Teachers' Room Experts - Craig Lesson Plan

Susan Craig, Ph.D.
Differentiated Lesson Plan

Contents:

Goal of Instruction

Student Interest

Process: Independent Study

Process: Learning Centers

Process: Learning Contracts

Product Assessment

GOAL of INSTRUCTION: teach each student about the relationship between geography and culture, using the native American Indians as the example.

Here are some of the possible ways to differentiate this lesson:

Student Interest

(1) Allow students to select the section(s) of the country they will study.

(2) Allow students to select one social institution to study this relationship through: family, economy, religion.

Student Readiness Advanced: Have students complete a matrix which records observations of a tribe from up to 5 geographic areas on up to 5 social institutions.

General Knowledge: Have students complete a matrix which relates characteristics of the geographic area with customs observed in one or more tribes.

Introductory: Have students complete a chart listing characteristics of the tribes living in their local geographic area. Work with them as a group to explain why these customs may have evolved based on their own knowledge of local geography.

Content Advanced: Demonstrate ability to discuss in detail the relationship between culture and geography across the five regions of the United States, using examples from tribes living in each.

General Knowledge: Demonstrate an ability to name the different regions of the United States and the tribes who lived there. Demonstrate the ability to compare/contrast the impact of geography on the customs of one tribe from each of two geographic areas.

Introductory: Demonstrate an understanding of geography influences culture by ability to describe in detail the impact of geography on the customs of one tribe from their local area or state.

Process: Independent Study

Key Concept: Interrelationship

Key Skills: Identification, Comparison

Advanced: As you know, the life styles of native Americans were different in various geographic sections of the country.

Your independent study packet contains five descriptions of tribal lives and customs. Each is from a different section of the country. Use your prior knowledge of the geographic areas and the tribes who lived there to match each selection with the correct area. Write a justification for each selection.

When you are ready, schedule a conference with me to review your work and clarify any misconceptions you may have had.

General Knowledge: As you know, the life styles of native Americans were different in various geographic sections of the country. Despite these differences, there are some customs or values that tribes held in common.

Use the materials found in your independent study packet to develop Venn Diagrams which identify the similarities and differences found between tribes in least three of the following areas: Southwest, Southeast, Central Plains, Northeast, Northwest.

Use the accompanying checklist to be sure that your packet is complete. Report any problems to me. The completed assignment is due on...

Introductory: Native Americans living in our state were a hunting and gathering community. They also fished in the local rivers and streams.

Your independent study packet asks you to complete three assignments which will provide you with a more thorough understanding of why these tribes lived the way they did.

Everything you need to complete all three are in your packet: a video for you to watch, a pamphlet from the parks department describing the kinds of wildlife and fish found in the area, a questionnaire for you to fill out based on what you've seen and read. Your packet also includes a check off sheet which you can use to record the time and date that you complete each assignment. The total packet is due on....

Process: Learning Centers

Key Concept: Interrelationship

Key Skills: Identification, Comparison

Advanced: Pretend that you have been hired as a guide to lead a tour of an area occupied by a native American nation. Develop a tour guide which describes what participants will see and the conditions under which they will be expected to live. Use illustrations as a further description of really important points.

You will find a list of possible topics at the computer center, as well as materials to use to print your book pages and some graphics programs you may want to use for illustrations.

General Knowledge: Using art materials found at the center, work with a partner to build a model of two different topologies, for example, tundra and desert. Construct the type of housing native Americans used in each area.

Introductory: Using materials found in the drama center, work with a partner to develop a script which involves a native American parent explaining why the tribe wears the kind of clothing they do. For example, does it keep them warm, does it protect them from the sun, etc.

There is a sample script at the center for you to use as a model. Use the forms that are there to write down your dialogue. Be prepared to act out your scripts at our next class meeting.

Process: Learning Contracts

Key Concept: Interrelationship
Key Skills: Identification, Comparison

Advanced: Complete at least three of the activities in Column A and all of the activities in Column B.

Column A

1. Design and create a native American quilt using the shapes of at least ten states which had large native American populations. Use symbols within the state shapes which identify important tribes, as for example the longhouse in New York State or the hogan in Arizona.

2. Pretend that you are an interviewer for "60 Minutes". Identify three important native Americans who you would like to interview. Provide a written justification for each person selected. Complete an interview sheet (available at the media station) for each person selected. Your responses to the interview sheet questions should be the ones you'd expect from them.

3. Many of the natural resources which native Americans relied on for food have disappeared. Select one geographic area of the country and research the types of resources which have disappeared. Explain how this happened and what could have been done to prevent it. Plan on giving an oral report of your findings at our next class meeting.

4. Many tribes had toys or games that were unique to their culture. Use our native American library, as well as the CD Rom Encyclopedia and the internet to identify two or three toys or games from up to five tribes of your choice. Provide a written description of what you think the toys say about the cultures they are from. Then pick one or two of your own favorite toys. What do they tell about our culture in 20th century USA?

5. Attend the workshop on native American artists on Wednesday.

Column B

READ Select one book from the blue dot section of our native American library. Read it alone or with a friend.

APPLY Work with a friend to create a time capsule which captures the culture of the tribe you've read about. This can be done in 2 or 3 dimensional form, and should include the types of objects someone your age would consider important.

EXPAND Read the essay on alienation found in the media station. Write an essay (3-5 paragraphs) discussing what you believe to be the most important results of a culture's separation from its geographic roots.

General Knowledge:

Complete at least three of the activities in Column A and all of the activities in Column B.

Column A

1. Come to the Geography and Culture workshop on Monday and Tuesday.

2. Many common words have their roots in native American culture. Use the dictionary to trace the relationship between the following words and the culture of native American tribes: false face, squaw, teepee, maize. Be sure to identify the tribe the word comes from.

3. Complete the native American drumming study station. Schedule a time to watch the descriptive video with a friend. Use the worksheets at the station to illustrate the pattern found in the traditional drumming of one tribe.

4. Write a letter to a child your age from a tribe that is interesting to you. In the letter, tell him or her about the ways that geography continues to influence the culture of your neighborhood. Include things like how climate controls the kinds of sports people play, or the types of automobiles they prefer.

5. Select one of the native American songs found at the Listening Station. As you listen, try to imagine what the music is trying to describe. Draw a picture or write a poem to capture you ideas.

Column B

1. READ Select one book from the red dot section of our native American library. Read it with a friend.

2. APPLY Work with your friend to draw five things you think everyone should know about the book you've just read.

3. EXTEND Create a list of three additional things you want to know about the book's topic. Interview up to five friends to identify possible ideas about where you could get this additional information.

Introductory:

Complete at least three of the activities in Column A and all of the activities in Column B.

Column A

1. Our state has a lot of trees which local tribes used to build houses, which were called log houses. Work with a friend to build a model longhouse. Use the loghouse guide at the art station to check that your model includes all the basic features.

2. When native Americans lived in our state, they got some of their food from the plants that grew wild here, like raspberries and blueberries. Use the parks department field guides to identify at least five edible plants which are native to the state. Make a poster showing each of these, labeled with the plant's name and where it can be found.

3. Complete the native American drumming study station. Schedule a time to watch the descriptive video with a friend. Use the worksheets at the station to make a tribal drum.

4. Attend the workshop on local native American tribes on Wednesday and Thursday.

5. Ceremonial masks or false faces were used by native Americans in their tribal ceremonies. Decorations on the masks were supposed to symbolize characteristics of the dancer. Use the materials at the art station to construct a mask which describes you. Be prepared to share it with the class at our next class meeting.

Column B

1. READ Select one book from the green dot section our native American library. Read it with a friend.

2. APPLY Make a resource map of our state. Be sure to include all of the natural resources local tribes had available to them.

3. EXPAND Select a video describing a tribe from a different section of the country. Compare this tribe to one that is local. Put your findings a Venn Diagram sheet available at the map station.

Product Assessment:

Products assessment is on-going in the differentiated model. Children are encouraged to demonstrate their understanding using a variety of modalities. Student performance is reviewed regularly through conferencing, performances, explanations of products, as well as traditional paper/pencil tasks. (The products embedded in the sample lesson have been highlighted for the reader's convenience).

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