Lesson Plan
Middle School
Kimberly de Berzunza
kdeberzunza@sandi.net
Longfellow Spanish Immersion Magnet School
5055 July St
CA
San Diego, CA 92110
Cooperative Learning
1-2 class periods
English Language Arts: Visual organization of text, comparison of primary and secondary sources on same topic
In this lesson students will organize a large number of events involving American Indians* over a period of 400 years into a timeline of presidencies and the colonial era. The teacher has the option of making this a whole-class, small group, partner, or independent lesson.
The purpose of this lesson is to see how American Indians were affected by Colonial and U.S. attitudes and policies over time, leading up to Indian Removal in the mid-nineteenth century.
*I usually use the terms "American Indians" or "Indians" instead of "Native Americans," because they are most recently the preferred terminology. In fact, my Indian friends have told me that they prefer "Indian" unless you can name the tribe, in which case that is the best option.
This lesson is intended to follow a lesson more specifically on the Indian Removal Act and the "Trail of Tears." Students should already have some background on this policy and President Jackson, but beyond that, this lesson could stand alone or be a part of a larger unit or series of lessons on Indian policy.
California Standards for History/Social Studies:
(CA H/SS) Historical Thinking:
Common Core Standards:
The purpose of this lesson is to help students see that Indian policy, especially that of Indian "Removal" or "Resettlement," did not start with Andrew Jackson, but rather began with the earliest colonists. It is also to help students visually and mentally review and synthesize a long timespan of facts relating to American Indians since the early Colonial period.
This lesson was more broadly a result of earlier lessons on Thomas Jefferson's attitudes and policies toward Indians, and how these affected later policies.
Review/Quick-write or Pair-share:
Give students 5 minutes to write about the following prompt. (Alternative: have students discuss with a partner.)
Write everything you know about how Andrew Jackson felt about and treated the Indians (Native Americans.)
After students have written/discussed, invite a few to share out their thinking. Be sure to ask them to provide rationale for their thoughts, but don't spend too much time on this step today. The purpose is just to review and get students ready for this day's work.
Introduction/Instructions: Ask students, Do you think Andrew Jackson was the one to create the Indian Removal Act? What it his original idea? Elicit student responses. Responses may be varied, depending on students' background, but leave it open at this time. After a few students have responded, continue:
Today you/we will look at a variety of events, writings, and policies involving the Indians during our history. You will organize these events into a timeline I will give you organized by presidencies. At the end of this work we will discuss as a class what it all means.
The teacher has several options as to how to proceed in Step 3.
However you decide to physically organize this activity for your class, students will be sorting events into the graphic organizer of the presidencies (with the Presidents' portraits on it.) If you choose for them to do this independently, they may have to complete it for homework, as there are so many events. It is probably preferable to group students into groups of 4.
Whole class discussion/synthesis:
Once all events have been sorted, hold an open-ended discussion with the class. You might ask questions like:
What do you notice?
Why do you think it looks this way?
What does this tell you about the different presidencies and Indian policy over time?
Was the Indian Removal Act President Jackson's idea? Students should be able to provide clear evidence for their answers, especially for this last question. After discussion, you may want to make this last question an essay topic.
You will need to make copies of the handouts listed above. How many you need depends on how you decide to have students work on this lesson (See Procedures.)
Assuming you make copies of the timeline (6+ pages), you will also need to cut each strip and place each complete set into envelopes. It is important to do this step, because initially it is already in order, and part of the thinking work is in the sorting. Another option would be to sort it electronically yourself (create yourself a new document) so events are OUT of order. Either way, this will take you some time.
If you choose the whole-class option, you will only need one set of the long timeline, but you will need to create a large version of the presidential graphic organizer for use in the front of the class (on butcher paper or a white board).
You will need glue sticks for most options.
You may need scissors, if you opt to have the students do the cutting.
See bibliography/links in worksheets for more informational resources.
Teacher computer
Printer
Copier
Possibly: Student computers
If you choose to have each student complete this assignment independently, it will probably need to be completed as homework.
Otherwise, homework could be a short essay on the question:Was the Indian Removal Act Jackson's Idea?Students would be expected to include evidence from the work done in class for their opinion in this writing.
A proficientresponse will show that:
An advancedresponse will include 1-4, plus a clear and compelling connection to the twentieth century and today. How have earlier Indian policies and attitudes of the United States and Colonial American governments affected Indians even today?
This lesson is designed with a variety of options for the teacher to best match the needs and abilities of the class and the materials available. It is already designed as a cooperative learning experience, which should help all learners access the curriculum and participate relatively equally.
If the majority of the class struggles with reading, English language, or task completion, then this is a lesson that should be completed as a whole class (Option 1). The teacher can type the responses on a screen, or students can drag information to the right boxes if the whiteboard is interactive, or they can walk to the front and paste the strip of paper in the right space. The important part of this lesson is organizing the data and using this process to understand a bigger picture: that Indian policies started with the first colonists.
If you have a few very advanced learners, or a whole class-full, then they should probably do this lesson independently. In that case, I recommend copying and modifying the timeline so the information will be out of order, and giving it to students in whole pages or digitally. It will save time in the long-run and be less frustrating.
These are the students who should be able to write the essay for homework at the Advanced level.