Class Lesson

During this First Peoples of the American West lesson, students will answer the question: How does your environment influence your way of life? Students will answer this question by learning about how the environments in the Great Plains, Northwest Coast, and Southwest regions influence the way some of the Native American communities in these regions live as they analyze images from the Autry Museum, answer questions, draw, read, and write. Students will also be invited to share with others the environment that they live in through drawing and writing.

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Standards

CA HSS: 5.1.1; 5.1.2; 5.1.3

CA VA: Re7.2

CA VA: Cr2.3

CA VA: Cn10

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Lesson and Resources

Lesson: First Peoples of the American West: English

Lesson: First Peoples of the American West: Spanish

Student Response Sheet: First Peoples of the American West: English

Student Response Sheet: First Peoples of the American West: Spanish

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Associated Education Resources

• Curriculum: Tending Nature STEAM Curriculum Project
• Lesson: Art and Activism - Desert Communities
• Lesson: Art and Activism - Gold Rush
• Lesson: Super Indians - Superheroes
• Lesson: When I Remember I See Red - American Indian Art and Activism in California Art Analysis
• Video: Pomo Genocide
• Video: The Story of Mabel McKay
• Webinar: Tongva - The First Peoples of Los Angeles

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Teaching Tips for Different Learning Environments

Whole Class In-Person Learning:

Activate - Activate students’ prior knowledge by asking them questions.

• Ask the whole class to share what they know about different kinds of environments.

Investigate - Have students investigate by analyzing images, answering questions, reading, and writing.

• SECTION A: INTRODUCTION – Read the INTRODUCTION and complete the mapping activity with the whole class.

• SECTION B: PARTS 1-3 – Read PARTS 1-3 with the whole class and complete the activities together.

• SECTION C: PARTS 1-3 – Divide the whole class into partners or small groups. Ask the partners or small groups to complete PARTS 1-3. Then have a whole class discussion about the students’ answers to the questions in PARTS 1-3.

• SECTION D: PARTS 1-3 – Ask the students to complete PARTS 1-3 independently. Then have a whole class discussion about the students’ answers to the questions in PARTS 1-3.

• SECTION E: PART 1 – Ask the students to complete PART 1 independently. Then have a whole class discussion about the students’ answers to the questions in PART 1.

Create - Have students create by writing a paragraph.

• SECTION E: PART 2 – Ask the students to complete PART 2 independently.

Relate - Have students relate by making connections to their own lives through drawing and writing.

• SECTION E: PARTS 3-6 – Ask the students to complete PARTS 3-6 independently.

Demonstrate - Have students demonstrate their learning by sharing their work with others.

• SECTION E: PARTS 3 & 6 – Ask the students to share PARTS 3 & 6 with a partner, small group, or the whole class.

Whole Class Distance Learning:

• Follow the Whole Class In-Person Learning instructions.
• Students can demonstrate their learning by posting PARTS 3 & 6 of SECTION E for others to view through Padlet or Flipgrid.