Development
Map key
Reservations
Oral Participation Protocols
Tribal flag match
Student map match
Represent-to-Learn
What We Think graph
Student flags
Student maps
Write-to-learn
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We will then discuss the different kinds of symbols they could use on a map of our classroom.
Each student will get their own map (no names!) to mark with at least 4 symbols of things that are
important to them.
We will trade maps and see if each student can determine who the map belongs to.
Revisit our What We Think graph.
Resources: (e.g. Anchor Texts, District adopted materials, Supplementary resources, Web-sites)
Maps!
(globe, MT map, city maps, world map, reservation map)
Color copies of different MT tribal flags
Outline of classroom
Brett, Jan. Town Mouse & Country Mouse. Putnams. 1994.
Burchac, Joseph. Many Nations: an Alphabet of Native America. Scholastic Inc. 1997.