Unit 1, Lesson M:

Are Native Indian tribes from the past?

Where are they now?
Enduring
Understanding:
Content Aim:
NYS Standard:

Agenda:

Assessment:

Larry Cerretani
Social Studies Unit #1: Indigenous Inhabitants of NYS

Although much of the traditional Native Indian culture is lost, a lot of it has also been preserved.
In addition, Native Indian tribes, just like the times, can modernize and change.
Using a Venn diagram, students will be able to compare and contrast the information in two very
critical and analytical sources.
New York City Department of Education K-8 Social Studies Scope and Sequence:
Standard 4.2: Native American Groups and the Environment (4.2a, 4.2b and 4.2c)
1. Connection/T.P.: This week, weve analyzed Native Indian tribes and thought very critically
about how society and the media can misrepresent and/or essentialize/stereotype different
Native American tribes. Today, were going to continue thinking critically about the changes
Native Americans faced, whether by choice or by force, and how this impacted their lives over
time. (2 minutes)
2. Warm Up Activity: Teacher will facilitate a 2 corners activity (one corner is Yes and the
other corner is No) and students who choose an answer will talk amongst themselves before
we have a class-wide conversation.
Question #1: Native Indian tribes no longer exist.
Question #2: The Lenape live in New York City.
Question #3: Native Indians live in teepees, wigwams and longhouses.
Once students have chosen Yes or No the students in each group will talk amongst
themselves for a few minutes and discuss what made them chose that answer. After each group
discusses amongst themselves, there will be a class-wide discussion for each question. This
will occur for all three questions. (15 minutes)
3. Active Engagement: Give each student a blank Venn diagram template. One circle will be
notes they take while reading Native Americans: Past, Present and Future (with their peers at
their table) and the other circle will be notes they independently take while watching We Are
Still Here: A Documentary on Todays Young Native Americans. After the reading and the
video, students will discuss their notes with their peers at their table and fill out some
similarities about the two sources in the middle, overlapping circle. They will glue their Venn
diagrams into their NYSIN. A class-wide discussion will follow about the similarities and
differences between the reading and the movie. (18 minutes)
4. Inquiry-Based Analysis: Teacher will project Two Maps of New York State document
onto the Smart Board and in their NYSIN, students will make observations about the map.
After a few minutes, teacher will facilitate a class-wide discussion about the students raw
observations. (8 minutes)
5. Independent Reflection: Teacher will uncover the questions at the bottom of the page and
students will answer them in their NYSIN. Teacher will collect each NYSIN when students
are finished responding. (5 minutes)
6. Share: Teacher will facilitate a class-wide discussion about the answers that students had
written in their NSYIN. (5 minutes)
Informal: Teacher will listen to students during turn and talks and formatively assess their
learning based off statements that students are sharing to the class during open-ended questions
during the warm up activity and in the Two Maps discussion.
Formal: Teacher will collect each students NYSIN and read his/her written reflection. Teacher
will use this information to formatively assess students understanding of how Native Indian tribes
in New York State lost their land and as a result, lost a lot of their culture and were forced to
assimilate into the new (European) American.

Vocabulary
Relocated

Loss of culture

Loss of land

Materials

Yes and No signs [to be posted in two corners]

Native Americans: Past, Present and Future by Native Youth Magazine
(http://nativeyouthmagazine.com/pastpresentfuture.htm)

Assimilation

We Are Still Here: A Documentary on Todays Young Native Americans

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnPKzZzSClM)
Venn diagram template for each student [to be glued in their NYSIN]
Two Maps of New York State document [to be projected onto the Smart Board]
Analysis for the Two Maps activity [to be written in their NYSIN]