Unit-1 Pre-Colonial Era (Global Heritage of the American People Prior to 1500) / Lesson # 1-6 / Duration: 1 week
Table of Contents- AQ’s
Lesson 1: How do historians research the past? (Why learn about history?)(Skill: Using Primary and Secondary Sources)
Lesson 2: Why did early people migrate to North America?
Lesson 3: What early civilizations existed in Mesoamerica and South America? (Skill: Chronology)
Lesson 4: What early societies developed in North America and other parts of the world? (Skill: Cause and Effect)
Lesson 5: How were these ancient civilizations similar or different? (Skill: Compare and Contrast)
Lesson 6: What changes in society encouraged people to change their ways of life? (Skill: Outlining and Note-taking- Drawing Conclusions)
Lesson 7: What contributions did these civilizations have on our history?
Essential Question: / Guiding Questions
Why do our ways of life change? / What is a migration?
Why do people/species migrate?
How do scientists believe people migrated to North America?
How does our environment impact our ways of life?
How did climate change affect early people’s migration?
How did moving to a new place change the way of life for early people in North America?
What is chronology?
How did early native groups use their environment to sustain their way of life?
What habits and methods did each group develop to sustain their way of life?
What factors separate us into cultural areas?
What is a civilization?
How did geography affect the development of these societies?
What types of cultural system did they develop?
What types of societies developed? (Characteristics)
What contributions did these civilizations make on our world?
Unit/Lesson Summary Description / Performance Indicators (NYS SS)
This unit is designed to introduce students to the early cultures that existed in the Americas prior to colonization. Students will learn about the culture and societies that developed, how they developed, what factors influenced their development, and how/why these societies changed over time. Students will apply core thinking skills to understand the impact of environmental change on human history.
NYS Standard 1.1a, 1.3a, 1.4b, 2.1a
Thematic Strands: I) Culture , II) Time, Continuity, and Change / 1.2b: investigate key turning points in New York State and United States history and explain why these events or developments are significant
1.3a: complete well-documented and historically accurate case studies about individuals and groups who represent different ethnic, national, and religious groups, including Native American Indians, in New York State and the United States at different times and in different locations
1.3b: gather and organize information about the important achievements and contributions of individuals and groups living in New York State and the United States
Objectives: Students will be able to / Performance Indicators/Standards: (EFS)
a. Explain how historians use primary and secondary sources to study history
b. Explain how scientists believe early Americans migrated to North America- describe what caused this migration.
c. Discuss important environmental factors that have affected our development into societies
d. Identify important contributions made by ancient civilizations in the Americas.
e. Use chronology to organize information
f. Discuss and explain how understanding cause and effect is important to understanding how major changes in human history occur.
g. Compare and Contrast the ways of life of different Native American groups / EFS D.2 Illustrate their understanding of the relationships between ecological, economic, and social systems.
EFS F.3 Provide examples of the dependence of humans on our shared natural resource base for life, sustenance, and a suitable quality of life. (Food, shelter, health, aesthetics).
EFS C. 28- Define how their own (or other peoples) actions affect the systems they are in.
EFS C.29 Demonstrate an understanding of how one event can influence another.
Essential Vocabulary: Content Area: Migration, Culture, Region, Hunter-gatherer, pueblos, kivas, totem, teepees, confederation
Vocab. Terms: Develop, influence, Sustenance (Sustain), Cause/Effect, contribution.
Materials:
Social Studies textbook, textbook maps, handouts, smart-board, landscape photographs- Past (pre-Columbian; colonization; industrialization), Present. Reading handouts.
Learning Opportunities Summary
Activities: 1. Researching time and chronology-creating timelines– sequencing events on a timeline. Students will research for information on important events during the pre-Columbian era and create a chronology of these events. As such students will be asked to look for patterns and changes that have developed and why these patterns are occurring.
2. Image analysis- decoding images (graphs, cartoons, photos)- Students will compare and contrast images of ancient civilizations and communities to today’s. What are the changes over time? How has our way of life changed? What were the positive and negative changes? How have these changes affected our ways of life?
3. Map Analysis- Reading maps, legends, symbols, and scales (Aztec, Inca, and Maya civilizations) Students will view maps of the areas where these civilizations developed: measure the area and size using the map scale; use the map legend to read the map and articulate the type of information the map shows. Students will also interpret and analyze the map to determine why these civilizations settled in these areas-( migration patterns)- looking for patterns
4. Cause and Effect Analysis- understanding what happens and why it happens. Students will analyze and interpret events to determine the underlying “cause” and the results or effects (social, environmental, cultural)
5. Drawing conclusions- note-taking- students will read for information, summarize and outline major ideas and use these ideas to form a conclusion or understanding about what they are reading.
Closing Assessments:
a. Formative Assessments- Applied Learning: Students will construct a reflective writing piece that illustrates their knowledge and understanding of continuity and the impact of change.
Journal Entries: Topics
1. Why is it important to learn about our beginnings? What can the past teach us about today?
  1. How does where we live affect how we live? (Human-Environment interaction)
  2. How did native groups use their environment to sustain their way of life?
  3. How do their ways of life differ from ours? How did these groups interact with their environment as compared to us today?
  4. What important contributions did these civilizations make to society? How have they made your lives a little different?
Overall Reflection: How did these cultures develop? How did these societies meet the needs of their own survival? How have we met the needs of our survival? How can we continue to survive in our changing environment? What changes do we need to make?
b. Summative Assessments
1)Test
2) Research Based Project- Investigate the way of life of a particular Native American group Create a research paper describing where they lived, how they lived, their way of life- customs, traditions, and interactions with other groups and their environment.