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Summary and Objective
Students will understand that Native Amerincans wisely used, honored and shared their natural resources. Students will look at a variety of natural raw materials and guess the ways that Native Americans would have used them in the period before the European settlers arrived.
Teaching Plan
Step 1.
Students will examine a variety of natural raw materials such as stone, wood, clay, shell, animal and plant materials etc. and then brainstorm the ways they could have been used by Native Americans. How are the same resources used today? Can you find any objects made of clay, bone, shell, stone, wood or leather?
Step 2.
Classroom discussion would center around the following guestions: What does the word resource mean? What are raw materials? Who are the Native Americans? Can you identify these natural raw materials? What are some ways they can be used? What other raw materials might they have used?
Step 3.
Read the story "Giving Thanks, A Native American Good Morning Message," by Chief Jake Swamp, or a similiar story relating to natural resources. Discussion questions: What did these resources mean to Native Americans? What are they thankful for? How did they get their food, clothing, medicine, shelter etc.?
Step 4.
Looking at the pictures of Native artifacts from the American Centuries Website, have students guess the natural materials used to create each item. What was each item used for? Where might they find the raw materials? Have each student choose an object from the website to draw.
Step 5.
Follow up activities: Visit a local museum that displays Native American artifacts and look for items used by local Native Americans. Draw pictures of these items. What raw materials or natural resources were used to make them?
Step 6.
Addtional follow-up activities: Using clay, make models of Native American artifacts. Make corn husk dolls. Read other related Native American stories and legends.
Step 7.
Additional Resource Materials: "The Abernake People and the Bounty of the land," "Gift of the Forest; The Abernaki Bark and Root," by Frederick M. Wiseman, PH.D and "Indian Handcrafts," by C.Keith Wilbur.
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