Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Grade level: 5
Length of lesson: 40 minutes
Title of Lesson:
Comparing and Contrasting Indigenous Culture and European Culture
(Understanding the Differences Between Native American and European Values)
1. Content Information
The Europeans valued wealth, power, and glory. They had advanced weapons and technology
when compared to the Native Americans. Native Americans lack of advancements in
technology and weapons allowed them to be vulnerable to the Europeans.
When Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas, differing cultures and belief systems
contributed to Native American vulnerability to enslavement and harm inflicted by Europeans.
Native American values such as hospitality, generosity, and sharing (common property instead
of private property/ belongings) contributed to this vulnerability because Columbus took
advantage of the opportunity to abuse his power and do as he pleased with Native Americans,
who he viewed as inferior due to the difference in worldviews and ways of life.
2. Vocabulary
Vulnerable- easily taken advantage of; exposed to harm
Oppressed- burdened by abuse of power or authority
4. Learning Objectives/Outcomes
1. Students will be able to identify beliefs and values shared amongst different Native
American tribes.
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2. Students will be able to identify European beliefs and values through Columbuss
encounter with the Native Americans.
3. Students will be able to compare and contrast Native American and European ways of
life to determine why the Native Americans were vulnerable to European oppression.
Students will select one Native American culture group from the United
States, one from Canada, and one from the Caribbean region and compare
and contrast them by examining how each of these groups adapted to and
used the environment and its resources to meet their basic needs, and by
examining elements of their culture, including customs, beliefs, values,
languages, and patterns of organization and governance.
5.3a Europeans traveled to the Americas in search of new trade routes, including a
northwest passage, and resources. They hoped to gain wealth, power, and glory.
5. Assessment
Informal Exit Ticket (Attached on pg. 13 of lesson plan; Teachers Guide on pg. 14)
The exit ticket addresses all the objectives of the lesson. In answering this one question,
students demonstrate knowledge of Native American cultural values and European
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cultural values, using them to come to a conclusion about why Native Americans were
susceptible to harm and slavery during the European invasions.
6. Differentiation
For possible differentiation:
ELLs and students who need additional support can each be paired with another student
to read the material and discuss what they learn together verbally.
Students may have the option to represent beliefs and values in the given chart with
drawings/illustrations or verbally with another student as scribe as needed
Assessment (exit ticket) may be adapted in the following ways:
1. Students may be read the questions by another student or the teacher
2. Students may tell teacher the answer verbally instead of writing on the paper
7. Materials
Whiteboard in classroom/marker
Post-it notes
Graphic organizer
4 Readings Printed (1 copy of each for each group)
Exit ticket sheet
At the beginning of this lesson, draw a T-Chart on the whiteboard. Title: What do you
know? Label one side Native Americans and the other Europeans/Columbus. We
all know that Christopher Columbus came to the Americas and found Native Americans
here. But, what do we know about the Native Americans and European ways of life?
Tell students to get into pairs. (Think Pair Share) Pass out two post-it notes to each group
of two and instruct them to brainstorm what they already know about both the Native
Americans and European/Columbuss WAY OF LIFE and VALUES. (One sticky note
should be European, one should be Native Americans) (3 mins) Have the students come
up and place their post-its on each side of the T-chart. Once everyone has put their sticky
notes up in the appropriate columns, read each side. This is what we think we know
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about Native Americans... (read list). This is what we think we know about European
Values(read list).
Assessment (exit ticket) should be handed out at the conclusion of the discussion and
should be done independently by all students.
11. References
Bigelow, B., & Peterson, B. (Eds.). (1998). Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500
Years.(pp.45,73-74). Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools, Ldt.
Zinn, H. (2003). Columbus, The Indians, and Human Progress. In A peoples history of the
United States: 1492 present. New York: Perennial Press.
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Excerpts from A Peoples History of the United States by Howard Zinn
Arawak men and women, naked, tawny, and full of wonder, emerged from their villages onto the
island's beaches and swam out to get a closer look at the strange big boat. When Columbus and his sailors
came ashore, carrying swords, speaking oddly, the Arawaks ran to greet them, brought them food, water,
gifts. He later wrote of this in his log:
They ... brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they
exchanged for the glass beads and hawks' bells. They willingly traded everything they owned... .
They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features.... They do not bear arms, and do
not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of
ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane... . They would make fine servants....
With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.
These Arawaks of the Bahama Islands were much like Indians on the mainland, who were remarkable
(European observers were to say again and again) for their hospitality, their belief in sharing. These traits
did not stand out in the Europe of the Renaissance, dominated as it was by the religion of popes, the
government of kings, the frenzy for money that marked Western civilization and its first messenger to the
Americas, Christopher Columbus.
Columbus wrote:
As soon as I arrived in the Indies, on the first Island which I found, I took some of the natives by
force in order that they might learn and might give me information of whatever there is in these
parts.
The information that Columbus wanted most was: Where is the gold? He had persuaded the king and
queen of Spain to finance an expedition to the lands, the wealth, he expected would be on the other side of
the Atlantic-the Indies and Asia, gold and spices. For, like other informed people of his time, he knew the
world was round and he could sail west in order to get to the Far East.
So, approaching land, they were met by the Arawak Indians, who swam out to greet them. The
Arawaks lived in village communes, had a developed agriculture of corn, yams, cassava. They could spin
and weave, but they had no horses or work animals. They had no iron, but they wore tiny gold ornaments
in their ears.
This was to have enormous consequences: it led Columbus to take some of them aboard ship as
prisoners because he insisted that they guide him to the source of the gold. He then sailed to what is now
Cuba, then to Hispaniola (the island which today consists of Haiti and the Dominican Republic). There,
bits of visible gold in the rivers, and a gold mask presented to Columbus by a local Indian chief, led to
wild visions of gold fields.
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Group #:
Name:
What did Native What did the What resources did each
Americans value in each Europeans/Columbus have?
passage? value?
Giving Thanks
Native Americans:
Zinn
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Questions to Deepen Understanding
1. The readings presented perspectives of different Native American tribes from different
locations including the Lakota from the Midwest region of the U.S., the Onondaga from
New York, the Abenaki from the New England region, and the Arawaks from the
Bahamas. What values do the Native American tribes you read about have in common?
2. What did Columbus have that the Native Americans didnt (i.e. technology, resources)?
3. What attitudes did the Native Americans have towards Christopher Columbus? How did
they act/greet him when the Europeans first arrived?
4. What attitudes did Columbus and other Europeans have towards Native Americans?
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Group #:
Name: TEACHERS GUIDE
What did Native What did the What resources did each
Americans value in each Europeans/Columbus have?
passage? value?
Zinn
-willingly traded everything
they owned
-sharing
-hospitality
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Questions to Deepen Understanding
1. The readings presented perspectives of different Native American tribes from different
locations including the Lakota from the Midwest region of the U.S., the Onondaga from
New York, the Abenaki from the New England region, and the Arawaks from the
Bahamas. What values do the Native American tribes you read about have in common?
Sample Answer: The different Native American tribes all have a spiritual belief system, in which
they value the Earth and the land and believe in a creator. They value sharing, hospitality and
thankfulness for what the Earth provides for them such as animals and food.
2. What did Columbus have that the Native Americans didnt (i.e. technology, resources)?
Sample Answer: They had ships, knowledge of weapons, armed men, wealth and power.
3. What attitudes did the Native Americans have towards Christopher Columbus? How did
they act/greet him when the Europeans first arrived?
Sample Answer: At first, the Native Americans embraced Columbus and were generous towards
him and other Europeans. They shared their belongings with him and were interested in the
foreign technology and other items he brought with him.
4. What attitudes did Columbus and other Europeans have towards Native Americans?
Sample Answer: Columbus viewed them as inferior. The Europeans thought of the Native
Americans as slaves, and wanted to take their belongings in order to gain wealth and power.
They had a very negative attitude toward them.
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Name:
EXIT TICKET:
Why do you think Christopher Columbus and other European conquerors were able to take
advantage of the Native Americans? Do you think their differences in values contributed to this?
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Name:
EXIT TICKET:
Why do you think Christopher Columbus and other European conquerors were able to take
advantage of the Native Americans? Do you think their differences in values contributed to this?
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Name: TEACHERS GUIDE
EXIT TICKET:
Why do you think Christopher Columbus and other European conquerors were able to take
advantage of the Native Americans? Do you think their differences in values contributed to this?
Sample Answer: The Europeans valued personal wealth, power, and gold, but the Native
Americans valued generosity and sharing much more than the Europeans did. This difference in
culture made the Native Americans vulnerable to the oppression and violence of the Europeans,
who saw them as inferior because of their lack of technology and because of their sharing of
possessions and open hospitality. The Europeans had more resources and their values of wealth
and power led them to have the motivation to conquer Native Americans in pursuit of gold. The
Native Americans were taken advantage of and vulnerable because their values.
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