A Wigwam Is My Home

A wigwam is my home
From treebark it is made
A place on earth where I can go
It stands in forest shade.

A river runs nearby
And here is my canoe.
I paddle up and down all day
Beneath the sky of blue.

In The Longhouse
(Tune: Clementine)

In the longhouse, in the longhouse.
This is what you'll see
More than one family.
Lots of pottery
Skins to cover me.
A board for baby
Maple sugar? Yes, maybe.
In the longhouse, in the longhouse,
There's a bed just for me!   Shh!

Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back: A Native American Year of Moons
by Joseph Bruchac

Many Nations: An Alphabet of Native America
by Joseph Bruchac

Giving Thanks : A Native American Good Morning Message
by Jake Swamp

Corn Is Maize : The Gift of the Indians
by Aliki

The Legend of the Bluebonnet
by Tomie de Paola

The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush
by Tomie de Paola

Knots on a Counting Rope
by John Archambault

Sootface: An Ojibwa Cinderella Story
by Robert D. Sans Souci

Shared Reading

Use the story of Sootface as an Interactive Read Aloud. Ask comprehension questions.  Relate to child's experience by asking:
Does this remind you of any other story you know?
How do you think Sootface feels when her sisters are mean to her?
Have you ever felt like Sootface?

Independent Reading

Use student made Indian Word Books for independent practice

Shared Writing
Predictable Charts

Giving Thanks - A Native American Good Morning Message"
by Chief Jake Swamp.
The opening line is "To be a human being is an honor, and we offer thanksgiving for all the gifts of life.  Mother Earth, we thank you for giving us everything we need."  (thanksgiving is spelled with a lowercase "t" in the book.) Using this theme create a predictable chart and make student  books...each page will have:
Mother Earth, I am thankful for _____________.

Interactive Writing

Guide the students to suggest words that relate to the facts learned about Indians. Students make a Indian word book
Fold several pages in half and staple together.
Each day write a few words and draw a picture pertaining to the word
Example: A student suggests the word hunting. 
Teacher guides the students to spell each sound in the word. Teacher asks for the first sound heard when you say hunting.  Students give the sound.  The teacher then asks the students what letter makes that sound.  As the students say the letter for the sound, the teacher writes the letter on the chalkboard and the students write the letter in their word book until the word is spelled.  Students then draw a picture to correspond to the word.

Independent Writing

The Indian people give their children names that have special meanings. Give the children some examples of Indian names translated into English (Running Bear, Morning Star etc.) Have the children think up a name like this that they would like to use during your Native American Study. Try to encourage the students to choose names that will have special meaning for each of them. Have fun with active verbs! Invite students to give themselves fun Indian names that describe themselves. Some examples: Races Like Cockroach (for the fastest runner), Writes Fine With Stick (for the person with the best handwriting - "stick" refers to "pencil"), or Reads Like Fire (for the person who is always the first to finish reading assignments).

Have students write their Indian Name and tell why they chose it.

Native-American Counting Game

Cut 5 circles out of card board Paint a half moon on 1 side of 4 circles, paint a star on the other circle.
Put the circles in the basket.
Each player takes turns shaking the basket and counts the pieces that end face up. The score keeper puts the number face up and the shape that shows. Each moon is worth 1 point the star is worth 2 points.

Hidden Pebble Game

This game is played in fours, each group will need 4 cups and a pebble.

The first 2 partners hide the pebble under one of the cups, while the others have their backs turned. The other players turn around and try to guess where the pebble is.

If they guess correctly on the first try they earn 10 beans. The second try is worth 5 and the third try is worth 2 beans. The team with the most beans wins!

Feather Sorting

Cut out several different feather shapes from construction paper or provide the children with store bought craft feathers (can be used the the above activity as well).   Ask the children to sort the feathers according to color.  Ask the children "How many red feathers do you have?"  etc.
 

Counting

Sing the song, "Ten Little Indians".
Allow the students to change the words to "Ten Little Drums",  "Ten Little Arrows", etc.  
Have students draw ten of anything pertaining to Indians. Number the objects in the picture 1-10. Display these.
Now would be a good opportunity to use counting by tens.
*Students make construction paper feathers.  Use these  for counting, adding and subtracting activities.

Native American Pattern Rug

Materials:
Brown felt squares (one per child)
Various colors of felt cut into small squares
scissors
fabric glue

Have the child cut fringe along the edges of their large piece of felt with the scissors. Then glue the colored felt squares on the large piece to make a pattern.

Feather Games

*Cut out feather shapes from different colors of paper.  Give each child one feather.  Ask the children to find one person with the same color feather.

*Cut out feather shapes from different colors of paper.  Cut the feather in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces.  Give each child one half of a feather, and ask them to find the person with the other half.
Or give the children two pieces and have the children make a circle, with one child that has one match on one side and the other match on the other side.  You may end up with 2 or more circles depending on how the feather pieces are distributed.

*Cut the feather shapes from one color of paper.  Label one set of feathers with numbers, i.e. if you have 20 children, label the feathers with the numbers one to ten.  The other half, draw one dot on one, two on another, and so on until ten.  Give each child one feather and have them find the child with their match.

*Cut the feather shapes from one color of paper.  Place matching stickers on two feather.  Give each child one feather and have them find the child with their match.

Try all the above, but in a file folder format.  Glue one part of the feather to the file folder and laminate it's match.

Computer Activity

Students use a drawing program such as Paint, Story Weaver or Kid Pix to draw pictures that relate  to American Natives:  canoe, cooking, drum, basket, bow and arrow, spear,  deer, fish, etc.
With the teachers' help, or the use of picture/word cards from the writing center, the students write a label for the picture.
Teacher puts the students' pictures into a slideshow presentation using a program such as Kid Pix or Power Point.
Each student tells a sentence about his picture as the slide is played.

Native American Indian Day

This event serves as a wonderful culmination activity. Centers Can be set up in classrooms or outside. The children like to wear the "clothes, and jewelry" made earlier. Divide students into groups spend about 15 minutes in each center.

Cooking Center
Part I
Scatter cranberries in a grassy area just before Indians arrive to this "bog."
Indians pick cranberries (ask them to count 10 berries) and put the berries in their baskets.
Take Berries to the "river" ( the river is a wash tub with water).
Take the clean berries to a cooking area ( an electric skillet will do the trick ).

Cranberry Sauce Recipe
2 Cups of Cranberries
1 Cup of Sugar
1 Cup of water
1 tablespoon of Cinnamon

Listen to them pop!

Cooking Center
Part 2

Children remove corn from Cob and crush with rocks.
Use cornbread mix to prepare cornbread

Planting Center
Indians take corn kernels from cob and plant in milk cartons (saved from cafeteria) 1/2 filled with potting soil.
Place 1/2 sardine over corn and cover with soil and spray with water.
Place carton in baggy with student's name. This corn will grow if it receives the essential needs!

Wigwam Center
Students sit around "fire" (Gather rocks and stick to create fire area).
Students rub sticks to create imaginary fire.
Using prepared balls of clay (the type that does not need firing to harder) Indians create a "thumb print" bowl (Use toothpick to make names on bottom).

Hunt Center
"Spears" - unsharpened pencils with feathers attached by wrapping with yarn.
"Fish" - cut from construction paper.

Students toss spears at the fish that are "swimming" in wading pool or large tub. Hang "fish" to dry on clothes rack.

Snack Center
Students sit on floor around edge of sheet that has electric corn popper in center.   Allow corn to pop out as children sing to tune "Frere Jacques."

Popping Popcorn
Popping Popcorn
Pop, Pop, Pop
Pop, Pop, Pop
Popping, Popping Popcorn
Popping, Popping Popcorn
Pop, Pop, Pop
Pop, Pop, Pop

Songs and Chants

Let's have a pow-wow (students echo each line).
Oh the first Thanksgiving
Your bring the turkey
I'll bring the corn
We'll do an Indian Dance
You may say the blessing
We'll have a happy time
Making new friends

(Tune: "I'm a Little Tea Pot")
I'm a little Indian
On the go
Here is my spear
My arrow and  my bow
When I go a hunting
hear me shout
"Fish and turkey
you better watch out."

Music to play

"Indian Ribbon Dance" from record, "Look at My World," by Kathy Poelker.
Any authentic Native American Music

Native American Shirts
 
Ask each child to bring in a clean white T-shirt (adult size large).  Dye the shirts brown, using brown powder dye that you can put in your washing machine.  After the shirts are dry, the children paint Native American picture words on them.  

Native American Head Bands

Make from long strips of black oaktag or sentence strips.  Cut out pattern block shapes for the children to glue on in a pattern. 

Native American Leg Rattles

Have the students color a design on a piece of construction paper. Glue it to a section of cardboard. The cardboard should be similar size to the construction paper. Punch holes around the edges of the cardboard. Next, cut lengths of raffia or corn husks and tie them onto the rattle at each hole. Add beads, shells, or sticks for rattles. Punch holes in the corners and tie with yarn to the leg.

Native American Rattle

Collect an empty Pringles can and its lid for each child. Cut a strip of construction paper to fit around each can. Put a variety of bean and corn seeds into a container. Prepare dishes of earth toned paints and several different sponge shapes.

Use the sponges to paint designs on the strip of construction paper. allow to dry. Glue the paper around the can. Place a few spoonfuls of seed mixture into the can; then glue the lid in place. When the glue dries, shake the can to make simple rhythmic sounds

Seed Necklace

Prepare for each student a 2 1/2 to 3 inch cardboard circle with a hole punched at the top and a string strung through it to make a necklace. Provide a wide assortment of seeds and beans from the grocery store. Black-eyed peas, kidney beans, baby limas, black beans, split peas, pinto beans, and popcorn make a good variety of sizes and colors. Allow the students to squirt a "puddle" of glue onto the circle and arrange the beans and seeds in a pleasing manner.  Add one natural-colored feather as the final touch.

Indian Candleholder

Native Americans often crafted pottery items from the clay found along riverbanks. Using Play-Doh, show the students how to make a ball of clay, flatten the bottom, and squeeze and press into a pleasing shape. Insert the candle. A handle can be fashioned either by pinching out some of the ball or by making a "worm" of clay and attaching it to the ball. Put decorative designs on the candleholder using the edge of scissors and a pencil point. Allow the candleholder to dry completely.

 A Class Wigwam or Longhouse

Use two children's sleeping tents and cover them with brown butcher paper to make a wigwam and a long house.  The children may use these areas as part of the dramatic play center. They may also read books in them during DEAR time. 

Indian Corn Investigation

Remove the husks and put the Indian corn in a clear glass baking dish. Fill the dish half full of water and leave it in your science center. Within a week, corn will be sprouting from LOTS of the dried kernels above water line. **Be sure to add water every day of two, and even pour the water off once a week to place with fresh water so it doesn't get slimy and smelly.

Indian Corn

Allow the children to see and touch Indian corn. Talk about the variety of colors represented. Give the children pre-cut pieces of white construction paper. These should be cut into oblong shapes like ears of corn. Provide yellow, red, brown, orange, and purple paint. Allow the children to use their fingertips to paint dots on their "corn". Allow them to swirl the colors together and experiment with the colors. When these dry pre-cut brown and/or green construction paper husks can be glued onto the corn.

Tissue Paper Indian Corn

To make an earl of Indian corn, trace a corncob shape onto construction paper, and then cut out the shape. Crumple small pieces of brown, orange, yellow, red, and black tissue paper. Glue the tissue paper to the corncob cutout to resemble corn kernels.

"Wampum" Necklaces

Use fruit loop cereal to create patterns to make a necklace.

Class Mural

Have the children work in groups to create murals showing the Wampanoag Indians teaching the Pilgrims ways of using natural resources. Some examples could include hunting, gathering clams and mussels, fishing, and planting corn.

Have each group dictate a description of their mural. These descriptions should be written on chart paper and displayed with each mural.

Sequencing Long Ago

 
How long ago did the Indians live in villages?
Could any of those Indians still be alive?
What year is it now? What year was it then?

Comparing Cultures

Not all Indians lived in the same type dwelling. How were they alike? How were they different?
Do Indians today live in that same type home? Why?
How are our homes different for Indian home?
Put students in groups. Each group draw or recreate a village for a different tribe of Indians. Label each village. Label objects in the village.
*Not all Indians made their clothes the same. Why were they different? What do Indians today wear?