Grade 4

Social Studies

Unit: 02 Lesson: 01

Lesson Synopsis:
Students use their prior learning about the geographic characteristics of the regions of Texas to explain the economic activities early American Indian groups in Texas used to meet their needs and wants. Students also look at contemporary American Indian groups in Texas.
TEKS:
4.1 / History. The student understands the origins, similarities, and differences of American Indian groups in Texas and North America before European exploration. The student is expected to:
4.1A / explain the possible origins of American Indian groups in Texas and North America
4.1B / identify American Indian groups in Texas and North America before European exploration such as the Lipan Apache, Karankawa, Caddo, and Jumano
4.1C / describe the regions in which American Indians lived and identify American Indian groups remaining in Texas such as the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo, Alabama-Coushatta and Kickapoo
4.7 / Geography. The student understands the concept of regions. The student is expected to:
4.7A / describe a variety of regions in Texas and the United States such as political, population, and economic regions that result from patterns of human activity
4.10 / Economics. The student understands the basic economic activities of early societies in Texas and North America. The student is expected to:
4.10A / explain the economic activities various early American Indian groups in Texas and North America used to meet their needs and wants such as farming, trading, and hunting
Social Studies Skills TEKS:
4.21 / Social studies skills. The student applies critical thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources, including electronic technology. The student is expected to:
4.21C / organize and interpret information in outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts, timelines, and maps
4.22 / Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:
4.22B / incorporate main and supporting ideas in verbal and written communication
4.22D / create written and visual material such as journal entries, reports, graphic organizers, outlines, and bibliographies;
Getting Ready for Instruction
Performance Indicator(s):
  • Complete a Venn Diagram comparing the economic activities of American Indian groups in Texas prior to European colonization. In a paragraph, explain how geographic factors influenced the economic activities. (4.1B; 4.7A; 4.10A; 4.22B, 4.22D) 1A, 1C; 5B

Key Understandings and Guiding Questions:
  • La geografía de un lugar influye en la manera en que viven las personas.
—¿Cuáles fueron los posibles orígenes de los grupos de indígenas en Texas y Norteamérica?
—¿Cuáles actividades económicas básicas usaron los primeros grupos de indígenas norteamericanos para satisfacer sus necesidades y gustos?
— ¿Cuáles actividades económicas básicas usan los grupos de indígenas norteamericanos de hoy en día para satisfacer sus necesidades y gustos?
Vocabulary of Instruction:
  • origen
  • región
/
  • actividad económica
  • comercio
/
  • gustos
  • necesidades

Materials:
  • Refer to the Notes for Teacher section for materials.

©2012, TESCCC04/04/13page 1 of 5

Grade 4

Social Studies

Unit: 02 Lesson: 01

Attachments:
  • Handout: Regions of Texas Map(1 per student)
  • Handout: Economic Patterns of Early Texas Indians(1 per student)
  • Handout: Reading Notes: The Economic Patterns of Early Texas Indians(1 per student)
  • Teacher Resource: Reading Notes: The Economic Patterns of Early Texas Indians KEY
  • Handout: Needs and Wants of Early Texas Indians(1 per student)
  • Teacher Resource: Needs and Wants of Early Texas Indians KEY
  • Handout: Venn Diagram: Economic Activities of Texas Indians(1 per student)
  • Teacher Resource: Venn Diagram-Economic Activities of Texas Indians KEY

Resources and References:
  • Texas Beyond History:
  • Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Indian Relations in Texas:
  • Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo – Tigua:
  • Kickapoo:
  • Texas Almanac:
  • Texas State Historical Association:

Advance Preparation:
  1. Become familiar with the content and procedures for this lesson.
  2. Refer to the Instructional Focus Document for specific content to include in the lesson.
  3. Select appropriate sections of the textbook and other classroom materials to support the learning in this lesson.
  4. Review the concept of economics.
  5. Preview materials and websites according to district policy.
  6. Display vocabulary words on a “word wall” to be used during the lesson.
  7. Print and prepare materials for the lesson.

Background Information:
In Unit 01 (Lesson 02), students applied the concept of economics to life in Texas today as they discussed economic activities in Texas and how geographic factors including climate, transportation, and natural resources influence those economic activities. In this lesson students now apply the concept of economics to a different situation, examining the economic activities of early American Indian groups in Texas (before European exploration).
Getting Ready for Instruction Supplemental Planning Document
Instructors are encouraged to supplement and substitute resources, materials, and activities to differentiate instruction to address the needs of learners. The Exemplar Lessons are one approach to teaching and reaching the Performance Indicators and Specificity in the Instructional Focus Document for this unit. Instructors are encouraged to create original lessons using the Content Creator in the Tools Tab located at the top of the page. All originally authored lessons can be saved in the “My CSCOPE” Tab within the “My Content” area.
Instructional Procedures
Instructional Procedures / Notes for Teacher
ENGAGE–Possible origin of American Indian groups / NOTE: 1 Day = 50 minutes
Suggested Day 1–10 minutes
  1. Organize students into pairs.
  1. Display the following question (white/black board, chart paper, document camera).
  2. Didthe first Americans arrive by land or sea?
  1. Provide each pairof students with a map of the Western Hemisphereor a map of the world showing the Pacific perspective.
  1. Students study the map and infer answers to the question above.Other possible resources could be provided to provide additional information regarding the topic (See Notes for Teachers and Background Information.)
  1. Students brainstorm questions related to the main question, and prepare to discuss the questions and possible answers.
  1. Share possible answers. Encourage students to support their ideas.
  2. After 3-5 minutes of brainstorming, allow each group to share unique questions (no repeats) and speculative answers to explain how American Indians could have possibly traveled to Texas (possible origins of American Indian groups in Texas and North America).
/ Materials:
  • map ofthe world centering on the Pacific Ocean (1 to display and 1 per pair of students)
Instructional Note:
There is no consensus, but much controversy, about the arrival of the first people. Study continues.
EXPLORE – Economic activities of early American Indian groups / Suggested Day 1 – 40 minutes
  1. Ask an introductory question such as:
  2. Once Indian groups arrived in North America, how did they survive?
  1. Review the economic concepts of needs and wants.
  1. Distribute to students:
  2. Handout: Economic Patterns of Early Texas Indians
  3. Handout: Reading Notes: Economic Patterns of Early Texas Indians
  4. Other appropriate classroom resources
  1. Students read the information and take notes on the Handout:Reading Notes: Economic Patterns of Early Texas Indians. Before reading, lead a strategy such as the SCAN strategy to help ensure students can comprehend the vocabulary in the reading. (To further facilitate the reading, the teacher could read the selection aloud.)
  1. Teacher circulates to support reading comprehension and to ensure students conclude that American Indian groups in Texas and North America met their needs and wants by farming, trading, and hunting.
  1. To deepen their understanding, students could read appropriate sections of their textbook or other materials. (This could be completed as homework.)
/ Attachments:
  • Handout: Economic Patterns of Early Texas Indians(1 per student)
  • Handout: Reading Notes: Economic Patterns of Early Texas Indians (1 per student)
  • Teacher Resource: Reading Notes: Economic Patterns of Early Texas IndiansKEY
Instructional Note:
The economic concepts of wants and needs were first introduced in Kindergarten and have been discussed each year since. (K.6: Needs: food, clothing, shelter; Needs can be met through means such as self-producing, purchasing, and trading)
Instructional Note:
  • Subsistence Economy: Their traditional lifestyle was a subsistence economy. A subsistence economy is one in which the people barely meet their everyday needs; it is an economy which is not based on money, in which buying and selling are absent or rudimentary though barter may occur, and which commonly provides a minimal standard of living.
  • SCAN strategy: students quickly scan through the reading and call out words with which they are unfamiliar. Teacher lists the words called out. When the list is complete, teacher pronounces each word and then provides a short, quick definition, leaving the list of words and definitions posted. The goal of the strategy is to remove difficult vocabulary from being a barrier to comprehending; the purpose is not to have students learn/memorize all the terms and definitions. The whole process should take 3-5 minutes at most.

EXPLAIN – Economic activities of early American Indian groups / Suggested Day 2 – 15 minutes
  1. Distribute the Handout: Needs and Wants of Texas Indians to each student.
  1. Working individually or in pairs, students use the knowledge they gained in Unit 1 (about the characteristics of regions of Texas) and the information gained in the Explore section above to identify how Texas Indians in each region met their needs and wants.
  1. Students label the geographic regions of Texas and label the location of Texas Indians in the region they lived before European exploration. They also identify how the Indian group met their needs and wants.
/ Attachments:
  • Handout: Needs and Wants of Texas Indians(1 per student)
  • Teacher Resource: Needs and Wants of Texas IndiansKEY
Instructional Note:
This activity reviews learning about Regions from Unit 1 and adds new information for this lesson.
EXPLORE–American Indian groups remaining in Texas / Suggested Day 2–35minutes
  1. Continue discussion about wants and needs of people in contemporary Texas.
  1. Students, working as individuals or in pairs, examine information about contemporary Indian groups, their way of life today, their economic activities, and how they meet their wants and needs. (Some possible, optional, suggested websites are listed in Notes for Teachers. There are many other resources available. Make sure to preview all websites according to district policy.)
  1. Students analyze how Texas Indians that live in Texas today meet their wants and needs.
  1. Facilitate a discussion about similarities and differences in societies from before European exploration and societies today.
  1. To deepen their understanding, students access additional appropriate sections of their textbook, other classroom resources, and appropriate web resources (including the K-12 databases) to learn about the American Indian groups remaining in Texas.
/ Materials:
  • research materials
  • index cards

EXPLAIN / Suggested Day 3 -15minutes
  1. Provide each student with an index card.
  1. On the index card, students write about how today’s Texas Indian groups meet their wants and needs.
/ Materials:
  • index cards (1 per student)

ELABORATE / Suggested Day 3– 35 minutes
  1. Students consider the effects of the environment on the lives of Texas Indian groups in the past and the effects of the environment on people living in Texas today.
  1. Facilitate a discussion where students prepare a list of information they would give a group of people planning to move to Texas to help them choose where to move.
  1. Include in the discussion opportunities for students to use what they have learned about Texas Indian groups (past and present) to support the Key Understanding by answering the Guiding Questions and providing supporting evidence.
  • The geography of a place influences how people live.
—What were the possible origins of American Indian groups in Texas and North America?
—What basic economic activities were used by early American Indian groups to meet their needs and wants?
—What basic economic activities are used by today’s American Indian groups to meet their needs and wants?
EVALUATE – Complete Venn Diagram and summarize / Suggested Day 4–50 minutes
  • Complete a Venn Diagram comparing the economic activities of American Indian groups in Texas prior to European colonization. In a paragraph, explain how geographic factors influenced the economic activities. (4.1B; 4.7A; 4.10A; 4.22B, 4.22D) 1A, 1C; 5B
  1. Students complete the Handout:Venn Diagram – Economic Patterns of Early Texas Indians, which compares the economic activities of American Indian groups in Texas prior to European colonization.
  1. Below the Venn Diagram (or on the back), studentsexplain how geographic factors influenced the economic activities in a paragraph.
  1. Students may use the information they gathered in earlier activities.
/ Attachments:
  • Handout: Venn Diagram – Economic Patterns of Early Texas Indians (1 per student)
  • Teacher Resource: Venn Diagram – Economic Patterns of Early Texas Indians KEY

©2012, TESCCC04/04/13page 1 of 5