Setting up the Activity in your Classroom:
There are three expeditions within the Native American Cultures
online activity. As you plan your lessons, you may wish to print
out any reading assignment pages and staple them into a book for
individual students. Depending on time available, the grade level,
and maturity level of each class, activities can be facilitated
as independent work, collaborative group work, or whole class
instruction.
If a computer is available for each student, students can work on their own. Hand out the URLs or write them on the board so students will have a guide through the activity.
If you are working in a lab, set up the computers to be on the
desired Web site as students walk into class. If there are fewer
computers than students, group the students by reading level.
Assign each student a role: a "driver" who navigates the web,
a timer who keeps the group on task, and a note taker. If there
are more than three students per computer, you can add roles like
a team leader, a team reporter, etc.
If you are working in a learning station in your classroom, break
out your class into different groups. Have rotating groups working
on the computer(s), reading printed field sites and field reports, holding smaller group discussions, researching and writing about local Native American cultures.
Back
to Top
Stimulate Background Knowledge with these
related links:
Smithsonian Institution: National Museum of the American Indian
http://www.nmai.si.edu
The Smithsonian's NMAI site provides an in-depth overview of their
collection, including teaching resources, materials, and links to other
sites.
NativeCulture.com
http://www.nativeculture.com
A comprehensive portal site for Native American resources
on the Internet.
The Anasazi Heritage Center, Dolores, Colorado
http://www.co.blm.gov/ahc/anasazi.htm
Provides teacher resources on the Ancestral Puebloan (or Anasazi) culture
and other Native cultures in the Four Corners region.
The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, WA
http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/baskets/exhibit_intro.html
Features an exhibit, resources, traveling study collections and Teacher
Guide on Native American Basketry and Native American cultures of the
Pacific Northwest region
Elementary School Project on Native American Cultures
http://www.germantown.k12.il.us/html/northwest.html
Example of 3rd grade project on Native American Cultures developed by a
Germantown, MD, school
Internet Public Library
http://www.ipl.org/div/pottery/classroom.htm
Includes lessons on Pueblo pottery
Native American Toys and Games
http://nativetech.org/games/
Interactive games from Native American cultures
Native American Book List
http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson63/NA_booklist.pdf (PDF)
Reading list on present-day Native Americans developed by the International
Reading Association.
Indian Country Today
http://www.indiancountry.com/
Online version of leading Native American publication in the United States.
Includes topics of current interest or concern to Native peoples.
Boston Children's Museum
http://www.bostonkids.org/teachers/TC/html/evaluate.htm
Includes guidelines and 10 basic questions for evaluating books, activities,
materials on Native Americans
Map of American Indian Reservations
http://www.census.gov/dmd/www/pdf/512indre.pdf (PDF)
Map from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Pics4Learning: Native Americans
http://www.pics4learning.com/?search=cat&query=Native+American
This site makes over 400 images of Native American culture available for students and teachers. Including images of Native American dress, art, artifacts, and
more, the site has given teachers and students permission to use
all of the images in their work.
Back
to Top
Graphic Organizer:
Reading Comprehension: KWL: Grades 4–8
This Reading
Comprehension: KWL helps students organize information
about each expedition. The lesson culminates with a presentation
of their researched material either in a written report or oral
presentation. See Assessment and Evaluation.
Back
to Top
