Social Studies Unit 2: Native Americans and Explorers
Duration: 3-4 weeks
What the Standards Say:
 I can identify early Native-American cultures in the United States and
explain their impact on the United States.
 I can explain and give examples of how Native Americans adapted to
the physical environment to meet their needs.
 I can compare the way of life of Native Americans in the past to our
way of life today (communication, technology, transportation, and
education).
 I can explain the perspective of Native-American cultures about the use
of land.
 I can describe social institutions (e.g., government, economy,
education, religion, family) in Native-American cultures, including how
Native Americans exchanged goods and services.
 I can identify early cultures involved in the exploration of the U.S.
 I can use geographic tools to analyze patterns of settlement of early
explorers.
 I can describe conflicts that occurred between Native Americans and
explorers.
 I can describe the distribution of goods between Europe and the
Americas during the early settlement of the U.S.
Lessons, Activities, Resources, and Assessments
Exploratory Project: Work on your fictional country. On a separate sheet of paper,
create a native people. Tell me their name. Tell me what kind of structures they lived
in, how they dressed, what they ate, and one more element of culture. Now tell me
about some explorers from America that come to your country. Where did they land?
Which direction did they explore in? Was there anything that promoted or restricted
their movement? What did they think of the Native people? What did the Native
people think of them? What kind of interactions did they have?
Lesson 1: Native Americans (about 2 weeks)
Day 1:
o Reading: Chapter 2 of History Alive
 Quiz over reading
____/12
o Video: Native American Origin Stories
 How did this add to your understanding of Native American culture?
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Day 2:
o Whole Group: Investigating Artifacts
Day 3:
o Reading: Chapter 3 of History Alive
 Chapter 3 notes
 Quiz over reading
(Teacher Initial)
______
____/18
Day 4:
o Extended Response
o Video: United Streaming “Native Americans: The First People”
 Video Guide
____/4
_____/30
Day 5:
o Whole Group: Native American Matching Game
_______
Day 6:
o Video: Producers and Consumers
 Buffalo as a Natural Resource/Consumerism Then and Now
o Worksheet: Native Americans in the U.S.
(T I)
______
____/14
Day 7:
o Computer Activity: http://mrnussbaum.com/indintscav/ (Link on my website
under 5th Grade SS>Native Americans>Native American Scavenger Hunt)
 Quiz
____/10
o Worksheet: The First Americans/Life on the Plains
____/8
o Worksheet: Hunting the Buffalo/Living in the Southwest
____/8
o Worksheet: Indians of the Southwest/The Medicine Man
____/8
Day 8:
o Video Lesson: Iroquois League Flipchart
 Iroquois Confederacy BrainPOP and quiz
____/10
o Worksheet: Wigwams/Indians of the Northwest
____/8
o Computer Activity: Pick 1 Native American activity off my website besides
the Scavenger Hunt. Complete reflection.
What did you work on?
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What did you learn?
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How did this add to your understanding of Native Americans? Use at least 2 of these key terms in
your answer: Native Americans, culture, regions, conflict, compromise, cooperation, artifacts, tribe).
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Day 9:
o Whole Group: Native American Jeopardy
_______
Native American Mini-CMA Score: _______
Lesson 2: Explorers (about 2 weeks)
Day 1:
o Reading: Chapter 4 of History Alive
 Quiz over reading
o Worksheet: Sailing for Spices/Exploring for Spain
_____/14
_____/9
Day 2:
o Video: Explorers Slideshow
 Explorers Short Answer Sheet
 Early Explorers: The Age of Discovery
o
_____/4
____/15
Day 3:
o Reading: Chapter 5 of History Alive
 Quiz over reading
 Extended Response
o
_____/15
_____/4
Day 4:
o Reading: Chapter 5 of History Alive
 Quiz over reading
 Extended Response
o
_____/15
_____/4
Day 5:
o Worksheet: Europeans Explore the New World
_____/26
o SS-Reading Connection: Read Pages 96-101 in Gold SS book and answer
comprehension questions on page 101
_____/7
o SS-Reading Connection: Read Pages 104-107 in Gold SS book and answer
comprehension questions on page 107
_____/7
Day 6:
o Whole Group: Review Native Americans and Explorers
 Explorers Study Guide
_____/20
*Make changes to your fictional country based on what you’ve learned.
CMA 1 Score: _______