Social Studies Lesson Plan Template

Group Members/Group Name: ___Jamie Jensen, Coral Ortiz, Meredith Price, Helena Hawn
Thematic Unit Theme/Title/Grade Level: _Native Americans/Compare and Contrast Cherokee & Navajo tribes/2nd Grade
Group Wiki space address: _ http://nativeamericantribes-sse.weebly.com
Daily Lesson Plan Day/Title: __Comparing and contrasting the Navajo and Cherokee tribes
Lesson Length (ie. 30 minutes): 30-45 minutes
Rationale for Instruction
A rationale is an essential part of
thoughtful planning of classroom
instruction. This is a brief written
statement of the purpose for instruction
and the connection of the purpose to
instruction that has come before and will
follow.

Learning Objectives
What will students know and be able to
do at the end of this lesson? Be sure to set
significant (related to NGSS Themes,
CCSS, and NGSSS), challenging,
measurable and appropriate learning
goals!

NCSS Theme/Next
Generation Sunshine State
Standards/Common Core
Standards (LAFS/MAFS)
List each standard that will be addressed
during the lesson. Cutting and pasting
from the website is allowed. You must
have a minimum of 3 standards that
represent multiple content areas identified
in this portion of the lesson plan.
These can be downloaded from the
Florida Dept of Education
www.cpalms.org/homepage/index.aspx.

Archaeologists suggest that people arrived in tribes to America, at least 15,000 years ago. Tribes of
Native Americans spread across the land, depending on nature for food and shelter. Elementary students
should begin to understand the different migrations of tribes and how environments shaped their
cultures.

By creating a collaborative Venn Diagram comparing the Navajo and Cherokee tribe, students will
understand the many similarities and differences the two tribes shared. The student will demonstrate this
by participating in a class discussion about what they have learned about the two tribes as well as by
creating a Venn Diagram with the class.
After listening to a story from each of the tribes, the student will identify which story was told from
which tribe based on context clues. The student will then create their own story using Native American
Sign Language using a template provided for them.
NCSS Theme: People, Places, and EnvironmentsSocial studies programs should include experiences
that provide for the study of people, places, and environments so that the students can:
1. Draw upon immediate personal experiences as a basis for exploring geographic concepts and
skills
2. Express interest in things distant and unfamiliar
SS.2.A.2.1: Recognize that Native Americans were the first inhabitants in North America.
SS.2.A.2.2: Compare the cultures of Native American tribes from various geographic regions of the
United States.
SS.2.A.2.3: Describe the impact of immigrants on the Native Americans.
LAFS.2.RI.3.7: Explain how specific images contribute to and clarify a text.
LAFS.2.RI.3.9: Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same
topic.
Modified 5/15 Van De Mark from document created by L. Spaulding

Social Studies Lesson Plan Template

Student Activities &
Procedures
Design for Instruction
What best practice strategies will be
implemented?
How will you communicate student
expectation?
What products will be developed and
created by students?
Consider Contextual Factors (learning
differences/learning environment) that
may be in place in your classroom.

Anticipatory Set:
As students come into the classroom, they get their Social Studies notebooks and sit in their seats. The
teacher will have a Venn Diagram template drawn on the board that students will copy into their
notebooks. The teacher will then ask students what they know about the tribes from the previous days,
such as weapons, arts, housing, clothing, food, languages, writing, and transportation. The students will
all work together with the teacher to create a complete Venn Diagram that compares and contrasts the
two tribes. Students will copy this Venn Diagram into their Social Studies notebooks.
((**Answers for teachers that should be discussed with the students:
Live: Cherokees lived in the SE region (GA, NC, SC, VA, KY, & TN). Navajo lived in AZ, NM, UT, &
CO.
Language: English [also there is a Cherokee Indian language and a Navajo language. Neither are used
anymore]
Writing: Both tribes used characters to write. [Similar to Japanese]
Housing: Cherokee: villages by the river, houses made of river cane and plastic. Navajo: Hogans, which
were dome shape huts made of wood and clay.
Clothing: Cherokee: leggings, wrap arounds, moccasins, men shaved their heads, women had long hair,
tribal paint. Navajo: No shirts, moccasins, Mexican inspired dresses and blouses, silver and turquoise
jewelry.
Transportation: Cherokee: Canoes, walking, dogs. Navajo: Walking, dogs
Food: Farming foods were in large supply. [corn, beans, squash, berries, nuts, deer, turkey, and fish]
Navajo: Same as Cherokee plus the Spanish introduced goats and sheep
Weapons: Cherokee: Bow and arrow, spears, fishing poles, tomahawks. Navajo: Bow and arrow, spears
Arts: Cherokee: Pottery, beading, story telling. Navajo: Colorful woven rugs, jewelry making, story
telling))
Instructional Input and Procedures:
1.After completing the Venn Diagrams, students will gather in a circle on the rug in front of the teacher.
The teacher will explain that every factor of the tribe is either different or similar based on their
location.
2. The teacher will point out that a similarity between the tribes is their enjoyment of story telling. The
teacher will read a short story from each tribe to the class and have the students use context clues in that
story to guess which tribe it came from based on the differing factors.
3. The first story is called Coyote kills a giant. This story is about a coyote that accidentally walks in a
giants belly and saves everyone by killing the giant. The context clues that can be discussed are the
Modified 5/15 Van De Mark from document created by L. Spaulding

Social Studies Lesson Plan Template

desert-like scenery and the animal of the coyote. This story is told from the Navajo tribe. The story can
be found here: http://fiction.eserver.org/short/coyote-and-the-giant.html
4. The second story, from the Cherokee tribe is called The First Strawberry. This story is about the
first man and woman that got in an argument and the woman left. The man got her back by having the
Sun give her berries such as blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries. The context clues to hint to
students in this story are the forests, the lodges by the water, and the berries. The story can be found
here: http://www.powersource.com/cocinc/articles/strwbry.htm
5. After students have figured out what story belongs to what tribe, the teacher will tell the students that
they are going to write their own stories in Native American language. Since Indians wrote using
characters, teachers will provide students with a key (attached) that has a list of words with their
corresponding character or picture. Students will document these stories in their Social Studies
notebooks and can share with a partner or with the class when they are finished.
6. At the end of the lesson, the teacher will ask students to turn in an exit slip with the following
question written on it: What are some factors about the place you live in that are based on location? (sea
food because you live by the ocean, summer clothes because of the hot weather, etc.)
Resources/Materials

Books/Digital Resources:
Florida Department of Education. (2013). Next Generation Sunshine State Standards Retrieved
(2015, June 16), from http://www.cpalms.org/Public/search/Standard

Bruchac J. (1998) The First Strawberries. Picture Puffins

Coyote Kills A Giant. (1998) Retrieved June 16, 2015 from

http://fiction.eserver.org/short/coyote-and-the-giant.html

Redish, L. & Lewis, O. (1998). Native languages of the Americas. Retrieved June 17, 2015 from
http://www.bigorrin.org/navajo_kids.htm

Redish, L. & Lewis, O. (1998). Native languages of the Americas. Retrieved June 17, 2015 from
http://www.bigorrin.org/cherokee_kids.htm
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Social Studies Lesson Plan Template

Materials:
Venn Diagram
Social Studies Notebooks/Journals
The First Strawberries story
Coyote Kills a Giant story
Indian Language Characters template/key

Assessment
How will student learning be assessed?
Authentic/Alternative assessments?
Does your assessment align with your
objectives, standards and procedures?
Informal assessment (multiple modes):
participation rubrics, journal entries,
collaborative planning/presentation
notes

Unit Pre-Assessment:
10 question pretest questions taken from
http://www.ducksters.com/history/native_americans_questions.php
Unit Post-Assessment:
Students will complete 2 of the options below:
Picture sort - Students will have to show their understanding of the differences and similarities of
the Navajo and Cherokee tribes by completing a picture sort on a Venn diagram.
Biocube - Students will complete a biocube about a famous Native American from the Cherokee
or Navajo tribes. Necessary information will include: persons name, when and where they lived,
major events in their lives, descriptive characteristics, why they were important, and challenges
they overcame. Along with this information, they will include a picture of this important person
on the final side of the cube.
Diorama - Students will create a diorama of either a Cherokee or Navajo village. This
assignment will be brought of the students attention on the first day of the unit, allowing them to
work on it throughout the week. The diorama must contain the correct items that correspond
with the specific tribe, such as examples of food, clothing, housing, living environment,
weapons, and activities (arts and crafts, pottery, etc.). Points will be deducted for missing item
categories.
Daily Lesson Plan Assessment: formative throughout the lesson
Class discussion
Venn Diagram
Students personal Story using the different characters from Indian Sign Language template
Exit Slip: What are some factors about the place you live in that are based on location? (sea food
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Social Studies Lesson Plan Template

because you live by the ocean, summer clothes because of the hot weather, etc.)

Exceptionalities
What accommodations or modifications
do you make for ESOL, Gifted/Talented
students, Learning/Reading disabilities,
etc.

ESOL: Venn Diagram, use visuals and expression during the stories, writing their own personal stories using pictures instead
of words.
Gifted/Talented: Venn Diagram is flexible, can give more native American stories if they want to read more, personal stories
can be a mixture of pictures and words if they want to write more.

These accommodations and/or

modifications should be listed within the
procedures section of the lesson plan as
well as in this section of the document.

Additional Comments and

Notes

The stories that students write using pictures can be posted in a bulletin board and shared with the class. Also, Venn Diagram
assignment can be done as a whole class or in small groups.

Modified 5/15 Van De Mark from document created by L. Spaulding