Sunday, November 16, 2008

Native American Unit

One of the units I had planned to do with the kids this year is Native Americans. I had not had the chance to really develop the unit over the summer, but I had some ideas of what I wanted to include as an overview of the various tribes across the United States and North America. I planned on using it in November because we can talk about the northeastern Native Americans as Thanksgiving approaches. I know. Terribly clever.

After reviewing one of my cool new resources- The Evan Moor History Pocket on Native Americans, I decided to use it as the basis for our exploration. We'll be using some picture and chapter books along the way and we'll see where our studies take us.

Have you ever used History Pockets? Oh these are a gem of a resource and offer some excellent print outs for students. We used the Going West History Pocket when we did our Little House on the Prairie Unit. All that gorgeous paperwork in that link is from the history pocket.

Our Native American Itinerary:
  • The Inuit of the Arctic- we'll be rowing Very Last First Time
  • The Tlingit of the Northwest
  • The Nez Perce of the Plateau- R8 we'll be studying the American Girl Kaya
  • The Maidu of California
  • The Sioux of the Plains
  • The Navajo of the Southwest
  • The Iroquois of the Northeast- E10 will be doing a study of The Sign of the Beaver
  • The Seminole of the Southeast
We have five weeks until the week of Christmas which means I need to decide how I will time out this unit. I had planned to begin a new study after the New Year, but I may need to rethink that. Five weeks and eight nations of Native Americans. That's how things are shaping up. Be sure to check for updates as we travel and meet these peoples.

Some other links and information I came across:

Candace's Native American Unit Study Candace took a different approach to her unit. Check it out because she has some good ideas.

If You Lived with the Iroquois
This is a unit from Homeschool Share. I'm sure we'll spend some time with this book since we live in the heart of the Iroquois region.

Native American symbols


Native American Regions I always get confused about which tribes were where and which ones belonged to which nation. This is a really helpful site with a map.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks fun. I would love to hear more about your Little House in the Big Woods & Little House on the Prairie units. My son loves the books and has requested a unit on them...

Heather said...

Jocelyne, if you look in my left sidebar on the bottom you'll find links to Little House on the Prairie and Farmer Boy.

We used the Prairie Primer from Caldren Creek as our basis. Later this year toward spring we'll be doing the study from On the Banks of Plum Creek.

Let me know if you have other questions.

Heather

Amber said...

We are using History Pockets: Life in Plymouth Colony right now and we are having fun! I am going to focus on Native Americans next fall, so I will definitely be using that Pocket then!

Anonymous said...

I love history pockets! :) We had a fun time with our native american unit! Hope you guys do too!! :)Thanks for the link! :)

Candace

Lynn Hasty said...

Heather, I always enjoy reading about what you are doing. Looks like you'll have fun with this. I'll definitely be keeping up with you. We're more into animals right now with The Raft and an upcoming big fieldtrip centered around animals, but I would love to do a study like this either this year or next year.

Lynn

Anonymous said...

Hi Heather,

I have been following your journey for some time and have never said hello. So...HELLO!!

A quick question...when you do this unit will you stop using your FIAR products until it is completed or do you combine them somehow?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Nicole in MD

Heather said...

Super question Nicole! I will combine them as much as possible, but I have been known to navigate away from FIAR now and then to satisfy our curiosity.

As it is, we read The Very Last First Time and will row it while we focus on the Inuit this week.

So hello Nicole! Where in Maryland are you from? I'm from the Westminster area- central MD. Love my home state!!

Heather

Anonymous said...

Hello again Heather,

I am actually a transplanted Texan. You think NY is cold in winter. I think MD is cold in winter. I have lived in Silver Spring, Baltimore City (just a couple of minutes away from UMBC), and now live out in Western Maryland northeast of Hagerstown about a mile shy of the Mason-Dixon Line. I have to say that even though the winters are colder. I wouldn't move back to Texas (sorry fellow Texans). Maryland is just too beautiful and the rest of the year the weather can't be beat.

And since all my children are Marylanders I am teaching and learning Maryland history along with them. I am enjoying my adopted state.

Nicole in MD (GO TERPS!)