Pre Activities - (Let the River Go - What's Your Ambition? - A Home For Many)

INSTRUCTOR NOTES - STUDENT ACTIVITY

A HOME FOR MANY
Instructor Notes

Topic/Keyword
mound builders, Mississippian Period, woodland, nomadic, Native American, inhabitant, timeline

Grade Level
6-8

Time Considerations
Instructor Preparation: 15 minutes
Student Activity: two or three 50-minute periods

Objectives
Using information from books, the Internet, and the Native American History section of this handbook, students should be able to:
· Identify Native American groups and European immigrants who have lived along the Mississippi River
· Graphically represent the different groups on a multiple tier timeline
· Use their information about the location of these groups of people and place them on a modern political map of the Mississippi River
· Draw conclusions on the choice of community locations by the early Native Americans, immigrants, and people of today

Teacher Notes for Discussion
Brainstorm ideas about contributing factors to where people choose to live. Do the same with immigrants and Native Americans. Discuss the differences and similarities.

This activity can be done independently, in a small group, or as an entire class. It requires the use of different types of maps (topographical, political, etc.) and transparencies. Unless this activity is done with the class as a whole, divide the river into upper, lower, and middle sections.

NATIVE AMERICAN ACTIVITY: A HOME FOR MANY
Student Activity

Understand Your Mission
Many factors contribute to the choice of where to live. By looking at the history of some of the major cities along the Mississippi River, these factors become clear. At the end of this activity you should be able to identify some of the places along the Mississippi River that Native American groups lived, and develop theories about why they settled there.

Learn the Lingo
Chahokia mound builders
immigrants Native Americans
Mississippian Period woodland

Gather Your Supplies
library books Internet
permanent markers/grease pencils transparencies
maps of the area (8 1/2 x 11)

Chart a Course for Exploration
1) Use the Internet, books, and any other resources to research information about the groups of Native Americans that lived near the Mississippi River.
· Who were these people?
· Where did they build their cities?
2) Placing your transparency on top of a map, draw the outline of the U.S., the Mississippi River, and states bordering the river.
3) Using a different color, mark the settlements of the different tribes that lived near the Mississippi River.
4) Place your transparency on a political map.
· Which modern cites are in places where Native Americans lived?
· Does the city’s modern-day name reflect its history?
5) Overlay your transparency on different types of maps that reflect aspects of the land like rainfall, topography, or temperature.
· What does this tell you about why people chose to live there?
· What does it tell you about the people? Were they farmers, hunters, or fishermen?
6) Choose a town that was once inhabited by Native Americans and write your opinion of why you think they chose that site to live.
7) Create a multiple tier timeline showing the overlap of the Native Americans and the European immigrants. Indicate the name of the group, an approximate date, and their location on the river.

Go Beyond
Using the information you have obtained, create a map of the Mississippi River using a drawing program on the computer.