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Explore Our World

Theme: Who We Are C.I: Each of us is inspired by the lives of others

Explore Our World: The First Americans


Students will learn about the cultures and lives of the earliest people of the Americas, the impact of the environment and how they changed over time. They will then connect what they learned to the culture and lives of people in the Americas today.

Pre-assessment:

Set up pages in the Social Studies interactive notebook. One page of I wonders, one page of I think I know and designated pages for What Ive learned. Create a class version with posters to keep displayed in the room.

We Wonder

We Think We Know

What Weve Learned

Then ask students how they think America became America. Looking back to the earliest people, what are our thoughts? To encourage discussion and sharing connect to 4th grade Michigan history. Give students time to document their thoughts. Then they can write on sticky notes to add to the class chart. Explain that as we learn about our WONDERS and crosscheck what we THINK WE KNOW we will adjust our charts to show what weve learned throughout the unit. The charts are interactive and students can add and take away from them through the entire unit.

We will spend the year Exploring Our World. As anthropologists, your first assignment is to investigate the earliest people of the Americas from thousands of years ago. You will look at different aspects of their lives and analyze how they have influenced our world today. Share poster.

Problematic Scenario:

You are an anthropologist on a mission. You have been asked to investigate the earliest people of the Americas from thousands of years ago. Analyze how they influenced the culture and lives of people today. Share mission posters with students. The posters will help students focus their learning. Designate pages in student interactive notebook to collect evidence from missions. These pages could be labeled What I Learned from Mission #. Mission One: Collect evidence to discover how the environment affected the lives of early people. *Students search for evidence (create artifacts using various materialseven photographs can be used) in the library. I placed evidence by books that may give clues as to what the artifact may be. Student search and create a chart to write out their hypothesis for these items. Then the books and their social studies text book will be used to determine what these artifacts are and it will help them complete the remaining missions. Mission Two: Find examples of how technology changed the way early people survived. Mission Three: Compare and contrast different groups that lived thousands of years ago in the Americas. As students explore their textbook, novels, and informational books they will create a collection of thoughts and facts. Discussions and assignments will reinforce what they are finding and reading. The next step is to use the information obtained. Mission Four: Connect what you learned (from missions 1-3) to how people live today.

Mission Five: Now that you have collected and evaluated your evidence, synthesize your findings to share what youve learned. Missions Four and Five will produce a product to be shared with the class. Students will work in groups and focus on one early American group (Olmec, Anasazi, Makah, etc.) to share their knowledge and create a presentation. This may be in the form a dramatized skit, PowerPoint (or other technological) presentation, report, or any other option created by the anthropologist groups. Students will be assessed based on their student interactive notebooks, group evaluations and final presentation. This two week excursion will incorporate social studies, technology, reading, writing, and Spanish (early Middle America people). There will be a strong connection with Spanish curriculum examining related cultures. This unit will focus on all Social Studies strands; Human Systems and Economic Activity, Social Organization and Culture, Continuity and Change Through Time, Human and Natural Environments and Resources and the Environment. Each of these strands will be explored, compared and evaluated. The next posters will be used to guide students through Unit 1 of the Social Studies text, novels and other content books.

Theme: Who We Are Name:


Totally

Interactive Notebook Rubric


C.I: Each of us is inspired by the lives of others Subject:
* Writing goes beyond the basic requirements and shows in-depth understanding of the theme and central idea * Shows in-depth reflection of the learner profile, theme and central idea * Contains all components outlined in class * Labels, color, neatness and creativity makes your work almost gross its so awesome! * Writing follows the basic requirements and shows understanding of the theme and central idea * Shows in-depth reflection of the learner profile, theme and central idea * Contains all components outlined in class * Labels, color, neatness and creativity is great it just lacks the totally in awesome

Awesome

10
Awesome

Pretty Sweet

8
Kick It Up a Notch

* Writing follows the basic requirements and shows basic understanding of theme and central idea * Shows honest reflection of the learner profile, theme and central idea, but it is limited * Contains about 90% of the components outlined in class * Labels, color, neatness and creativity are present for the most part * Some requirements are met, but your notebook lacks criteria in different areas * Follows basic requirements and shows limited understanding of the theme and central idea * Limited reflection of the learner profile, theme and central idea * Contains about 80% of the components outlined in class * Labels, color, neatness and creativity is not present consistently * Few requirements are met and your notebook lacks criteria in different areas * Shows misconceptions and lack of understanding of the theme and central idea * Very limited or no reflection of the learner profile, theme and central idea * Contains about 70% of the components outlined in class * Notebook lacks organization, color, creativity and basic conventions * Few requirements are met and your notebook lacks criteria in many different areas * Shows misconceptions and lack of understanding of the theme and central idea * No thoughtful reflection of the learner profile, theme and central idea * Many components are missing, lots of blank and undone pages * Notebook majorly lacks organization, color, creativity and basic conventions * Hardly any requirements are met

7
Bust a Move

6
Kidding? Are You

5
Notes:

performance peer Assessment:


Name: assignment:

inquirer

Thinker

communicator

Risk-taker

knowledgeable

principled

caring

Open-minded

Well-balanced

reflective

Central Idea:

4
Research one early civilization group Provide a thorough, well-drafted map, labeling where the tribe lived, as well as neighboring tribes Includes details that describes the following: where they lived, their shelter, what they ate, their ceremonies, their arts/crafts Bibliography stating your research sources (at least two) Description of their customs and beliefs Information about where they are and what they do today Information about their relationships with other tribes or people of the area Inference about difficulties they may have endured or achievements experienced as a result of their location and climate Connection to todays culture, landscaping and life

3
Research one tribe Make a cover page with the tribes name Provide a map, labeling where the tribe lived Includes information that describes the following: where they lived, their shelter, what they ate, their ceremonies, their arts/crafts Bibliography stating your research sources (at least two) Description of their customs and beliefs Information about where they are and what they do today Connection to todays culture, landscaping and/or life

2
Research one tribe Make a cover page with the tribes name Provide a map, labeling where the tribe lived Includes information about the following: describe where they lived, their shelter, what they ate, their ceremonies, their arts/crafts Write a bibliography stating your research sources (at least two) Attempted to connect to todays America

1
Research one tribe Incomplete cover page with tribes name Incomplete map, labeling where the tribe lived Incomplete paragraph about the following: describe where they lived, their shelter, what they ate, their ceremonies, their arts/crafts Incomplete or no bibliography

Grades:

A=high quality work and presentation, neat, thorough, two extensions included B=good quality work and presentation, neat, thorough, one extension included C=minimum grade level quality work and presentation, somewhat neat D=poor quality work and presentation, lacking in neatness, minimal effort

Extensions: Create a model or representation of the type of housing your tribe used Create a piece of clothing Make some food your tribe would have eaten and share with the class Teach a game your tribe may have played Make a musical instrument used by your tribe Make an example of your tribes art work Demonstrate a dance from your tribe Incorporate a legend story associated with your tribe

anthropologist on a mission. You have been asked to investigate the earliest people of the Americas from thousands of years ago. Analyze how they influenced the culture and lives of Americans today.

You are an

Collect evidence to discover how the environment affected the lives of these early people.

Find examples of how technology changed the way early people survived.

Compare and contrast different groups that lived thousands of years ago in the Americas.

Connect what you learned (from missions 1-3) to how people live today.

Now that you have collected and evaluated your evidence, synthesize your findings to share what youve learned.

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