In fifth grade Social Studies, we studied the four main cultural regions of the Native Americans who were living in our country before the arrival of European explorers. These include Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest, Southwest, Eastern Woodlands, and Great Plains.  

Each student was required to research one of these cultural regions and to write a five-paragraph research report. As a class, we worked through each of the steps of the writing process. We completed graphic organizers as a pre-writing strategy. We used index cards to take notes from multiple sources. We wrote outlines, organized research, drafted our reports, edited, peer edited, edited some more, and -- finally -- published.

As an optional extra credit assignment, students had the opportunity to make a diorama to visually represent the daily life of one of the Native American cultural regions.   (This is page 1,  Page 2 is linked here: Page 2 )

Sara B.

11-13-13

Social Studies

The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans
 

           The food, art, and the houses of the Eastern Woodlands make them an interesting cultural group. They lived east of the Mississippi River. Some of the important tribes are the Iroquois and the Cherokees.

           The Eastern Woodlands ate many different types of foods. They ate fish, nuts, berries, fruit, and corn. They used bows and arrows to hunt. They also used traps to catch small animals. They raked and hoed the soil of their gardens so that the earth heaped up into evenly spaced small mounds. They put a few dried kernels from the year before and they placed in the center of each mound, then beans and squash seeds are planted around the corn kernels. Sometimes they mixed fish or compost into the little mounds to fertilize the earth.  

          The Eastern Woodlands were wonderful artists. they used clay, crushed sea shells, and sand to make pots. Wampum belts and necklaces were made from Wampum beads. The beads were actually white and purple shells. Wampum was used as money between white men and Indians. Wampum belts were used as a form of communication between Indian tribes.

        The houses of the Eastern Woodlands were called long houses and wigwams. Long houses were built by building a frame from young trees. They were covered by bark sewn together. The inside had a long hallway with rooms on both sides. There were shelves for storing baskets, pots, and furs. Wigwams were made of wooden mats and  birchbark. Strips of wood were wrapped around the wigwam to keep the bark from coming off.

           The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans are an amazing cultural group to study. An interesting fact about them is that they had dogs for pets. Another interesting fact about the Eastern Woodlands is that they were the group that helped the colonists that came from England. Learning about the Eastern Woodlands Native Americans was very exciting.

Ajah F.

Nov.13 2013

Social Studies

Great Plains Native Americans

The food ,art and clothing of the Great Plains Native Americans make them interesting to study. Great Plains Native Americans originally got their name because they lived on the Great plains west of the Mississippi River. Two important tribes were The Mandans and The Kiowas.
 

The Great Plains Native Americans ate many different foods. They mostly farmed and hunted buffalo, elk, and deer. They most  often saved leftover buffalo meat mixed it with berries and called it pemmican.
 

Great Plain Indians had beautiful art. They mad buffalo-hide paintings, pottery, and even made their own tattoos. They made pottery with clay and paint made out of buffalo blood and other materials.
 

Great Plains Native Americans often traveled so they needed simple houses.  They used teepees or tipis. They’re made from wooden poles carved by men and women. They start by setting them up ward  together then they tie the some with buffalo hide then they wrapped them in buffalo skin.
 

              Great Plains Indians often traded with other tribes so they had to use sign language. They also used dogs to help the travel place to place. Native Americans all had a unique culture but Great Plains Native Americans had the best.

Kirk B.

Nov 13, 2013

Social Studies

The Great Plains Native Americans

     The Great Plains cultural region had interesting food, houses, and clothing. They lived west of the Mississippi River. Two important tribes were the Kiowas and the Mandans.

     The Great Plains tribes lived in tipis. The tipis were made out of brain tanned buffalo skin. The tipis were water resistant. The tipis disassembled easily. The structure was made of lodge poles placed and secured in a cone shape.Then,14 to 20 buffalo hides were sewed together in a circle with sinew, and stretched across the poles with a smoke hole at the top. A flap was designed to go in and out of the tipis.

     The Great Plains tribes main food was buffalo. They ate more than just the meat they ate the tongues and other organisms like the brain and liver. Their blood was used in soup and puddings. The meat was eaten fresh. What wasn’t eaten fresh they made into jerky, and pemmican or sausage.

     The Great Plains tribes made clothes out of tanned animal hides. They made their finest clothes out of skin of antelope or mountain sheep. Very often they decorated themselves with designs of porcupine quills, and traded beads. Moccasins were shoes made from animal hides that were decorated with quills, beads and different patterns.

    The Great Plains Indians faced many challenger in their life.An interesting fact is that the indians used manuer called chips for fuel. The Great Plains Indians had an interesting way of life and are an important cultural group.

Ben F.
11-13-13
Social Studies

  The Southwest Native Americans

The food, houses, and the clothing that come from the Southwest Native Americans make them an interesting culture. They lived in the desert of the Southwest region. Some important tribes were the Navajos, Mandans, and the Anasazi.

The Southwest Native Americans ate many different types of foods. They ate corn, beans, squash, and turkey. There were very few animals in the desert .This meant the indians could not depend on hunting for food. They tamed wild turkey for meat.

       The Southwest Native Americans wore cloth dresses and skirts. They wove cloth for clothing and belts. Men wore short skirts. Women wore long dresses and the children dressed liked their parents. They made moccasins for shoes to protect them from cactus and the ground.

        The Southwest had two kinds of houses. One is a Cliffdweller. A Cliffdweller is a house on top of a mesa. A mesa is a cliff. The second is a Pueblo. A Pueblo has thick walls that keep them warm in the winter and cold in the summer.

Katie M.

11-13-13

Social Studies

The Pacific Northwest Indians

                    One group of Indians were the Pacific Northwest American Indians. The Northwest Indians lived along the Pacific Ocean in the states of Alaska, California, Washington and Oregon. Three of the major groups were the Makkah's , Chinook’s and the Tillamook’s.

                    The northwest Indians lived in pit house’s.They were made out of wood. If there were carved posts in the house the family was important. There were no windows in the house. There were holes in the roofs.

                    The Pacific Northwest Indians had interesting traditions. The Northwest Indians had Potlatches. Potlatches are parties given by important people in the village. They had an enormous whale hunt. After the whale hunt, they would have singing and dancing for the whales death.

         The Northwest Indians hunted for many animals for food.They hunted for deer, bear and  whale. Fish was their main source of food. When they went fishing, they mostly caught salmon.                      

       It is believed that they arrived 16,000 years ago. It is amazing how they were able to live by depending upon their surroundings. Pacific Northwest Indians are an important part of our American history.

Kirstin E.

11-13-13

Social Studies                      
 

  The Pacific Northwest Indians
 

             Pacific Northwest Native Americans have interesting types of foods, houses, and art. The Pacific Northwest Indians lived along the Pacific Ocean in northwest. Some names of important tribes were Pomo, Shoshoni, Nootka, Salish, Kwakiutl, Makahas, and Chinooks.

             This cultural group lived in pit houses. Pit houses were made out of frames built from trees. They were covered with planks made from wood that overlapped to keep it safe and not wet from the weather. There is evidence of houses that were over 1,000 feet long, big enough for the whole village. There were no windows, just a hole in the roof.

              They had lots of aquatic food. Their food was whales and fish. They harpooned whales with sticks, and other objects. They fished in the Pacific Ocean. They used every single part of the body of the whale. The skin and meat was eaten. The blubber or fat was used to make oil. Tendons were used to make rope.

              There were many types of art created by Pacific Northwest Indians. There were totem poles, pottery, wooden boxes, and baskets. Totem poles were tall, carved logs painted and decorated. They told the story of the history of  the family. Baskets were made to cook with. Chests were made out of wood.

Christian G.

November 13, 2013

Social Studies

Southwest Native Americans

        They made jewelry out of silver. Jewelry was the way many native Americans showed their wealth.

        Southwest indians made rugs. They raised sheep. They sheared the sheep to get the wool for the rugs

        They call Sandpaintings ikaah. They use ikaah for ceremony to make the person healthy again.

Cyerah S.

November,18,2013

Social Studies

 The Eastern Woodland Indians

         Eastern Woodland Indians had clothing, houses, and food which make them interesting to study. They lived east of the Mississippi River. Important tribes in this region were the Iroquois and the Cherokees.

         This cultural group lived in wigwams and longhouses. Wigwams were made by bending young trees to form the round shape of the home. Longhouses were made by building a frame from saplings or young trees and the longhouses had saplings on every side.

          Eastern Woodland Indians farmed, hunted, and fished to get food. Eastern Woodland Indians grew beans, corn, squash, fruit, pumpkins, and sunflower seeds. They hunted for rabbit, turkey, bear, and deer. Eastern Woodland Indians also fished and made canoes from hollow trees and used them to fish in lakes.

          The Eastern Woodlands used the pelts of animals and wild grasses for their clothing. In the winter, the men wore shirts, leggings, and Moccasins made from buckskin. Buckskin is made from the skins of animals mainly deer. The women wore skirts they had woven from the wild grasses, covered with furs, with leggings under neth. In the summer, the men wore a short piece of breechcloth, and a short piece of buckskin that hung from the front to the back of the indian. The women wore grass dresses, and the children wore nothing at all.

           A couple interesting facts about the Eastern Woodlands are that they made their own medicine and the Iroquois League represented a great Council. Eastern Woodlands are an important part of our American history.

Moriah F.
November 13, 2013
Social Studies
 

Eastern Woodland Native Americans

 Many years ago there was a native american group called the Eastern Woodlands. They had specific kinds of houses, food, art. The Eastern Woodlands lived east of the Mississippi river. Two important tribes in the region where the Susquehanna and the Iroquois.       

 They lived in wigwams and longhouses. Longhouses were rectangular houses. Longhouses were made by building a frame from saplings or small trees. They were covered with bark sewn together. There was one hallway with bedrooms on both sides of the wall. There were also shelves for storing baskets, pots, pelts. Several families would live in one at a time but they would all be related. Another house they lived in was wigwams. Wigwams were made by bending young trees to form the round shape of the house. The Indians used the tree bark to block out the bad weather. Then they put a layer of thatch or dried grass. They made a hole on top to allow smoke from the fires to escape.

         The Eastern Woodlands made dream catchers for their art. The Eastern Woodlands hung dream catchers from cradle boards to protect their babies. They believed that the dream catchers would catch the bad dreams and allow the good dreams to pass through the web.       

For food they hunted and fished. They spent a lot of time fishing, particularly in the St. Lawrence area and the Great Lakes along the Atlantic Coast. They often put the houses close to the good fishing grounds. The inland people fished in rivers and lakes and their diet included a lot of freshwater fish. Another source  of food is hunting. The people of the Eastern Woodlands became very skilled hunters and fishermen because they lived in forest and areas that were close to water They hunted raccoon, bear, squirrel, beaver, moose, seal, caribou, whale, deer, fish, rabbit and turkey. 

          One interesting fact about the Eastern Woodlands is that wampum was important to their culture. Wampum belts and necklaces were made from wampum beads which are actually white purple shells. They were used as money  between white men and indians. They were also used as a form of communication between indian tribes Wampum belts were made in pictures to show why it was made. One always wore a wampum belt while visiting another tribe. Eastern Woodland is a fun group to learn about.

Sam C.

Nov 13 2013

social studies

The Great Plains Native Americans

The Great Plains Native Americans’ way of life is an interesting topic to study. The Great Plains Native Americans lived west of the Mississippi River. Two important tribes were the Kiowas and the Mandans.
 

The Great Plains Native Americans ate all kinds of different foods. One kind of food was jerky. It was dried up meat. The second kind was pemmican. It was ground up jerky with dried berries in it. The last thing was buffalo meat. They cooked it over an open fire.
 

The Great Plains Native Americans lived in Tipi. Tipi is a tent built out of sticks and buffalo hides. The tipis were water resistant and portable. They were easy to take down and put up.
 

      The Great Plains Native Americans wore all kinds of clothing. In the summer they wore cotton shirts and buffalo hides skirts. In the winter they wore big warm buffalo hides. For shoes they moccasins made from buffalo hides.
 

    The Great Plains Native Americans are very interesting. One interesting fact is that the Plains area got 100 degrees in summer and 40 below in winter. Another interesting fact is that the tribes moved around they didn’t just stay in one area. The Great Plains Native Americans were an interesting cultural group to study.  

Kelton F.

November 13, 2013

One important type of art they made was called a rave mask. They made carving out of cedar tree. Pacific Northwest Native Americans were very good carvers they mostly made carving of of animals that shared their world. They have a special way of stayl  for their art . They mad carvings like, bills beasts, and many more.
           One interesting fact about the Pacific Northwest AmerIcans  is that they were great whale hunters. They hunted in large canoes with harpoons. The PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIVE AMERICANS WERE REALLY COOL INDIANS.  

          Their main types of food were buffalo and pemmican . The Plains Indians hunted  the buffalo by running them off cliffs. They ate every part of the animal. Pemmican was a very popular food. Pemmican was jerky mixed with suet and dried up berries. One interesting fact about this group is they are the only group that had horses. The horses made it easier to hunt. The Great Plains is an important group to study.

Blanca A.

November 13, 2013

Social Studies                                         

The Southwest Native Americans  
 

The Southwest Native Americans had interesting food, art, houses. They lived in the desert  in the Southwest part of the country. The two important tribes in this region were Hopis and the Navajos.    

The houses of the Southwest Native Americans were called pueblos. They climbed ladders to go up and down rooms. Pueblos has lots of rooms next to each other or on top of each other. Big families lived together. They got their food from farming and hunting. The Hopis grew corn, beans. bread, and squash. Sometimes they hunted wild turkeys.

The Hopi women made beautiful baskets, clay bowls, jewelry and rugs. Sand paintings were made and ceremony was performed. The sand painting were made between sunrise and sunset of the same day. The sand painting were called ikaah. The Hopis painted rock to tell a story from the past in the Southwest.

One interesting fact about the Southwest Native Americans is that they were the first Americans. Another fact is that they used cradleboards to keep their babies safe. Learning about the food, art, and, houses of the southwest Native Americans help us understand their way of life.

Baylee G.

November 13, 2013

Social Studies

The Southwest  Native Americans

The  Southwest Native Americans’ houses, art and clothing are all very fascinating. They live in the desert in the southwest part of the country. Two important tribes from the Southwest Native Americans were the Hopi and the Navajos.

The Southwest Native Americans lived in two different types of houses. They are hogans and adobes.   One of the houses is a hogan. The first hogan had a fork stick  frame with a pyramid with five  triangular faces. The other house is a adobe. To protect a fork stick home it might be packed with mud. Hogans today have one round room, usually about 23 feet in diameter.   They might still be used for housing in remote areas. They are mainly used nowadays for ceremonies and curings.

Southwest Native Americans had many kinds of art, but silver jewelry is probably the best known form. Coins were used for silver in the early days. Jewelry was used to show their wealth.

           Sand paintings are another form of art. It is believed only humans can upset the not animals or plants. Navajo rugs are now used as rugs or hung on the wall as art.

The Southwest Native Americans would wear deerskin, sheepskin and wool when it would get cold.  They also would make clothes out of cotton.

One interesting fact about the Southwest Native Americans is that when they were low on food, the trees, plants ,animals and crops provided their food. Another thing that is interesting is the way they hunted for buffalo. They scared the buffalo off a cliff.  The Southwest Native Americans were  very interesting to research.

Leslie Y. C.

November 13, 2013

Social Studies
 

The Eastern Woodland Native Americans

The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans have fascinating art

work, food and house. They lived east of the Mississippi River. The two important tribes are The Iroquois and The Cherokees in this region.

    The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans found their food by hunting, fishing, and gathering berries, fruits, and nuts. They also cleared the land and planted large fields of corn, beans, and squash which Native Americans called The Three Sisters.

     During the winter months trees were trapped to get maple sugar.

The Eastern Woodland made carvings with bones, and they also made baskets, and fabrie. The drawings show pictures of spiders and woodpeckers which the Indians believed had special powers.

    Wampum belts and necklaces are made from wampum beads. Wampum belts were  used as a form of communication between Indian tribes. All Indian messengers carried wampum belts when going to other tribes.

    Longhouse were made by building a flame from sapling or young trees. There was a long hallway with rooms on both sides. Several families would live in the longhouse, but the families were related to each other. The wigwams protects indians from bad weather.

    They make theme out of bending young trees to from the round shape of the home. Over the bark a layer of thatch or dried grass, was added.

    One interesting fact about  The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans was that some of the mound builders had a leader known as the great sun. The  Eastern Woodlands Native Americans are an important part of our country’s history.

Alexia M.

November 11,2013

social studies       
 

The Pacific Northwest Native Americans
 

          The Pacific Northwest Native Americans had interesting food, art, and houses. They lived along the Pacific Ocean in the northwest part of our country. Two important are the Chinooks and the Makahs.   

          The food they mostly ate was salmon and whale. When they saw a whale, they would talk to It. They would say, “If you let yourself be killed you will be rewarded with singing and dancing. Then they would stab the whale. Each year the rivers and streams would fill up with salmon. The Native Americans could feed their family for a year off of salmon. Every fishermen had his own special  place to  fish. Man and Women both did the work of preparing salmon for winter. men took the fish from the water and the women would slice, hang, dry and smoke the fish.
 

          For art they created totem poles and baskets. The baskets were made out of grass, roots, and twigs. Baskets were usually made in winter. Most women tried to outdo each other with designs and color. Outside of each home was a totem pole. A totem pole told a story of a family. A totem pole might have animals, birds, and religious spirits carved on them. Totem poles were carved out of giant cedar logs.

           The Pacific Northwest Native americans  lived in houses called longhouses. Longhouses were made out of  thick cedar planks. People also called them plank houses. Some longhouses were 100 feet long and 25 feet wide. Each person had their own place to sleep. They also had their own living area. When the owner of the house died, the house was given to someone else or it was burned down.

Some other interesting facts are that the Pacific Northwest Indians lived in groups called clans. Lastly, the Pacific Northwest Indian children played games such as foot races, tug o war, and bug eating contests. The Pacific Northwest Indians  are a very interesting cultural region to learn about.  

Ian R.

November 14, 2013

Social Studies
 

The Great Plains Native Americans

    The Great Plains Native Americans lived in the center part of North America. Two important tribes were the Mandans and the Kiowas.

    These two groups of tribes lived and built different styles of houses. The Mandans houses were called LODGES. Lodges were made out of SOD sod held together by grass and roots. Many people plus their dogs lived in lodges. The Kiowa indians lived in teepees also tied together  by roots and grass that were made out of buffalo skin.

For clothing the Kiowa indians also were wolf skins to disguise themselves and both Mandans and Kiowa indians were beaten leather vests.

The Kiowa and mandan indian tribes ate fruit, vegetables and meat such as buffalo, tomatoes, beans, corn and squash. And wolf and goat and deer and cow and birds and bores.