Lesson Plans

Secondary Lesson Plans

Lesson 1: Early Inhabitants of Virginia
Lesson 2: Contributions of American Indians (First Americans)
Lesson 3: The Columbian Exchange
Lesson 4: The "Trail of Tears"

Lesson 1: Early Inhabitants of Virginia

Materials

  • World map - classroom size
  • Virginia map - classroom size and 1 per student
  • Chart paper/chalkboard and markers
  • Index cards
  • Crayons
  • American Indian (First American) Village picture
  • Textbook, trade books, or other instructional materials
  • Computer with Internet access

Instructional Activities

NOTE: The following Web sites may be helpful to both teachers and students:

1. Review the European explorers and ask the students to recall the name of an explorer who traveled from Europe to the New World looking for a new route to India. Who was he? (Christopher Columbus) Ask the students if they recall what name Christopher Columbus gave to the people he found living in the New World. Answer: Indians. Why did he call them Indians?

2. Locate Columbus' voyage via the Atlantic Ocean on a world map. Ask the students what Columbus saw when he arrived, and emphasize that most of the land was covered with forests.

3. Complete a KWL chart about the American Indians (First Americans) with the students, using graphic organizers from the following Web sites:
http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/torganiz.htm

4. Have students read a teacher-selected book about the early Virginia American Indians (First Americans).

5. Have students read Becoming a Homeplace from the Virginia Historical Society Web site: http://www.vahistorical.org/sva2003/homeplace.htm

6. Point out that the Virginia American Indians (First Americans) were called the Eastern Woodland Indians. Help the students conclude that the land in early Virginia was covered with forests.

7. Show pictures of a Virginia American Indian (First American) village, and discuss what the students observe and what these pictures show about the Eastern Woodland Indians. Lead the students to understand that climate and environment played an important role in the way of life of the Virginia Indians in acquiring food, clothing, and shelter for their survival. Explain that Virginia had a relatively mild climate with four distinct seasons, resulting in a variety of vegetation.

8. Introduce the term artifact. Display any sample artifacts. Ask students, "How do we know Indians lived in Virginia?" and record the responses on a chart. Define artifact with the students and make a list of possible artifacts. Discuss what the artifact tells us about the Virginia American Indian (First American). Show the picture from the Web site http://chumby.dlib.vt.edu/melissa/posters/vastudiesposter.html entitled Virginia Indians' Artifacts.

9. Explain there were three major language groups in early Virginia. Display a Virginia map that demonstrates the location of each language group. Use the available map in the Virginia Atlas.

10. On a Virginia wall map, label the location of each language group in one color and use another color label to identify a tribe of each language group. Have the students label their own Virginia maps as well.

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Lesson 2: Contributions of American Indians (First Americans)

Materials

  • Materials for making crafts
  • Teacher-selected legends and books about the Powhatan, Sioux, and Pueblo Indians

Instructional Activities

1. Review the three selected American Indian (First American) groups.

2. Discuss with students the many contributions of the three American Indian (First American) groups studied in this organizing topic. All American Indians (First Americans) are known for their deep respect for nature. Their contributions in the arts include jewelry, pottery, and weaving. They are also known for their legends and oral stories. Farming was a contribution made by the three American Indian (First American) groups.

3. Have students create sample crafts of the three American Indian (First American) groups. The following Web site offers a wide variety of ideas, as well as a list of materials:
http://www.libsci.sc.edu/miller/native.htm

4. Read teacher-selected legends and books about the three American Indian (First American) groups. A sample list of books that includes legends and books about the three American Indian (First American) groups can be found in this thematic unit:
http://www.libsci.sc.edu/miller/native.htm

5. Learn more about how the three American Indian (First American) groups respected nature and contributed to farming, using the following Web sites:
Information on the Powhatan people: http://www.mariner.org/baylink/indians.html
Information on the Plains/Sioux people: http://inkido.indiana.edu/w310work/romac/plains.html
Information on the Pueblo people: http://inkido.indiana.edu/w310work/romac/swest.htm

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Lesson 3: The Columbian Exchange

Materials

  • Text/ancillary materials, as appropriate
  • Internet access
  • Colored pencils and/or markers

Instructional Activities

NOTE: The following Web resource may be helpful in teaching this session:

1. Assign a short reading on the Columbian Exchange (using a resource such as the Web site listed above).

2. Direct students to discuss the following:
- What items were exchanged?
- What impact did colonial rule have on the labor force? (Possible responses: Natives died; slaves were imported.)
- What impact did colonization have on culture?

3. Instruct students to map the triangle trade patterns that crossed the Atlantic Ocean. On each leg of the triangle, have them list the items traded. As a class, discuss the relationship between "mother country" and "colony." Based on the information on the map, have students consider what can be determined.

4. Have students explore resources on the Web (such as the Web site listed above) and text-based materials to develop a project on the Middle Passage. Allow students sufficient time to read the extensive resources available. Projects can be electronic (e.g., using presentation software or Web site) or a more conventional format such as a poster or report. Assign groups of 4 or 5, and direct students to present their projects to each other. Small groups work well for students to ask questions of each other and share discoveries.

5. Evaluate student projects in terms of the factors below.
Content - An accurate and complete project that incorporates the following:

  • Explanation of the triangle trade, including the middle passage as a part of the triangle trade
  • Details of the ordeal, including plight of the slaves from capture to sale in the west
  • Illustrations, as appropriate
  • References to primary sources

Presentation - A project that reflects effective presentation and writing skills:

  • Attractive format and appearance
  • Correct grammar, mechanics, and spelling
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Lesson 4: The "Trail of Tears"

Materials

  • Class textbook

Instructional Activities

1. Display the following prompt on the board or overhead: Has your family ever moved? If so, was moving difficult for you? What made it difficult? What could have been done to make moving easier?
After students have had a few minutes to write about their experiences, let them share their responses with each other in pairs and then share with the whole class.

2. Explain that the American Indians (First Americans) had to move frequently during the nineteenth century. Brainstorm with the students and write on the board all the things they know about how the Indians lost their land during America's westward expansion.

3. Instruct the students to use their textbooks or other resources to find a map that traces the route of the "Trail of Tears" and to answer the following questions:
Who was the president who ordered the removal of American Indians (First Americans) that resulted in the "Trail of Tears?" (Andrew Jackson)
What is the present-day name of the area where most of the American Indians (First Americans) ended up? (Oklahoma, then called "Indian Territory")
From where did most of the American Indians (First Americans) move? (the Southeastern United States: Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee)

4. Instruct students to write a paragraph expressing their opinion about whether the Indian Removal Act, which resulted in the "Trail of Tears," was necessary. Students should include alternative ways that the expanding American nation could have dealt with American Indians (First Americans). Students should include the lasting impact that the Indian Removal Act had on American Indians (First Americans).

 

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