Grade: 3
Unit: Wampanoag Tribe
Goal: (*Enduring Understanding)
Students will discover the Wampanoags relied greatly on the land and used resources from the natural environment for survival.*
Students will assess information from an interview with a Wampanoag and identify important information about the tribe.
Students will summarize information and present it to their peers.
Essential Question:
What natural resources did the Wampanoags rely on for survival?
How were these resources utilized?
Resources:
Interview with “Fast Turtle” (see references)
Development and
Selection of Activities:
¨ Students will be given a selection from an interview with “Fast Turtle”.
¨ Students will work in small groups to become experts on the information they read. Information will be recorded onto a piece of paper with group members’ names on it.
¨ Students will present their information to the class at the end of the period.
Content:
¨
The Wampanoags were
¨ Wampanoag means “People of the First Light”.
¨ Communication consisted of spoken words and symbols. Drums and smoke signals were also used.
¨ The Wampanoags got food and clothing from the animals they hunted; included bear, deer, rabbit, skunk, squirrel, moose, birds etc. They also grew vegetables (“Three Sisters”- corn, beans, squash) and fished.
¨ Herbs and roots were used for medicine and preservatives.
¨ Grass and leaves were used as toilet paper. Mint leaves were used to brush teeth. Baths were taken in ponds/lakes, and showers were taken when it rained.
¨ Water sources were rivers and underground springs.
¨ Children learned by watching their elders. They were taught what was necessary for survival.
¨ Bows and arrows, and clubs were used for hunting and for protection.
¨ Tools were made out of things that were available from nature.
¨ Wampanoags hunted only when there was a need for food. They were respectful for anything that had life.
¨ Canoes made from wood were used for water transportation.
¨ Wampanoags made clay pottery. This was used for cooking pots, jewelry, etc.
¨ Wampanoags lived in “wetus”, also known as wigwams. They also used longhouses for shelter.
¨ Wampanoags practiced Wampanoag Spiritualism- they believe in the bounties of Mother Earth and thank the animals, plants, winged ones, and the fish.
¨ Many celebrations came at the change of seasons.
Curriculum Standard:
“…Interpret, use, and communicate the information…”
“Identify the Wampanoags… and describe their way of life.”
*This unit
focuses on the Wampanoags before the Pilgrims
arrived. Information learned from this
unit will provide
background knowledge for the complete HSS LS 3.2. Therefore only part of this
standard is being
met.*
Assignment:
How will the
understanding of the essential question be assessed?
¨ Students will be assessed according to their presentation and written work.
¨ Each student will be assessed, individually, according to participation in the presentation.
¨ Students will receive a group grade for accuracy of information and its relevance to the topic of natural resources and resource utilization.
¨ Written work will be collected and graded under the same standards as the presentation.