Lesson Plan: Native American Settlement of New York

Danielle Bright
Molloy College

Danielle Bright Professor: Moroney
Course: EDU 521 Date: May 6, 2014
Grade: 4 Topic: Native Americans Content Area: Social Studies

Native American Settlement and Survival of New York
4
th
Grade Social Studies


Lesson Objective
After participating in various map skill activities and watching a video about landforms, students
will be a fact sheet and construct a picture book demonstrating at least five accurate facts that
reflect Native American settlement and survival.

CCLS /+ NYS Standards and Indicators
Common Core Standards

ELA & Literacy Standard (CCS): Writing Grade 4; Key Ideas and Details (W.8) (Social
Studies)
Students will recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from
print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.

Indicator: This will be evident when students categorize information on Native American food,
shelter and settlement location characteristics based on their readings and completed fact sheet.

Social Studies Standard (NYS) #1: History of the United States and New York
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major
ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New
York.

Indicator: This will be evident when students respond to their reading about a specific Native
American tribe. They will draw facts from the reading that demonstrates the development of
early settlement groups in the New York State region.

Social Studies Standard (NYS) #3: Geography
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the
geography of the interdependent world in which we live local, national, and global
including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earths surface.

Indicator: This will be evident when students participate in a class discussion reviewing a New
York State map worksheet that depicts the different locations of the Native American tribes and
their settlements throughout the state.

ISTE Standards for Students: #1: Creativity and Innovation
Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.

Indicator: This will be evident when students create their own picture book representing the
different aspects of Native American settlement and survival.


Engaging the learner(s)
The motivation for students will be in the form of a video. Students will watch a brief video on
different types of landforms. Students will be prompted with a few questions that they will
respond to. Students will be presented with this prompt: What types of landforms do you think
are here in New York state? Where do you think Native American settlements were located? Why
would Native Americans settle near certain types of landforms?
This will lead to a class discussion on Native American settlement and locations.


Materials
Computer/Smartboard
Large map of New York State
Pins (to be placed on large map)
Student Making Connections
homework sheet; see attached
Poster board
Markers and colored pencils
Picture sheet of food, shelter, and tools; see attached
Scissors/glue sticks
Blank picture books


Learning Strategies
Use of KWL chart, direct instruction, teacher demonstration, modeling, whole group discussions,
cooperative learning, and independent practice.

Exceptionality
For the student who is easily distracted, the teacher will provide positive reinforcement when this
student demonstrates good behavior towards other students. The teachers will call this student up
to the board to actively participate in the class discussion and to point things out on the map.
This will allow for movement out of his/her seat and help
maintain the students focus on the task.

For the student who has issues with transition and/or environmental changes, a schedule will be
written on the board and one will also be provided for that students desk.

Differentiation of Instruction
Students who may work at a slower pace with certain activities because of reading and/or writing
deficits will be given the proper amount of time allotted in order to ensure successful completion
of the map skills exercise.

Students who are kinesthetic learners will be able to come up to the board and share their
responses during the poster activity.

Students who are visual learners will be shown several pictures on a power point presentation to
supplement the reading activity. In addition, these students will complete
a picture book to reference the lessons material.

Developmental Procedures
1) Students will view a brief video Learning Landforms.
o This will be followed by a class discussion about the importance and different advantages
and/or disadvantages of landforms.
2) Students will be presented with question prompts (What types of landforms do you think are
here in New York state? Where do you think Native American settlements were located? Why
would Native Americans settle near certain types of landforms?)
3) Students will learned about Cardinal Directions and complete an activity worksheet on using
these map skills to navigate.
4) After the directions worksheet is completed, students will learn about various geographic
features of New York state and different settlement characteristics of the Native Americans.
5) Next, students will independently complete a picture book about Native American
settlement and survival characteristics. Students will cut and paste pictures from the
My Picture Book worksheet into a blank book.
6) The lesson will conclude with students taking a few minutes to share their picture books with
the teachers while they walk around the room as an informal assessment.



Artifacts & Assessment (formal & informal)
The students will work in groups to complete a fact sheet and independently complete a picture
book about specific Native American tribes of New York State. After completion, students will
successfully demonstrate at least five accurate facts that reflect Native American settlement and
survival.

Independent Practice
For homework, students will complete the Making Connections worksheet consisting of
questions relating to their completed fact sheets. Students will answer all the questions. This will
be reviewed in class the following day. For the focus learners, an alternate worksheet will be
provided with matching questions and answers and questions with a word bank answer.


Follow Up: Direct Teacher Intervention and Academic Enrichment
Direct Teacher Intervention: The student, under direct instruction with the teacher, will work on
a crossword puzzle with facts about the Native American tribes to reinforce the settlement
patterns and survival tactics used by the Native Americans of New York.

Academic Enrichment: The student will chose a tribe and write a diary entry from the
prospective of a Native American in that tribe, describing the day in the life of that individual.



TEACHER REFERENCES

1. Friend, M. & Bursuck, W. (2012). Including Students with Special Needs. NJ: Pearson
Education, Inc.
2. Tomlinson, C. (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms.
3. Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
4. Website: http://www.engageny.org
5. Website: www.nysed.gov
6. Website: www.native-languages.org
7. Website: www.google.com/images
8. Website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FItlStGMY4