Perspectives on a New World: Inquiry in the Elementary Social Studies Classroom

Perspectives on a New World: Inquiry in the Elementary Social Studies Classroom

Lesson Overview

In this lesson students will examine the perspectives European settlers had of the native people of the New World. Students will analyze four sources from pre-revolutionary North America in order to conclude the factors that shaped perspectives European settlers had on the native people of the New World. In subsequent lessons students will analyze the effect those perspectives had on the treatment of Native Americans. This lesson closes with students concluding the factors that shaped European settlers’ perspectives on Native Americans. The unit as a whole culminates with students making connections between the factors that shaped the European perspectives and the way in which our perspectives on other cultures or subcultures are shaped in today’s society. Students will conclude the implications of those perspectives and develop a plan for civic action.

Compelling Question: What factors impacted the European settlers’ perspectives of Native Americans?

MD Voluntary State Curriculum Alignment

Standard 1.0 Political Science
5.1.A.1.a Describe how the European policies affected the interactions of explorers and colonists with Native Americans, such as the French and Indian War
Standard 2.0 People of the Nation and the World
5.2.A.1Describe the various cultures of colonial societies and how the environment influenced them
5.2.B.1Analyze how native societies were influenced by the diverse cultures of the explorers and settlers
Standard 3.0 Geography
5.3.B.1.b Describe how geographic characteristics of a place or region changed from early settlements through the colonial period
5.3.D.1.c Explain how colonists adapted to and modified their environments and how these modifications sometimes created environmental problems
Standard 4.0 Economics
5.4.A.1Explain that people made choices because resources were limited relative to economic wants for goods and services in Colonial America
Standard 5.0 History
5.5.A.1.b Evaluate the results of the interactions between European explorers and native peoples
5.5.A.2.b Analyze how key historical events impacted Native American societies
Standard 6.0 Social Studies Skills and Processes
Students shall use reading, writing, and thinking processes and skills to gain knowledge and understanding of political, historical, and current events using chronological and spatial thinking, economic reasoning, and historical interpretation, by framing and evaluating questions from primary and secondary sources.

Materials

Student Sources

Engagement Activity

Videos on perspectives
View and select one or two

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(Check the song on this video it. You may choose to show the video with song mutted)

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Virtual Jamestown Index of White Watercolors and De Bry Engravings
University of North Carolina

Source Documents:

Graphic Organizers

Artful Thinking Routines: Creative Questions Note Sheet
Supporting Questions

Source Analysis Recording Sheet

Inquiry Conclusions and Action Plan Thinking Map

Overarching Themes Assessment Rubric

Procedures:

Initiate the lesson by placing the word ‘Perspective’ on chart paper or on the board and ask students to define or provide examples of the term. Give students the annotative definition of perspective found at: and check for understanding.

Show several videos on perspective and allow students to discuss the implication of multiple perspectives on understanding an event or person from the past. Facilitate this discussion by showing one or two of the following video clips on perspectives

(Check the song on this video it. You may choose to show the video with song muted)

Discuss the concept of perspective and how it can impact how people

understand events.

Apply the concept of multiple perspectives by having students analyze one of John White’s first-hand account paintings of the native people of Roanoke and compare it to Theodore De Bry’s engraving of White’s account. The liberties De Bry took speak to the European perspective on Native American culture. Display or provide students access to the two pieces of artwork located at: There are links on the top of the webpage to enlarge each of the images that students are to compare.

Also connect to De Bry’s colored engraving and prompt participants to add to their thinking maps. Explain that this is the work produced by De Bry with the help of a colorist.

Utilize the Artful Thinking Creative Questions routine by explaining that students are to create wondering questions about the paintings using the question starters below. The questions should focus on students’ comparing and contrasting the two pieces of artwork.

What if….?
Why would…?
What might this tell me about…?
Reflect on the ideas we discussed. What do you still wonder?

Allow students time to discuss each of the questions on the Artful Thinking Routines: Creative Questions note sheet as well as take notes.

Sample responses:

What if….?

De Bry had gone to the New World?
other people saw De Bry’s version?

Why would…?

De Bry make the people so much bigger?
De Bry give the people blond hair?
De Bry make another version?
De Bry add so much more food to his version?
White say about De Bry’s version?
the Native Americans say about De Bry’s version?

What might this tell me about…?

the people who never traveled to the New World?
he native people living in the New World

Ask students to share their questions and thoughts about the two images. Ask students what factors might have led two artists to depict North American natives in such different manners. List student responses on the board.

Explain that John White’s painting on the left is a first-hand account of the culture of the native people living in the New World, while the one on the right are Theodore De Bry’s version created from White’s painting.

Introduce students to the compelling question: What factorsshaped European settlers’ perspectives on Native Americans? Unpack the compelling question as a whole group making sure students understand the all of the ideas packed into the question.

Students can create supporting questions to help guide their research into the factors that shaped European settlers’ perspectives on Native Americans and the effects that those perspectives had.

Note: Although students will provided all necessary source documents, allowing them time to developing supporting questions will help them scaffold the ideas behind the compelling questions as well as provide an opportunity to develop a schema for the inquiry topic.

Place students into 4 productive work groups and provide them with the appropriate source document as well as a copy of the Source Analysis Recording Sheet. Instruct students to analyze one source document in order to answer the compelling and supporting questions and have them record their findings using the Source Analysis Recording Sheet.

Prompting students to analyze the information they gathered through the social studies disciplines.
Explain that human events, both in our past and our present, are caused by, and have an impact on, political, geographic, and economic situations.
Direct students to go back through your thinking map looking through the lens of each of those disciplines and label the evidence on your thinking map:
G=geography
E=economy
PG=politics and government
How did economic, political, and/or geographic factors help to shape the way European settlers’ perspectives of Native Americans?

Note to Teacher: The analysis of the following sources rely heavily on reading as well as on speaking and listening skills. It is essential to group students in a way that these skills will be enhanced and supported. Speaking and listening skills must be taught explicitly before beginning an inquiry based lesson.
Note to Teacher:Support productive groups just enough to keep them engaged. It is important to allow students time to struggle through this analysis. Some students may feel a sense of frustration. At this point offer encouragement but refrain from leading them to a predetermined conclusion. Scaffolding suggestions include:

Return to the compelling question and unpack it again

Use a source such as rewordify.com to modernize the language of primary sources

Chunk pieces of the text and remind students to annotate the text or to make their thinking visible by leaving tracks of their thinking for each chunk of text

Read the text aloud or group struggling readers with strong readers. This is not to suggest stronger readers hold the responsibility of the group’s work. Often, when we give our struggling readers access to the text and keep our expectations for the speaking and listening aspect of the assignment high, we find that our struggling students are productive group members

Help students scaffold their thinking by chunking each part of the thinking map and asking “What words in the text tell us what the Europeans thought of the Native Americans?” so on and so forth

Direct students to specific words and phrases in the text and ask a close reading question (i.e. what does this phrase tell us about the perspective of the English settlers?)

Jigsaw group members so they can share their findings and evidence from their research.

Draw conclusions about the factorsthat shaped European settlers perspectives of Native Americans by having students discuss the factors that shaped European settlers from most to least influential. Direct students to record information on the remaining rows of their Source Analysis Recording Sheet.

Jigsaw groups will move on together with the final phase of inquiry. The goal of this phase is to give students an opportunity to draw conclusions from all of the source documents used in class and to come to consensus about the factors that shaped European settlers’ perspectives of Native Americans.Group members will discuss the conclusions they came to based on their source document.

1.)Each student will share a brief summary of his or her source documents and the conclusions drawn.

2.)Students will then complete the first box on the Inquiry Conclusions sheet.

Long Range Plan:

1.)At this point students will move through lessons on both the Jamestown and Plymouth settlement. Students should study the interactions between the settlers and the Native Americans to conclude the immediate impact of those interactions.

2.)At the conclusion of the unit students will consider the impact of the perspective European setters had on Native Americans. They will return to the Inquiry Conclusions and Action Plan sheet to complete the second box.

3.)Finally, students will be prompted to reflect on the implications of what they have learned have on our society today. Students will work in productive groups to complete the third and final boxes on the Inquiry Conclusions sheet.

4.)Teachers will need to provide the following in order to provide students with an opportunities to engage as active citizenship:

Time to develop and execute action plan
Access to resources appropriate for their action plan. Consider:
contacts to community members, leaders, and/or public media
additional sources to research a current event connected to the event or problem
technology to create public relations materials
Use the Overarching Themes Writing Rubric as a framework for creating differentiated culminating activity rubrics.

Inquiry Conclusions and Action Plan Thinking Map

In what ways did the European settlers’ perspective of native Americans impact each group?
In what ways might your conclusions relate to a real world problem today? In other words, how might we use this understanding to help our school, our local community, or larger society?
How might you communicate your findings and ideas? What are some possible ways to take action?

Inquiry Conclusions and Action Plan Thinking Map

What factors shaped the European settlers’ perspectives
In what ways did the European settlers’ perspective of native Americans impact each group?
In what ways might your conclusions relate to a real world problem today? In other words, how might we use this understanding to help our school, our local community, or larger society?
How might you communicate your findings and ideas? What are some possible ways to take action?

Perspectives on a New World

Source 1 : Jacques Cartier’s Second Voyage to the St. Lawrence River and Interior of “Canada,” 1535-1536…”

Background: In 1534, France’s king authorized the navigator Jacques Cartier to lead a voyage to the New World in order to seek gold and other riches, as well as a new route to Asia. Cartier’s three expeditions along the St. Lawrence River would later enable France to lay claim to the lands that would become Canada. This excerpt was taken from Cartier’s second trip and was written by JehanPoullet, a sailor on the voyage, from his and Cartier’s journals.
See, Think, Wonder / …[These] people has no belief in God that amounts to anything; for they believe in a god they call Cudouagny, and maintain that he often [communicates] with them and tells them what the weather will be like. They also say that when he gets angry with them, he throws dust in their eyes…
See, Think, Wonder / After they had explained these things to us, we showed them their error and informed them that their Cudouagny was a wicked spirit who deceived [lied or tricked] them; and that there is but one God [the God of Christianity], Who is in Heaven, Who gives us everything we need and is the Creator of all things and that in Him alone we should believe. Also that one must receive baptism or perish in hell.

What did the European’s believe about the Indians?

Perspective
“European settlers think the natives are…” OR
“Europeans viewed the natives as…” / Conclusions about factors that shaped perspective
“European settlers think this because…”

Anticipated Student Response: Perspective=Europeans see Indians as uncivilized because of their non-Christian religious beliefs

Source Analysis Recording Sheet

Compelling Question: What factors shaped European settlers’ perspectives on Native Americans?

Directions: Your productive group will analyze two documents. Your group will read, analyze, and discuss the document as they relate to the compelling and supporting questions. Use the chart on the following pages, as well as the space above, to record information. Remember to include evidence for your conclusions.

Source# / Perspective
“European settlers think the natives are…”
OR
“Europeans viewed the natives as…” / Conclusions about factors that shaped perspective
“European settlers think this because…”

Perspectives on a New World

Source 2: FIRST ENCOUNTERS of the HO-CHUNK NATION and the FRENCH

Background: This aaccount is of the first contact of the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) with explorer Jean Nicolet in Green Bay in 1634, and the later marriage of a French soldier to the daughter of a Ho- Chunk chief, as related in the early twentieth century to ethnologist Paul Radin who was studying Native Americans.
See, Think, Wonder / …the French landed their boats and came ashore and extended their hands [offered to shake hands] to the Winnebago, and the Indians put tobacco in their hands. The French, of course, wanted to shake hands with the Indians. They did not know what tobacco was, and therefore did not know what to do with it. Some of the Winnebago poured tobacco on their heads, asking them for victory in war. The French tried to speak to them, but they could not, of course, make themselves understood.
See, Think, Wonder / After a while [the French] discovered that [the Indians] were without tools, so they taught the Indians how to use an ax and chop a tree down. The Indians, however, were afraid of it, because they thought that the ax was holy. Then the French taught the Indians how to use guns, but they held aloof [afraid to touch the guns] for a long time through fear, thinking that all these things were holy. Suddenly a Frenchman saw an old man smoking and poured water on him. [The French] knew nothing about smoking or tobacco….

What did the European’s believe about the Indians?

From: Source: Kellogg, Louise P. (editor). Early Narratives of the Northwest, 1634-1699. (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1917).Pages 11-16; online facsimile edition at .

Anticipated Student Response: Perspective=Europeans see Indians as uncivilized because of the Indians lack of technology.

Source Analysis Recording Sheet

Compelling Question: What factors shaped European settlers’ perspectives on Native Americans?

Directions: Your productive group will analyze two documents. Your group will read, analyze, and discuss the document as they relate to the compelling and supporting questions. Use the chart on the following pages, as well as the space above, to record information. Remember to include evidence for your conclusions.

Perspectives on a New World

Source 3: Reasons for the Plantation in New England, 1628.

John Winthrop was a wealthy EnglishPuritanlawyer and one of the leading figures in the founding of theMassachusetts Bay Colony, the first major settlement in what is nowNew EnglandafterPlymouth Colony. Winthrop led the first large wave of migrants from England in 1630, and served as governor for 12 of the colony's first 20 years of existence.
See, Think, Wonder / Objection I — We have no warrant [reason or permission] to enter upon that land, which has been so long possessed [occupied] by others.
Answer 1:
That which lies common [unused and not owned]…is free to any that possess and improve it… As for the natives in New England, they enclose[own or farm] no land, neither have they[settled down and started villages or towns], nor any tame cattle to improve the land by, and so have no other but a natural right to those countries. So if we leave them sufficient for their own use, we may lawfully take the rest, there being more than enough for them and for us.
Answer 2:
We shall come in with the good [feelings] of the natives, who find benefit already of our [living near them] and learn from us to improve [their land]…
Answer 3:
God hath consumed the natives with a great plague in those parts, so as there be few inhabitants left.

What did the European’s believe about the Indians?