• The unit is prepared for a fourth grade class.

• The unit material will be taught for one hour each day, unless additional time is required for a certain activity.

• The unit was chosen in an effort to educate the students about the culture of the Huron Indians and to make them aware of the diversity and history of our country’s first inhabitants, the Native Americans. Through social studies as well as cross-curricular lessons, the students will understand the similarities and differences between the Native Americans who lived in Detroit and those in other parts of the country.

• Michigan content standards and benchmarks:

• Standard 1.2 (Comprehending the Past) = 1.2.5, 1.2.6, 1.2.7, 1.2.8
• Standard 1.3 (Analyzing and Interpreting the Past) = 1.3.4, 1.3.6
• Standard 1.4 (Judging Decisions from the Past) = 1.4.3, 1.4.4
• Standard 2.1 (People, Places, and Cultures) = 2.1.3, 2.1.4, 2.1.5
• Standard 2.2 (Human/Environment Interaction) = 2.2.5, 2.2.7
• Standard 3.1 (Purposes of Government) = 3.1.4
• Standard 5.1 (Information Processing) = 5.1.4, 5.1.5, 5.1.6
• Standard 5.2 (Conducting Investigations) = 5.2.5, 5.2.6, 5.2.7, 5.2.8

• The unit has been developed under the assumption that the students can work both independently and cooperatively to complete assignments. Also, that the students are able to gather data and information using a variety of sources, such as library books and the Internet.

• Introductory Lesson – Fourth grade students will understand the hardships endured by Native Americans when their "rights as individuals"(Core Democratic Value) were withheld from them, so that when given a position they will be able to role-play a similar situation and write a paragraph response to the event.

• Language Arts - The teacher will also begin reading the chapter book The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter, which will be read to the students each day before lunch throughout the course of the unit.

• Language Arts – Fourth grade students will be able to define what a legend is, so that when asked to create their own legends, they will be able to include all the required elements.

• Social Studies – Fourth grade students will know some basic information about the Huron Indians, so that when asked to create their own legends, they will be able to incorporate parts of the Huron Indians’ lives into them.

• Social Studies – Fourth grade students will become familiar with different aspects (clothing, housing, tools) of Huron Indian culture, so that they will work creatively to make a visual representation of that culture.

• Math – Fourth grade students will be able to measure the circumference of a circle, so that when given three circles of different sizes they will be able to measure them with 85% accuracy.

• Social Studies – Fourth grade students will gain an understanding of how the circle is vital to the natural world, so that in a class discussion they will verbalize the many circles found in nature.

• Social Studies – Fourth grade students will gain an understanding of how the circle is symbolic in many cultures and religions, so that in a class discussion they will verbalize how the circle is used as a symbol.

• Social Studies – Fourth grade students will know that Native American culture is closely related to nature, so that in a classroom discussion they will be able to answer prompting questions given by the teacher and give examples from the book The Education of Little Tree.

• Social Studies – Fourth grade students will discuss how the British and French used germ warfare against the Native Americans, so that after researching information on the Internet, they will participate in a class debate with one group supporting each side of the argument.

• Social Studies – Fourth grade students will discuss how germ warfare is used today, so that they will be able to work cooperatively to investigate data and give both and oral and a written report on how chemicals and germs have been and still are used to wage combat.

• Art – Fourth grade students will learn the stories behind Native American symbols and the legend of dreamcatchers, so that when given a variety of materials they will construct their own dreamcatchers.

• Social Studies – Fourth grade students will identify traditional Native American foods, so that when given a list of 25 foods, they will be able to identify with 80% accuracy which were grown and eaten by Native Americans.

• Social Studies – Fourth grade students will understand that traditional foods varied from one region to another, so that when given a list of foods, they will be able to identify which location the food came from and will highlight those eaten by the Huron Indians.

• Social Studies – Fourth grade students will understand the relationship between natural resources, physical environment, and the way the people have met their needs for basic nourishment, so that when put into groups they will discuss why certain foods were grown in each area and will present their findings to the rest of the class.

• Social Studies – Fourth grade students will understand three of the sacred ceremonies or rituals of Huron Indian culture, so that when given the name of a ceremony they will be able to describe key components of that ceremony.

• Social Studies – Fourth grade students will learn about diverse cultural activities of the Huron Indians, so that they will be able to demonstrate the Native Americans’ use of pictographs by creating a clay pot story of their own, and so that they will be able to identify at least three different ways to learn about culture.

• Social Studies – Fourth grade students will identify the pipe as an important symbol of sacred beliefs, so that they will be able to orally give the various reasons for the pipe and will explain how it was used by the Huron Indians.

• Music – Fourth grade students will learn traditional Native American songs, so that as a class they will be able to memorize and sing the songs correctly.

• Social Studies – Fourth grade students will know the route taken by the Huron Indians after leaving Detroit, so that when given a map of the United States they will be able to draw the route the Indians took from Detroit to the west.

• Culminating Activity – Fourth grade students will prepare for their open house by making traditional Native American food and setting up displays of their work completed during the unit, so that they will be able to present this work to their families at the open house that evening.

Destination: Great Lakes Indian Museum

Megan Paxton

Unit: The Huron Indians

Lesson Title: Introductory Lesson

Objective: Fourth grade students will understand the hardships endured by the Native Americans when their "rights as individuals" (Core Democratic Value) were withheld from them, so that when given a position as either a native or a settler, they will be able to role-play a similar situation and write a paragraph response to the event.

Rationale: This lesson address the Michigan content standard for social studies 1.4.3, which states that later elementary students will "identify problems from the past that divided their local community, the state of Michigan, and the United States and analyze the interests and values of those involved." By role-playing the position of either the Native Americans or the settlers who ignored the natives’ rights as individuals, the students will be able to consider the historical event and the problems it possessed from both sides.

Feathered headbands

Paper guns

Opener: As the students enter the classroom on the first day of the unit, hand out either a feathered headband or a paper gun to each student at random. Instruct those with headbands to go to the back of the classroom with their backpacks or other belongings and instruct those with paper guns to put their belongings away and to wait in the hall. In order to increase the students’ level of curiosity, give no further explanation and instruct them that they are not allowed to speak to one another.

1. Tell the students in the hallway that when given the signal from the teacher, they are to enter the classroom playing the role of the English settlers, and that they are to take away the belongings of the other students, those who have been designated the Native Americans.
2. Explain to the students in the classroom that they are playing the role of Native Americans, and tell them that they must follow all instructions given to them by either the teacher or their classmates.
3. Signal the "English settlers" to enter and allow them to take the other students belongings and put them in the front of the classroom.
4. Separate the students into groups of four, two settlers and two natives per group.
5. Instruct the settlers that they must "teach" the natives how to do something, anything of the settlers choosing. Instruct the natives to do their best to comply and complete the given task.
6. If the natives can complete the task, have the settlers give them back some belongings, but not their own.
7. If the natives do not complete the task, have the settlers escort them to the back of the room to signify that they have been killed.
8. Once each group has completed the task, bring the entire class back together and instruct each student to write a paragraph in response to the activity from the perspective of either the Native Americans or the English settlers. Explain that the paragraph should answer the questions "how did the settlers ignore the natives’ individual rights" and "what effect did these events have on the future of the United States."

Wrap-Up: After the activity is completed, facilitate a class discussion about what the students were thinking and feeling during the activity and connect their views to those of the Native Americans and the English settlers who actually took part in such events. Allow the students an opportunity to discuss how the Native Americans’ rights as individuals were violated and how the situation may have played out differently.

Evaluation: The students must write a paragraph in response to the activity from the perspective of either the natives or the settlers. This paragraph must illustrate their understanding of the event and how it affected the future of the United States.

Lesson Plan – Huron Indians

Language Arts/Social Studies

Amy Herold

• Students in Miss Herold’s class will be able to define what a legend is, so that when asked to create their own legend, it will have all the elements needed to be a legend.
• Students in Miss Herold’s class will know about the Huron Indians, so that when asked to create their own legend for the Huron Indians, they will be able to incorporate parts of the Indian tribe’s life into the legend they create.

Meaning and Communication:

Content Standard 2.1: All students will demonstrate the ability to write clearly and grammatically correct sentences, paragraphs, and compositions.

Content Standard 5.2: All students will describe and discuss the shared human experiences depicted in literature and other texts from around the world.

Content Standard 2.3: All students will be able to recount the lives and characters of a variety of individuals form the past representing their local community, the state of Michigan, and other parts of the United States.

Content Standard 1.1,1.2,1.3: All students will describe, compare, and explain the differences in location, and characteristics in Indian cultures.

American Indians Myths and Legends by Richard Erdos and Alfonso Ortiz

Opener: To get the students interested in creating and writing new legends for the Huron Indians in Michigan, I will read several legends of the Huron Indians to the class.

1. The teacher will read to the class several legends from American Indians Myths and Legends in the areas of human creation, world creation, and stories of animals and other people, that the Huron Indians have created.
2. The teacher will have the students list several characteristics of legends.
3. The teacher will tell the students they will create their own legends for the Huron Indians living in Detroit.
4. The teacher will have the students pick one topic to create a legend about: human creation, world creation, or stories of animals and other people.
5. The teacher will tell the students they must include three pieces of information they have learned about the Huron Indians in their legend. This can include where the story takes place - Detroit, the gender roles the Huron Indians have, the foods the Huron Indians eat, the way the Huron Indians live, or they way the Huron Indians hunt.
6. The teacher will have the students create the story, and then create drawings for their story as well.
7. The students will put the story together in a book form.
8. The students will read their legends to the class.

The students will be assessed on the three types of information included in the legend about the Detroit Huron Indians. The legends must be on one of the three topics available, and include all the elements that make it a legend.

Expanding:

To expand this lesson, the students could create their legends in small groups, and than perform it in front of the class.

Lesson Plan – Huron Indians

Social Studies

Mary O’Toole

Lesson Title: Germ Warfare

1. Fourth grade students will discuss how the British and French used germ warfare against the American Indians, so that in a class debate the class will break up into two sides, the Europeans and the Indians, and support each side. Blooms Taxonomy Evaluation.
2. Fourth grade students will use the Internet to look up information about how infected blankets were given to the American Indians, so that they will demonstrate how they found information to support their side of the debate. Blooms Taxonomy Application.
3. Fourth grade students will discuss how germ warfare is used today, so that they will form groups of not more than 5 and each group will investigate and give oral and written reports on how chemicals and germs have been and are still used to wage combat. Blooms Taxonomy Analysis.

Short Term: Children will begin to understand how the United States became a country governed by white European males.

Long Term: Children will begin to understand how "ethnic cleansing" is still used today.

1.2 Comprehending the past.

1.3 Analyzing and interpreting the past

1.4 Judging decisions from the past

5. Inquiry
1. Identifying and analyzing issues

Initial Lesson – 45-50 minutes

Two weeks to form debates (meeting twice a week)

Four weeks to investigate and do group projects

Handouts given by teacher on Michigan History in the 1700’s

Map of Michigan

Article highlighted by teacher

Internet

Library

Newspapers

Radio

World News

Paper

Pens

Example of a debate from the Presidential debates

• Teacher will ask the class what the term "ethnic cleansing" means.
• Teacher will ask the class for examples of "ethnic cleansing."
• Teacher will ask the class how the Europeans gained control of North America from the Native Americans.

1. Start a classroom discussion on what "ethnic cleansing" means.
2. Ask for and give examples. The Ukrainians, the Armenians, the Irish potato famine, the German camps. Tell the class that before these events happened, the Europeans gave blankets filled with the small pox virus to the Native Americans in Michigan.
3. Hand out summary of article from Internet and have class read parts highlighted by teacher. Show the class the map of Michigan and how this affected the wars between the Indians and the French and British.
4. Ask for reactions to the information.
5. Tell the class that there are two sides to every story and each side believes that they are right.
6. Tell the class that they are going to be breaking up into two groups, the Europeans and the Native Americans and take on the roles. They must investigate why the Europeans used this method and what impact it had on the Indian population. Each side must justify the roles they played in this war.
7. The class must use a variety of methods to find information. The library, the Internet, and any other sources are acceptable.
8. The class will present their debates in two weeks.
9. The class will also be divided into groups of 5 and each group will investigate a different type of "ethnic cleansing." The teacher may assign and event or the students may select one on their own with the teacher’s approval.
10. The class will use history and social studies time twice a week to investigate.
11. Each group will turn in a 2-3 page paper on who their group investigated, when it happened, what happened to each side, why it happened, and the result.
12. The group must report or "teach" their event to the class and give their reactions to the events that they investigated.

Throughout time men have been trying to dominate others for limited space and resources. These types of things are still happening today. Why do you think that we don’t try harder to stop these things from happening? Do you think that someday people will be able to live together peacefully? We must remember that we are all human beings and we all basically want the same things.

The students will be evaluated on their ability to work together in groups to investigate a controversial issue and to successfully argue their side of the debate. They will also be evaluated on their ability to research examples of "ethnic cleansing" and to assemble a report of their findings.

• Have each student in the class do a family "tree" to show how all of us are inter-related.
• Have each student interview a relative or anyone who can remember being discriminated against because of their ethnic origin.

Lesson Plan – Huron Indians

Social Studies/Language Arts/Art

Mitch Nguyen

Objective: Students will learn about diverse cultural activities that will educate themselves and gain better understanding of Native American people from Michigan.

• Students will be able to demonstrate the Native Americans use of pictographs by creating a clay pot story of their own.
• Students will be able to identify at least three different ways to learn about culture.

Rationale: To incorporate Michigan Native American history, culture, and philosophy into an educational program that is significant for children today.

Students use knowledge of the past to construct meaningful understanding of our diverse cultural heritage and to inform their civic judgments.

All students will reconstruct the past by comparing interpretations written by others from a variety of perspectives and creating narratives from evidence.

All students will describe, compare, and explain the locations and characteristics of places, cultures, and settlements.

Standard 1, 2, 3 Meaning and Communication:

All students will demonstrate the ability to write clearly and grammatically correct sentences, paragraphs, and compositions.

All students will describe and discuss the shared human experiences depicted in literature and other texts to seek information, and the rich diversity of our society.

• Apply knowledge of materials, techniques, and processes to create artwork.
• Explore and understand prospective subject matter, ideas, and symbols for works of art.
• Select and use subject matter, symbols and ideas to communicate meaning.
• Know different purposes of visual art to creatively convey ideas.

1. "When Clay Sings" by Byrd Baylor
2. Indian pictures writing books
3. Pictograph dictionary or book on pictographs
4. Modeling clay/clay pots
5. Black markers
6. Map of the United States
7. Paper

To determine what the students know prior to instruction, I will ask the students for ways that we can learn about culture. I will write the students responses on the chalkboard.

I will ask the students what they already know about the Native Americans. Who are the Native Americans? When did they come here? How did they get here?

1. Talk about the different tribes of Michigan Native Americans then asks that the students locate the regions on a map.
2. Tell the students that they will be learning about Detroit Native Americans and their culture by reading the Native Americans pottery.
3. Tell the students that Native Americans decorated their pottery with pictures. These pictures told a story about what was going on in the tribe at the time.
4. Call the students over to the reading circle and reads Byrd Baylor’s "When Clay Sings."
5. After reading the book, ask the students to describe their impressions of Native American life based on the story.
   "What were your initial thoughts while listening to the story?"
   "How did these pots tell us so much about their culture?"
   "Do you think it is a unique way to learn about culture?"
6. Explains to the students that by examining the pictures on the remains of the pots, they will learn about the beliefs, customs, and everyday lives of these people.
7. Asks the students, "Why didn’t Native Americans just write down their stories like we do today?
8. Explains that Native Americans did not use the alphabet we use today. They used pictures to represent what they wanted to say. These pictures were called pictographs.
9. Hands out a pictograph dictionary to each student, so that they can see what it is.

1. Tell students a brief story about Michigan Native Americans and then show them how to translate it using the pictograph dictionary.
2. Tell students that they will use pictographs to write a story, imagining themselves as tribal members.
3. The students will then transfer their story to a clay pot using black marker.
4. To determine if the students have mastered the lesson, each student will be able to list at least three ways to learn about culture. Students will also write their stories.
5. Check the students’ stories for correct grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.

Students will learn about other cultures, such as African Americans. Students will explore African American heritage. Also, the students will read the book "Tar Beach" by Louise Hamilton and will be able to give a short report about African American heritage.

I could also invite Native American community members (and/or parents of students) to discuss their jobs, daily lives, their culture, past times, and what it means to them to be an American Indian.

Megan Riesenberger

Unit: The Huron Indians

Lesson Title: Culminating Activity (Open House / Powwow Party)

1. To have students tie together all of the information that they have learned throughout the Native American lessons and activities.
2. To have students’ parents and families see what they have been doing in school.
3. To have students become "teachers" themselves by teaching their parents and families about the Huron Indians and making fry bread.

Rationale: Parents and families will come to the classroom and participate in a Native American powwow with their children. They will be aware of what has been going on in their child’s classroom, and will interact with their learning experiences.

1. Students will present materials and work that they have done throughout the unit.
2. Fry bread

• milk, flour, salt, skillet, baking powder, vegetable oil

Opener: Each student will show his or her favorite piece of work that was created or will share his or her favorite fact that was learned.

1. The last week of the unit, send home invitations to the open house with the students.
2. The day of the open house, open the presentation by explaining what has been learned throughout the unit, and what will be done at the open house/ powwow.
3. Have students show work or tell what their favorite fact or story about the Huron Indians has been.
4. Have students tell about the fry bread and pass out the bread as the teacher makes it.
5. The teacher will read "The Legend of the Dreamcatcher" while the parents and families eat their fry bread.
6. The students will show each of their dreamcatchers that they have made.

Wrap-Up: The parents will show what they have learned at the powwow.

Evaluation: The teacher will watch and listen to students as they interact with and "teach" their parents and families about the Huron Indians. After the open house has ended, the students will share what their favorite part of the powwow was.

1. Bonvillain, Nancy. The Huron. Ed. Frank W. Porter III. New York: Chelsea

House, 1989.

2. Carter, Forrest. The Education of Little Tree. University of New Mexico Press, 1976.

3. Doherty, Craig A., and Katherine M. Doherty. The Huron. Vero Beach:

Rourke Publications, 1994.

4. Erdos, Richard, and Alfonso Ortiz. American Indian Myths and Legends

5. McConnell, David B. Michigan’s Story. Hillsdale: Hillsdale Educational

6. http://falcon.jum.edu/ ramseyil/natauth.ntm.

Feathered headbands

Paper guns

Brown paper

Cardboard

Crayons

Drawing paper

Glue

Markers

Papermache supplies (newspaper, balloons, paste)

Sticks

String

Handouts given by teacher on Michigan history in the 1700’s

Map of Michigan / Map of United States

Article highlighted by teacher on germ warfare used against Native Americans

Videotape of Presidential debate

"When Clay Sings" by Byrd Baylor

Indian pictures writing books

Pictograph dictionary or book on pictographs

Modeling clay / clay pots

Fry bread supplies (milk, flour, salt, baking powder, vegetable oil, skillet)