First Americans Project

Introduction | The Task | Resources | The Process | Learning Advice | Evaluation |  Conclusion

Introduction

Did you ever wonder about the people who lived in America long before the Europeans arrived? What were their lives like?  What kind of houses did they live in? What kind of food did they eat?  What kind of clothes did they wear?  Well, that's what anthropologists do all the time. But they don't stop at wondering...they dig in and find out! Here's your chance to do the same.

You will be one member of a team of "anthropologists." Your team will "dig" through online and off-line resources to find out about one of five Native American tribes: the Inuit, the Iroquois, the Kwakiutl, the Pueblo, or the Sioux.

The Task

Your team has just been contacted by the Smithsonian Institution.  They need your help!  They are in the process of building the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.  They would like to have some learning exhibits created by students so that others can discover these Native Americans.  Since you are a fifth grader in Virginia, they have asked that you research one of the five tribes that you need to study for your SOLs.  Particularly they want you to address two questions:

  In what area did this Native American group settle?

  How did they use their environment to obtain food, clothing, and shelter?

You will give an oral presentation to the class and write a report that addresses these questions and contains a page on each of the following:

• Title Page
• Geographic Region and climate of where they settled
• Shelter
• Food 
• Clothing
• Interesting Facts
• Bibliography

Don't forget that you need to complete a learning exhibit.  This can be a poster, a diorama, an artifact box, a Mini Page or anything you think that will help others learn about your tribe.  For extra credit, you may come up with an activity that will teach the class something about your tribe.  Your imagination is your only limitation!

Resources

The Process

1. You will be assigned one of the tribes mentioned above.
2. Make sure you have your index cards and something to write with when you are gathering your data.
3. Use the Internet sources provided, books from the library, and your textbook to locate information on your specified tribe.  Don't forget to use your index cards when you are gathering your data.  (see Learning Advice)
4. You will need to document each source on a different index card.
5. Save relevant clip art and pictures to your disk. 
   (Don't forget to document these on your index cards!)
6. Using data from your index cards, write a report on your tribe making sure you address the two essential questions:

     In what area did this Native American group settle?
     How did they use their environment to obtain food, clothing, and shelter?

   Your report must either be typed or written in blue or black ink.  You may only use one side of a piece of paper (in other words, do not write on the back of the paper!)

7. Be prepared to share your findings with the class with an oral presentation.  During your presentation, you should also share your learning exhibit.

Learning Advice

You will be using index cards to gather your research.  All index cards will be kept in envelopes which will be attached to a file folder.  Each envelope will be labeled with the appropriate category:

Area Settled   Shelter   Food   Clothing   Facts   Sources

Use the format below to help you with your index cards.  Remember that you must rewrite what you find in your own words, you cannot copy word-for-word from your sources.

You will not be able to number your cards until you have completed all of your research.  Once all of your research is complete, look at each category and try to organize your cards into a logical sequence.  This will help organize what you have found so that it will be easier to write your report.

Evaluation

You will be graded on the following:

• 10 points -  Following Directions
• 10 points -  Completing the Project on time
• 10 points -  Completing Index Cards
• 25 points -  Final Written Copy
                  Cover:   Title - Graphic - Name - Date
                         Area Settled
                         Shelter
                         Food
                         Clothing
                         Interesting Facts
                         Bibliography
                         Graphics
                         Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation
                         Sentence structure and paragraph form
• 30 points -  Visual/Exhibit
                  Accuracy/appropriateness/appearance
• 15 points -  Oral Presentation
                        Content
                        Eye Contact
                        Knowledge of Material
                        Voice

Conclusion

By completing this project, you have become a resident expert on a First American tribe and have also learned how to search Internet sites for information. You should now be able to use this knowledge to access information using the Internet for other projects. Could you use your new information to learn about other aspects of the First Americans?

This WebQuest addresses the following Virginia SOLs:

History and Social Science:
USI.3  The student will demonstrate knowledge of how early cultures developed in North America by
            a)    locating where the American Indians (First Americans) settled, with emphasis on Inuit,  
                   Kwakiutl, Sioux, Pueblo, and Iroquois.
            b)    describing how the American Indians (First Americans) used their environment 
                   to obtain food, clothing, and shelter.
USI.1  The student will develop skills for historical and geographical analysis, including the ability to:
            a)    identify and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase understanding 
                   of events and life in United States history. 
            d)    interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives. 
            f)    analyze and interpret maps.

English/Writing:
5.3      The student will make planned oral presentations.
5.5      The student will read a variety of literary forms, including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
5.6      The student will demonstrate comprehension of literary forms.
5.7      The student will write for a variety of purposes to describe, to inform, to entertain, 
             and to explain.
5.8      The student will synthesize information from a variety of resources.

Computer/Technology:
5.2      The student will develop basic technology skills.
5.3      The student will process, store, retrieve, and transmit electronic information.
5.4      The student will communicate through application software.

This page was adapted from Bernie Dodge 's WebQuest_Template1.html by Tom March