4th/5th Grade Native American Land Curriculum: Standard Two Lessons
Teacher Resource
by RVUSD
Native American Land Curriculum
Grades 4th - 5th
Standard Two: American Indian Land Tenure History
Standard Two Goal: Students will demonstrate knowledge of key elements in American Indian history and how these events relate to the current land tenure of American Indian tribes and individuals.
Rationale: Modern Indian land tenure is a result of centuries-long history between natives and their colonizers. Huge native land losses were a result of warfare, displacement, assimilation, broken treaties, tax lien foreclosures, congressional diminishment, executive orders, forced evictions, illegal settlement by non-natives and illegitimate sales. Furthermore, highly complex relationships between federal government, tribal government, and state governments have evolved, created by treaties, legislation, executive orders and court decisions. All of this has had an enormous impact on modern Indian land tenure, which cannot be fully understood without an understanding of the history of American Indian colonization. In addition to exploring the history of domestic colonization and subsequent changes in land tenure, principles of European colonization are further explored in relation to indigenous homeland losses in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and South America.
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Lesson 1: Demonstrate knowledge of the variety of indigenous groups in North America and the relationship between land and culture. (1 Class Period)
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| Achievement Goal: Describe how North America is home to many distinct Indian tribes and communities and how these groups established their homelands in every part of the continent. Spell and define the word "indigenous". Long before Europeans came to America, Indians, who are the indigenous peoples of North America, lived in every environment throughout the continent. From the cold tundra in Alaska to the dry deserts in Arizona, from the wet marshes of Florida to the Eastern woodlands, Indians adapted to and thrived in their home territories. This lesson will teach children about the word "indigenous" and how North America was populated by an amazing variety of peoples and cultures before contact with Europeans. This lesson will also encourage the students to think about how geography, place, and culture are intertwined. | |||
| Lesson 1: Background, Student Activity, Evaluation, Resources |
See learn 360.com Native Americans in North America (Video - 1.06 min.)
Video Quiz on Native Americans in North American (2.42 min.) |
See learn 360.com Native Americans in the Northwest (Video - 2.66 min.)
Video Quiz on Native Americans in the Northwest (3.02 min.) |
See learn360.com Native Americans of the Great Plains (Video - 3.18 min.)
Video Quiz on Native Americans of the Great Plains (3.09 min.) |
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See learn360.com Native Americans in the Southwest (Video - 1.41 min.)
Video Quiz on Native Americans in the Southwest (2.48 min.) |
See learn360.com Native Americans in the Woodlands (Video - 2.16 min.)
Video Quiz on Native Americans in the Woodlands (3.28 min.)
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Lesson 2: Study the arrival of Europeans on the North American continent and the colonization of the "New World." (1 Class Period)
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| Achievement Goal: Study the history of the arrival of Europeans in North America, the reasons behind their exploration and colonization of the "New World." When Europeans explored the globe during the "Age of Discovery" and began to colonize the countries they had "discovered" and claimed, they did os for a number of reasons: to spread Christianity, to reap wealth through trade and exploitation of other countries' peoples and natural resources, to increase geopolitical power over other European countries, and to acquire land. This lesson will introduce students to colonization and the European nations that began the colonization of the "New World". | |||
| Lesson 2: Background, Student Activity, Evaluation, Resources |
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Click to download Teacher's version of Colonization Timeline |
Click to download Student's version of Colonization Timeline to be used in making a timeline. Students can cut out images to create a timeline of the Colonization of America. |
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Lesson 3: Study European colonization of other parts of the world. (1 Class Period)
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| Achievement Goal: Study the European colonization of other areas of the world such as Canada, South America, New Zealand, and Africa. European colonization was not limited to North America. European states colonized lands and peoples in South America, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. As in North America, the colonization of these places had an enormous impact on the lives of the peoples indigenous to these areas. This lesson will ask students to research the colonization of indigenous peoples in six other countries: Canada, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, India, and South Africa. Their research will focus on the indigenous peoples of these areas, the impact of colonization had on these peoples, how colonization affected the use and ownership of land in these areas, and the political situation of these native groups today. | |||
| Lesson 3: Background, Student Activity, Evlauation, Resources |
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Click here to download information and images of Australian Aborigines. |
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Click here to download information and images of Indigenous People of Brazil. |
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Click here to download information and images of Bushmen/South African Indigenous People. |
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Lesson 4: Develop knowledge of how land "ownership" began to change through the process of treaty-making. (1 Class Period)
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| Achievement Goal: Discuss what treaties are and why they were made between Indian tribes and the US Government. Originally, treaties were made to reduce animosities between settler governments and tribes or to establish relations of trade, peace and war, and delimited non-native settlement. Gradually, however, as non-natives became much more numerous and gained military advantages over Indians, treaties became a means by which tribes attempted to retain portions of their original territories or self-governance in the face of an overwhelming number of settlers and soldiers encroaching on their lands. In this lesson, students read portions of and compare treaties. They will also make a treaty of their own with fellow classmates. | |||
| Lesson 4: Background, Student Activity, Evaluation, Resources |
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Treaty with the Saux and Fox Tribes, 1836
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| Lesson 5: Demonstrate knowledge of original homelands and/or reservation, utilizing maps and chronology. (1 Class Period) | |||
| Achievement Goal: Compare different types of maps and explain how tribes were displaces or had their territories significantly diminished. Despite the fact that tribes had negotiated treaties to retain their homelands, these treaties were routinely broken and tribes were forced to move to smaller reservations or entirely new places. Sometimes, tribes lost their lands altogether. In this lesson, students will be introduced to the challenges their ancestors braved when Indian Country began shrinking drastically due to the US westward expansion. The study of Indian displacement and land loss will help the students understand the effects of this period of history when forced relocation, broken treaties and the taking and redistribution of Indian lands were prevalent. | |||
| Lesson 5: Background, Student Activity, Evlauation, Resources |
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California Map of Tribal and Federal Lands
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