Lesson Plan #: AELP-USH0209

Shelter of the Native American Tribes of the Eastern Woodlands Region

An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan

Submitted by: Kristin Klink
Email: klinkak@yahoo.com
School/University/Affiliation: University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Endorsed by: Mr. Bernard Poole
             University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

Date: January 28, 2001

Grade Level: 2, 3

Subject(s):

Duration: 30 minutes

Description: Students learn about the shelter used by many of the tribes that lived in the Eastern Woodlands region of the United States.

Goals: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (National Council for the Social Studies):

  1. Culture: Compare ways in which people from different cultures think about and deal with their physical environment and social conditions.
  2. Time, Continuity, & Change: Identify and use various sources for reconstructing the past, such as documents, letters, diaries, maps, textbooks, photos, and others.
  3. People, Places, & Environment: Describe how people create places that reflect ideas, personality, culture, and wants and needs as they design homes, playgrounds, classrooms, and the like.
  4. Individual Development & Identity: Work independently and cooperatively to accomplish goals.
Objectives:
  1. Students will be able to describe the composition of the structures that the Native American tribes of the Eastern Woodlands lived in.
  2. Students will work together in groups to construct a model of a wigwam. Students will be able to explain why they chose the materials they used and what each material represents.
Materials: Vocabulary:
  1. wigwam - n. American Indian conical shelter
  2. sapling - n. young tree; youth
Procedure:  
Anticipatory Set:
Ask students to recall what they learned about the tribes of the Eastern Woodlands in the lessons of the two previous days. Review the types of food that the tribes ate (wild rice, pumpkin, potatoes, beans, maize, squash, nuts, wild berries, and wild animals including deer, bear, beaver, and rabbit). Review the clothing that the tribes wore (made from animal skins to protect their bodies). Inform students that today they will be learning about the homes that the Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands lived in. Let students know that they will have an opportunity to build a model of these dwellings.

Begin the lesson by asking students to describe the houses that they live in. The students should talk about characteristics such as the rooms of their homes, the size of their homes, and the furniture in their homes. Describe the construction of a typical wigwam and draw comparisons between the students’ homes and this structure. 

Lesson Focus:
"The houses that the Native Americans in the Eastern Woodlands lived in were very different from your houses today. The Native Americans lived in houses called wigwams." Show a transparency of Native American men constructing a wigwam ( Author's Note: I got the transparencies of the inside and outside of a wigwam from sites on the Internet, listed below). 

"A family of Native Americans lived in a wigwam, which had only one room. Imagine living in one room with your parents and your brothers and sisters. There was no heat inside of a wigwam and no appliances. Also, there were no bathrooms or electricity. Imagine living in a wigwam without these things that you are used to having in your lives."

Explain how a wigwam is constructed. "The first step in building a wigwam is to gather saplings, which are small trees. The saplings are placed into small holes in the ground that have been marked off by the men. The holes are about two feet apart and form a circle. One end of the sapling is placed in a hole and the other end is placed in a hole directly across the circle from that hole. The saplings are tied together with basswood bark to form the dome shape of the wigwam. Once the sapling frame is finished, the men tie a few saplings together and attach the sapling rings to the frame for extra support. To complete the wigwam, the men cover it with large sheets of bark or sewn mats made from cattails or animal skin." 

Show a transparency of a wigwam. "The men leave a small hole in the roof to allow smoke to escape when a fire is built inside the wigwam. A mat made from bark or an animal hide was also attached to allow protection from bad weather. There is also a space left open to be used as a doorway, and it is also covered with a mat to keep rain and snow out." 

Show a transparency of the inside of a wigwam. "Inside the wigwam, the dirt floor was sometimes covered with evergreen branches for added warmth. The Native Americans slept on mats made from animal skins. Some wigwams had sleeping platforms attached to the side of them to allow the Native Americans to sleep off of the floor." 

Activity: Divide students into groups of three. Inform students that they will construct their own wigwam. (Leave a transparency of a wigwam on display for students to look at.) Remind the students about the class rules for group work. These rules include the following: use quiet voices, be respectful of every group member’s opinion, and try to answer questions in your group before asking the teacher. Students can use any of the materials provided in the craft corner to make their wigwam. Encourage students to be creative. When students are finished, someone from each group will explain to the class how the group constructed the wigwam. Give students about 20-25 minutes to work on their wigwams. Walk around the room to observe students to be certain that they are on task and working cooperatively.

[ Author's Note:  One of the main purposes of this activity is to have the children be creative with the materials that they use to build their wigwams. It is also important for the children to choose materials that represent parts of the wigwam, such as the saplings and pieces of bark. Some suggestions for materials to make available to the students include pipe cleaners, which could represent saplings, and popsicle sticks, which could be broken apart to represent pieces of bark. Other materials may include, but are not limited to, plastic bowls, brown paper bags, construction paper, various colors of yarn, glue, and tape. Each wigwam should be approximately 10 inches in diameter but not larger than 12 inches in diameter.]

Closure:
After all the groups have finished their wigwams, one child from each group will go to the front of the room and show his/her group's wigwam to the rest of the class. Ask the child to explain why his/her group chose the materials that they did. Also, the student should explain how the model wigwam is similar to a real wigwam. During this time, observe students to see if they understand the basic construction and components of a wigwam. After the lesson, display the wigwams in the room until the completion of the unit.

Assessment: Listen to the students describe their wigwams to determine if they learned about the basic makeup of a wigwam. Observe the children while they are working in groups to determine if they understand how to construct a wigwam.

Useful Internet Resources:
 * NativeTech - Scenes from the Eastern Woodlands
A Virtual Tour ~ Circa 1550 (Site contains sketches of wigwams.) 
http://www.nativetech.org/scenes/

* Northeast Wigwam
 Contains brief information about wigwams along with links to other Native American resources.
http://www.newigwam.com/