PURPOSE:

The purpose of this unit is to teach students about basic things of the Texas Indians. They will learn about the distinct geography of certain tribes. They will also learn about specific things that distinguished one tribe from another. We will also learn how to identify where certain tribes lived on the Texas map. This unit is designed to provide your students with information and activities centered around various types of Texas Indian tribes.

CONNECTION TO THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS:

No.1 Knows and understands how to use maps, globes, and other graphical tools to acquire, process and report information. In this lesson plan, the students will use a map in order to identify where each Indian tribe settled. They will be able to label a map of this information.

No.3 Knows how to analyze spatial organization. This unit will help students to learn how the Texas Indians spaced themselves around Texas in accordance to where they came first and what area suited their needs.

No.6 Knows and understands that culture and experience influence people’s perceptions of places and experiences. In this unit the students will learn the reasons why the Indians chose to live in the regions that they did because of convenience.

No.9 Knows and understands the characteristics, distribution, and migrations of human populations. In this unit the students will learn how the migration of the Indians brought them to Texas.

No.12 Knows and understands the process, patterns, and functions of human settlement. We will learn in this unit that the process of how the Indians came to Texas and how they left.

No.13 Knows and understands the forces for cooperation and conflict that shape the divisions of the earth’s surface. We will also learn in this unit how that the uncooperation of the white people forced the Indians off of their land and forced them to move to other lands.

No.17 Knows and understands how to apply geography to interpret the past. We will learn in this unit how that the geography of the time aided in the Indians deciding where to settle.

APPLICABLE TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AN SKILLS:

The student uses geographic tools to collect, analyze and interpret data.

Describe a variety of regions in Texas and the Western Hemisphere, such as, political, population, and economic regions that result from patterns of human activity.

Describe a variety of regions in Texas and the Western Hemisphere, such as, landform, climate, and vegetation regions that result from physical characteristics.

Compare the regions of Texas with regions of the United States and other parts of the world.

OBJECTIVES:

Students will demonstrate their ability:

1. To understand in which region of the state of Texas each Indian tribe lived.

2. To know in accordance to where they live what Indian tribe lived there.

3. To be able to label a map of where each Indian tribe lived.

4. To understand the direction words north, south, east, and west and use them to be able to identify Indian’s settlements.

5. To learn to use the Internet and successfully be able to function in a web site.

6. To learn how to use the Internet to find information about the Texas Indians.

7. To understand that there are many reasons as to why certain Indians chose to live in certain regions; climate, materials, cultural traditions, and fruitful land.

8. To find information on the main nine different Indian tribes in Texas, and be able to compare and contrast each tribe.

OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION:

This lesson plan consists of material that can be utilized for a 50 minute period of classroom time for ten days, and so it is organized into ten separate class periods. This unit focuses on the geography themes of location (directions of north, south, east, and west) and culture (why each tribe chose to live where they did).Students will learn how to effectively use maps to determine the locations of the different tribes. They will also be able to spell each of the different tribes names, considering they are quite difficult to spell. They will also make a class book based on the information that they have learned of each tribe. We will also use the internet to learn more in depth of the tribes. All of the activities in this unit will help students learn about where each Texas Indian tribe lived, why they chose to live there, and the things that contributed to them having to leave their homes.

PROCEDURES:

Class 1:

Sponge Activity (5 min.): Have each student write in their journals everything that they know about Indians. This is a brainstorming period so every random thought counts. It just gives the teacher an idea of where each student stands in their "Indian" knowledge.

Opening (10 min.): The teacher should introduce the unit by telling the students that for the next ten class periods they are going to be studying the Texas Indians. We will learn many facts about each Indian tribe. The teacher should tell the students that today they will focus on Indian names and the meaning of their name. The teacher should have a bulletin board already made that has examples of some Indian names and what they mean.

Guided Practice (10 min.): Explain to the students that as a class we are going to each choose an Indian name for us. The chosen name must describe you. Start by choosing a name for yourself (the teacher). Have the students guess why you chose that name. If not already guessed explain to them why you chose that name.

Independent Practice (25 min.): Give each child a piece of construction paper. Have them come up with their Indian name. They need to write it on the piece of paper and decorate it according to its meaning. This piece of paper needs to act as a nameplate during this unit so the teacher can call on each student by their Indian name.

Class 2:

Sponge Activity (5 min.): Have students write in their journals about certain Indian tribes that they already know of. Each child should know of at least one Indian tribe.

Opening (10 min.): The teacher should explain that each Indian tribe claimed a different part of Texas. They resided in that place for many various reasons. Discuss each Indian tribe that will be discussed: Apaches, Caddos, Jumanos, Tonkawas, Coahuiltecans, Atakapans, Patarabueyes, and Karankawas.

Guided Practice (15 min.): Practice pronouncing the Indian tribes. Divide the class up into groups of "Indian tribes" (maybe this can already be at the table they sit at). Give each group one of the above Indian tribe names. Explain that for this unit they must conform to the way of that Indian tribe. Explain to the students that as the unit progresses they will learn more of how their tribe is to be conducted.

Independent Practice (20 min.): Have each group brainstorm certain things like what they will eat, what they will make their home out of, what they will use to fight off other tribes when they come to try to take their land from them, and what part of Texas they want to live in.

Evaluation: Students will be assessed on:

-their participation in brainstorming their tribal ways

-Their ability to pronounce their Indian tribe correctly.

Class 3:

Sponge Activity (5 min.): Have students write in their journals comparing their present home to that of Indians. Have them brainstorm ways that they think that Indians built their homes.

Opening (10 min.): Teach the students about different homes that Indians made. For example, Indians mainly lived in huts and tepees. Teach why they had to build their homes out of such basic things.

Guided Practice (25 min.): Out of PVC pipes painted brown and some old mats or rugs allow the class to build their own tepee. This will be a place where you will read to them or a place to teach the basic lessons of this unit. It will give them a better understanding of what they are being taught.

Independent Practice (10 min.): Out of construction paper and tape have each "tribe" build their own individual teepee or hut. They can decorate their desks, chairs, their area floor, etc. This will allow them to develop their own "tribal" boundary and also the one big classroom teepee allows them to have a sense of unity.

Evaluation: Students will be assessed based on the following criteria:

Excellent Good Fair Poor

-Completion of activity--------------------------

-Student’s participation-------------------------

Appropriateness and creativity of activity-------

Class 4:

Sponge Activity (5 min.): Have each student write in their journals about how they liked building their homes. They need to write what they do like about it and what they do not like about it.

Opening (10 min.): Teach the class about how each Indian tribe had to find a place in Texas where they could most equipfully live. They had to look for fresh land and other things. Have a Texas map out and show where each Indian tribe settled.

Guided Practice (20 min.): The class is going to do an Internet activity that will tell them knowledgeable facts about Texas Indians and it has a map of Texas that must be labeled correctly of each Indian tribes settlement. With this Internet activity, the teacher might need to walk around to make sure that each student is working efficiently to find the information to complete their worksheet. The teacher will log on to "Indian Groups in Texas": http://bb35.tpwd.state.tx.us/edu/indian/isplash.htm

The students are to read  through this web site. There is no reason why the teacher should have to go step by step. As long as they click the arrow to take them from page to page, it vividly tells the students what to do.

Independent Practice (15 min.): Have the students complete the worksheet using the web site after reading through the whole web site. After each student is through with the worksheet, help them log off the Internet. After completion of the worksheet discuss the questions and answers.

Evaluation: Students will be assessed based on the following criteria:

Excellent Good Fair Poor

1. Completion of the worksheet------------

2. Participation---------------------------

3. Ability to use the Internet------------

4. Cooperation----------------------------

Class 5:

Sponge Activity (5 min.): Have a selection of children’s literature about Indians available. Let them go to the class teepee and read silently.

Opening (7 min.): Explain to the students that in order for Indians to survive they had to have weapons that would help them hunt. Weapons also helped Indians to keep other tribes off of their land. If they did not have weapons, they may not be able to defend their house. Show them different pictures of Indian weapons and how they looked.

Guided and Independent Practice (38 min.): Have the class go outside and find a rock that looks similar to that of one that Indians used to make arrows. If one can not be found for, all of the students then have a file in the classroom that would shape the rock to look more like an arrow. Have the bottom cardboard part of pants hangers already taken off of hangers. Have the children use colored tape to tape the rock onto the cardboard stick. Stress that you must not touch any other child with your stick or it will be taken up (this will help to avoid serious injuries). The teacher can hang these on the walls of the teepee.

Class 6:

Sponge Activity (5 min.): Have students complete the sentence-"An artifact is..." There are no right and wrong answers. This only to help them realize that there are so many things that they need to still learn about Indians.

Opening (5 min.): Explain to the students what an artifact really is. Tell them that one-day things that we use today will be artifacts.

Guided Practice (10 min.): Have the students verbally brainstorm some things that were artifacts (examples: bows and arrows, tepees, carriages, butter churns, etc.).

Independent Practice (30 min.): Give each student a pair of scissors and a magazine. Have them cut out things that they think will one day be artifacts. After each student has five pictures have them present and tell why they think that that will be an artifact.

Evaluation: The teacher should assess the students on the following criteria:

Excellent Good Fair Poor

1. Completion of activity-----------------

2. Student’s Participation----------------

3. Appropriateness and creativity of activity---------

Class 7:

Sponge Activity (10 min.): Have the students write in their journals about what they did over the weekend but they can not use letters. They must use pictures to write words and sentences.

Opening (10 min.): Teach the students that Indians did not know the alphabet so they had to communicate by drawing pictures and using symbols. Show them pictures of some of the Indian dwelling walls that contained Indian writings. See if they can guess what they are trying to say.

Guided and Independent Practice (30 min.): Have each class "tribe" write a letter wall to anther class "tribe". It must only contain pictures; no letters may be used. This will be done on butcher paper and crayons will be used to draw the pictures. Then we will hang them up around the classroom so that our classroom will be their "Indian cave" where they wrote.

Class 8:

Sponge Activity (30 min.): Have an Indian from an Indian reservation come in. Have them describe to the class about their culture. Have them discuss their traditions and maybe even have them do a special dance that they do or something.

Guided and Independent Practice (20 min.): Have the students write a journal article about what they learned from the speaker. In the paper have them also compare how our culture is alike and different from the Indian’s culture.

Evaluation: The students will be assessed on the following criteria:

Excellent Good Fair Poor

1. Good listening skills for the guest speaker---------

2. Depth of journal article----------------------------

Class 9:

Sponge Activity (10 min.): Have students brainstorm things that they think that Indians ate and how they made their food.

Opening (5 min.): Teach them that they did not have much to

Use to eat with. They had to eat things that they could grow or kill.

Guided and Independent Practice(40 min.): Have each tribe make cornbread. Give them basic directions and have them do the baking of it. Explain to them that the Indians probably had to eat raw cornbread.

Evaluation:

1. Their ability to work well in their group.

2. Based on their ability to follow directions.

Class 10:

Sponge Activity (5 min.): Have write in their journals about how they think that Indians made a living. Did they have jobs? Did they have money? Give other brainstorming questions.

Opening (5 min.): explain to them that there were two different kinds of Indians: hunters and gatherers.

Explain what each is. Discuss how different Indian tribes traded with each other in order for each tribe to have various goods.

Guided and Independent Practice (40 min.): Have each "tribe" come up with one thing that they will make. It can be mats, fishing poles, blankets, hats, etc. Have each "tribe" trade and make enough to give one to each "tribe". At the end, each "tribe" should have one of each item.

Class 11:

Sponge Activity (5 min.): Have the students review their Internet worksheet and other information. Have them think about all of the things that they have learned in this unit. Possibly even verbally review some things.

Opening (5 min.): Tell the students they will practice what they have learned throughout this unit by, and will take a test over some of the information. Assure them that they can do it and you will help them if they need it. The test is just to see what they learned.

Guided an Independent Practice (40 min.): Have them take the written test over the unit. The test should be matching and not something that they feel stressed and overwhelmed over.

Closure (5 min.): Discuss everything that the students have learned in the past ten class periods. Review the following concepts:

1. There are eight basic Indian tribes that resided in Texas. Know what part of Texas that each Indian tribe settled in.

2. Know different weapons that were used.

3. Know basic history of Indians.
4. Know what kinds of homes that they lived in.

5. Know how they communicated.

6. Know what kinds of foods they ate.

Evaluation: The students will be assessed on one thing:

-Mini Test: On a scale of 100, how much did they know? Each question is worth 10 points each.

MATERIALS

Class 1: Construction paper, crayons

Class 2: none

Class 3: PVC pipe, old mats, rugs, and pieces of cloth, stapler, construction paper, glue, tape

Class 4: Texas map, Internet worksheet, computers, LCD screen

Class 5: rocks, cardboard hanger, tape, glue

Class 6: magazines and scissors

Class 7: butcher paper, crayons, map pencils

Class 8: none

Class 9: ingredients to make cornbread, plates

Class 10: construction paper, crayons, scissors, tape, glue

Class 11: mini test

APPENDIX

Table of Contents:

Class 4:

1. Texas map is needed for this class

2. Internet worksheet

Class 11:

Mini tests that asks the student’s basic questions about the unit.

Class 4 Internet worksheet

Web Site Location: http://bb35.tpwd.state.tx.us/edu/indian/isplash.htm

Activity Directions: Read through the readings on the web site. Answer the worksheet questions accordingly.

1. What’s another name for Indians?------------------(answer: Native Americans)

2. Who was the first person to call Native Americans Indians?-----------------(answer: Christopher Columbus)

3. How did the above person begin to call them Indians?------------------(answer: Columbus thought that he had landed on islands east of India called the Indies)

4. What general direction did Indians come from?-----------

(answer: Asia: across the Bering Land Bridge)

5. What two pieces of land does the Bering Land Bridge connect?----------(answer: Siberia and Alaska)

Class 11 Mini Test

Match the Indian tribe with their way of making a living.

Apaches         hunter/gatherer

Caddos          hunter/trader

Jumanos         pueblo farmers

Tonkawas        buffalo hunting

Coahuiltecans   village farmers

Atakapans

Patarabueyes

Karankawas

Match the Indian tribe with their place of settlement in Texas.

Apaches             Upper Gulf Coast

Caddos              Central Texas

Jumanos             South Texas

Tonkawas            East Texas

Coahuiltecans       West Texas

Atakapans           plains

Patatabueyes        Rio Grande

Karankawas          Lower Gulf Coast

EXTENSIONS

Language Arts: Have the students write a paper about everything that they learned in this unit. Staple them together to make a class book entitled, All the Things That We Learned About Indians.

Math: Learn measurement use when making the cornbread.

Art: Many art projects throughout the unit.

History: Talk about history of how Indians got to America. Teach about how they were pushed out of Texas. Look on web site to find more information.
 

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Atkinson, Mary Jourdan. The Texas Indians. San Antonio: The Naylor Company, 1935.

Berlandier, Jean Louis. The Indians of Texas in 1830. Washington: Smithsonian Institute Press, 1969.

Carroll, H. Bailey. The Story of Texas. New York: Noble & Noble Publishing, 1963

Morrill, Sibley S. The Texas Cannibals or Why Father Serra Came to California. Oakland, CA: Cadleon Publishing Co., 1964.

Newcomb, William Wilmon. The Indians of Texas From Prehistoric to Modern Times. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1961.

Rachlis, Eugene. Indians of the Plains. New York: American Heritage Publishing Co., 1960.

Ruiz, Jose Francisco. Report on the Indian Tribes of Texas in 1828. New Haven, Connecticutt: Yale University Library, 1972.

Turner, Ellen Sue. A Field Guide to Stone Artifaacts of Texas Indians. Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing Company, 1993.

Native American documents Project. California State University. Online. Internet. 12 December 1995. Available. http://www.csusm.edu/projects/nadp/nadp.htm

The Native American History Archive. Institute for Learning Technologies. Online. Internet. 24 September 1997. Available. http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/k12/naha/

Texas Indians. Texas Parks and Wildlife. Online. Internet. 3 June 1998. Available. http://bb35.tpwd.state.tx.us/edu/indian/isplash.htm

Created 4-27-99

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