Unit One: Early Americans

English Language Arts: We read many stories told by Native Americans. Katie made a Venn diagram comparing myths, legend, and fables.



Vocabulary Words: archaeology, caribou, fossil, native, nomad, stampede, sedentary, taiga, tundra


Health: We discussed nutrition and the food groups. Katie filled in a food pyramid with the foods in each category that the Native Americans ate. We gathered this information by reading lots of books about Native Americans. We noted that they did not eat any dairy. We later learned that when Europeans came to America they brought goats. The Native American people began using the goats milk to make cheese.

Social Studies: We began by reading about how the first people came into America and how scientists have obtained this knowledge. We learned how the Bering Strait was at times above water and how people walked across from Asia into America, probably following herds they were hunting. We read about the different Native American nations and the areas in Noth America where they lived. Katie labeled a US map to indicate the five regions: Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast, and Plains.

Science: We focused on farming and use of the soil. We studied the causes of soil erosion and learned that this was the number one casue of water pollution. We learned 5 ways to prevent soil erosion. We read a lot about corn, a staple of the Native Americans, and planted a corn kernel. We watched the root reach out while in a baggie with a wet paper towel/ After one week we planted it in soil. The next day the sprout poked out of the soil. By the second week the plant was taller than the cup and there were 2 leaves. In the book we read it says corn grows so fast that farmers say they can hear it growing. We are certainly discovering this to be true.

This is a diagram Katie made of the "Three Sisters". The Native Americans used this term for beans, corn, and squash. Katie explained at the top of her paper, "The corn plants support the bean stalks. The bean plants add nutrients to the soil. The squash blocked the weeds." It is amazing how much the Indians knew about how to support the soil and the best way to produce crops.

We also froze a bowl of water and then palced a large rock on top. We observed each day as the rock sank deeper into the ice. This science lab was to show how fossils became buried in ice. The pressure of the object lmelts the ice slightly allowing it to "sink", the ice then freezes around the object. Eventually the object is completely buried in the ice.

We listened to a CD of Native American music and also tried our hand at making a pot out of clay.

We did math problems online at www.aaamath.com, a site that divided the lessons and sample problems by grade level.

We visited the Farmers Market and bought some corn and some Indian corn. Katie took the ears apart and identifed each part of the plant. We planted both kinds of corn and the Indian corn is the one that sprouted above. We learned there are 4 kinds of corn: dent, Indian, sweet, and heirloom. Katie was able to tell what each kind was used for. Dent makes up 98% of the corn grown in the US and is used to feed animals and also for making gasoline and other products. Heirlom is special because it can grow in harsher conditions.

Books we read:

The Story of US book one by Joy Hakim

If you lived with the Iroquois by Ellen Levine

Life and times of corn by Charles Micucci

US Kids History: Book of the American Indians by Marlene Smith- Baranzini
The ealiest Americans by Helen Sattler

Family Math the middle years by Virginia Thompson

Everything you need to know about Americna history homework by Anne Zemen