Social Studies Lesson Plans
Texas History Grade 4
Native Americans
Date: _______________
Desired Results: (Unit Understanding)
Native Americans in Texas developed
different ways of life based upon the
geographic region in which they lived.
Time Allotted: ____________
Assessment:
Participation in the experiential
activity; Graphic Organizer;
Postcard; Unit Test
Objective/TEKS:
I can tell about N.A. groups in
Texas and the regions in which
they lived. 4.1A; I can explain
how different groups of N.A. in
Texas made a living. 4.10A
Anticipatory Set: (Universal Generalization) (Hook) Geography affects how people
Topics/Concepts:
live.
Show visual discovery images (on transparencies) one at a time. In the Hook of the SSN,
students will answer:
 What do you notice about the people in this picture?
 Where do you think these people live?
 What kinds of food do you think this tribe might eat?
 What are some clues that helped you answer these questions?
Instructional Input: (Line)
Divide the class into four separate groups. (You may add more Texas tribes to allow for
smaller groups) Assign each group one of the tribes listed below. Give each group the
associated page numbers for each group as well as the attached handout. Explain that they
will research information about their Native American tribe and present what they learned as
an “act-it-out” activity using costumes and props. They will prepare by making a foldable to
record specific information about their tribe using the textbook and the handouts. They must
prepare by answering the questions (attached) as part of an interview. All students must
participate.
Guided Practice: (Line)
Students will read the handout and the textbook for their assigned tribe. They will create a
foldable to record the information they find (to be glued into their interactive student
notebook). They may also answer the required questions on note cards that can be used
during the act-it-out. One student from each group will serve as the liaison to the teacher to
pick up costumes or materials.
Migrate
Nomad
Confederacy
Adobe
Pueblo
Teepee
Travois
Tribe
Descendants
Harcourt Texas Textbook Pages:
Caddos: page 92-97
Karankawas: page 95-96
Jumanos: page 106-107
Comanches: page 103-104
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Arrange the room so that the transparency image for each tribe can be seen shown
behind the group as they make their presentation. Students should be able to “step
into” the role of a member of their tribe.
The teacher will dress as a settler visiting Texas and meeting the group of Native
Americans. (Wear a cowboy hat or settler gear.) Introduce yourself as a settler who is
new to Texas. You are wandering around Texas meeting different people and deciding
in which area you would like to live.
Ask each group the same set of questions. Their answers should correctly reflect the
information they found in the texts they read.
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Independent Practice: (Sinker)
Students will create a postcard pretending they got to visit their tribe. (See postcard form and
instructions attached.) On one side of the postcard, have the students draw an everyday
scene from their tribe. On the other side of the postcard have the students write a letter to a
friend or family member. The letter should describe:
 Texas region your tribe lived
 Brief description of the land
 Types of food your tribe ate (How did they get the food?)
 Description of your tribe’s government
 Type of house your tribe lived in
The postcard should include complete sentences, an appropriate opening and closing, and
should be proof-read for spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and usage errors. The postcard
should be neat (no markers). The postcard picture side should be completely filled. Write
correctly capitalized addresses on the back of the postcard.
How will you
check for
understanding?
Work with each
group as they are
preparing for their
act-it-out. Address
any misconceptions
as they arise.
Preview answers to
questions before
students participate
in the act-it-out.
Modifications/Extensions:
Students will be placed in heterogeneous groups. Higher students can read aloud to the
group. All students will participate.
Provide assigned roles. Assigned roles may be shared by students within the same group:
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Reader: will read aloud material to the rest of the group (provide enough copies of the
handout for all members of the group.
Writer: will write the answers of the group for each question on an index card.
Task Master: will make sure all members of the group are following directions and
staying on task.
Materials person: will be responsible for getting materials for the group (index cards,
sticky notes, crayons, scissors, paper, etc.)
Costumes: will be responsible for getting costume materials needed for the group
(should come with a list of clothing associated with their particular tribe)
Reporter: May provide additional information about the tribe after the act-it-out
interview.
Closure:
Open book/notebook test (See attached)
Toss a bean-bag or ball to several students. Ask them to complete one of the following
statements with something they have learned in this unit.
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

I learned
I feel
I wonder
Foldable:
Food
Home
Location
Government
Indian Tribe Name
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Jumano Tribe
The Jumano were a very large tribe. The Jumano built permanent homes made
of wood and adobe bricks, which they made by drying clay mud in the sun. The
roofs were flat and were made from tree branches. They would paint the inside
walls with black, red, white, red, and yellow stripes. They built their homes along
the Rio Grande River. This region is dry and rugged, but they still managed to
grow crops of corn because they would place their farming fields near the river.
They also gathered wild plants and hunted buffalo with bows and arrows. The
buffalo was important to them because they would make tools and clothes, then
they would trade goods with other Indian tribes, just like we use money today.
They would also make jewelry from copper, coral, and turquoise, which they
would also trade. They painted their faces with striped lines and wore clothing
and shoes made from buffalo skin. They wore their hair in certain ways. The
women wore their hair long and tied to the head. The men have their hair cut
very short, up to the middle of their heads, and from their up they leave it two
fingers long and curl it. Then, they would paint it so it looked like they were
wearing a cap and placed black and white feathers on top. The Jumano were
eventually attacked by the Apache tribes, faced a drought (lack of rain), and died
from diseases brought by the Europeans.
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Caddo Tribe
The Caddo Indians were expert farmers, so they did not move from place to
place. The Central Plains provided them with good soil and a lot of rain, so they
were able to grow many crops. They would set aside seeds each year, so they
could replant the same crops again the next year. They burned forests so they
would have land to grow crops. They grew beans, corn, squash, sunflower seeds,
and tobacco. Both, women and men farmed the land. They made hoes from
wood and the shoulder blades of buffalo. Because farming was so good, they
built homes that lasted. The men built houses with mud. Women cleaned the
houses and gathered wild plants. Men also hunted buffalo and deer with bows
and arrows. They were a very large group, so they had their own government.
When problems would arise, the tribes would come together and solve the
problem. Unlike we do today, the children took the name of the mother’s side
instead of the father. Women also ran the household and made important
decisions for the family. Because it was colder in this region, the Caddo wore
clothing made from buffalo skin. They also painted their bodies. They became
an important part of Texas history.
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Karankawa Tribe
The Karankawa lived along the Texas coast. The Karankawa were nomads,
or people who moved from place to place. They hunted sea turtles, fished, and
collected shellfish. They hunted deer, bird’s eggs, and small animals. The Gulf
Coast has hot summers and mild winters, so some men did not wear anything
and others wore cloth made from deerskin or grass. Women wore skirts made of
the same material. They painted themselves with bright colors. In order to keep
insects away, they covered themselves with alligator fat and dirt. They built
wigwams, or circular huts from bent poles covered with animal skins and reed
mats. The Karankawa treated their children with kindness. They had two names,
one of which was known only to close family members. When explorers came
from other lands, they brought diseases that killed the Karankawa at an alarming
rate. By the mid 1800’s there were none left.
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Comanche Tribe
The Comanche were known as great hunters and fighters. They were nomads who
moved across the great central plains of Texas. They followed the paths of the buffalo
herds, hunting them for food and supplies. They relied on the buffalo for everything they
needed: clothing, food, and tools. The Comanche lived in tepees made of buffalo hides
that were easy to move as they hunted across the plains. After the Spanish brought
horses to North America, the Comanche became some of the first Native Americans to
ride them. With horses, the Comanche were able to take over more and more territory
across the central plains, often defeating other Native American tribes. They traveled in
bands following one leader. In order to better defeat enemies, the bands would often
unite together under one war chief. During times of peace, the Comanche would trade
with other tribes such as the Caddo and Wichita for food and other supplies.
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Postcard
Students will create a postcard pretending they got to visit
their tribe. (See postcard form and instructions attached.)
On one side of the postcard, have the students draw an
everyday scene from their tribe. On the other side of the
postcard have the students write a letter to a friend or
family member. The letter should describe:
 Texas region your tribe lived
 Brief description of the land
 Types of food your tribe ate (How did they get the
food?)
 Description of your tribe’s government
 Type of house your tribe lived in
The postcard should include complete sentences, an
appropriate opening and closing, and should be proof-read
for spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and usage errors.
The postcard should be neat (no markers). The postcard
picture side should be completely filled. Write correctly
capitalized addresses on the back of the postcard.
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__________________
Stamp
__________________
__________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
__________________
Stamp
__________________
__________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
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Questions to expect from your teacher during the “act-it-out”:
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You look like you might live around these parts. Can you tell me which part of
Texas I’m in?
What kind of government do you have? Who would be in charge here?
Wow, something smells really good. I’d be glad to trade you something for some
dinner. What are you cooking?
I’d also be willing to trade you something for a place to stay tonight. What kind of
shelter will I be sleeping in?
Bonus Question: What types of things to you have to trade with me?
Questions to expect from your teacher during the “act-it-out”:





You look like you might live around these parts. Can you tell me which part of
Texas I’m in?
What kind of government do you have? Who would be in charge here?
Wow, something smells really good. I’d be glad to trade you something for some
dinner. What are you cooking?
I’d also be willing to trade you something for a place to stay tonight. What kind of
shelter will I be sleeping in?
Bonus Question: What types of things to you have to trade with me?
Questions to expect from your teacher during the “act-it-out”:





You look like you might live around these parts. Can you tell me which part of
Texas I’m in?
What kind of government do you have? Who would be in charge here?
Wow, something smells really good. I’d be glad to trade you something for some
dinner. What are you cooking?
I’d also be willing to trade you something for a place to stay tonight. What kind of
shelter will I be sleeping in?
Bonus Question: What types of things to you have to trade with me?
Questions to expect from your teacher during the “act-it-out”:





You look like you might live around these parts. Can you tell me which part of
Texas I’m in?
What kind of government do you have? Who would be in charge here?
Wow, something smells really good. I’d be glad to trade you something for some
dinner. What are you cooking?
I’d also be willing to trade you something for a place to stay tonight. What kind of
shelter will I be sleeping in?
Bonus Question: What types of things to you have to trade with me?
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
Reader: will read aloud material to the rest of the group (provide
enough copies of the handout for all members of the group.
Writer: will write the answers of the group for each question on an
index card.
Task Master: will make sure all members of the group are
following directions and staying on task.
Materials person: will be responsible for getting materials for the
group (index cards, sticky notes, crayons, scissors, paper, etc.)
Costumes: will be responsible for getting costume materials
needed for the group (should come with a list of clothing associated
with their particular tribe)
Reporter: May provide additional information about the tribe after
the act-it-out interview.
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












Reader: will read aloud material to the rest of the group (provide
enough copies of the handout for all members of the group.
Writer: will write the answers of the group for each question on an
index card.
Director: will make sure all members of the group are following
directions and staying on task.
Materials person: will be responsible for getting materials for the
group (index cards, sticky notes, crayons, scissors, paper, etc.)
Costumes: will be responsible for getting costume materials
needed for the group (should come with a list of clothing associated
with their particular tribe)
Reporter: May provide additional information about the tribe after
the act-it-out interview.
Reader: will read aloud material to the rest of the group (provide
enough copies of the handout for all members of the group.
Writer: will write the answers of the group for each question on an
index card.
Director: will make sure all members of the group are following
directions and staying on task.
Materials person: will be responsible for getting materials for the
group (index cards, sticky notes, crayons, scissors, paper, etc.)
Costumes: will be responsible for getting costume materials
needed for the group (should come with a list of clothing associated
with their particular tribe)
Reporter: May provide additional information about the tribe after
the act-it-out interview.
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