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Teacher's Guide

Introduction/Aim/Rationale/Learners/ Prerequisites/Subject-Matter/Goals and Objectives/Instrucional Plan/Materials/ Assessment and Evaluation /Site Survey

Introduction (Top)

The students have just been hired by the Washington State Historical Society.  Their first assignment is to prepare an educational presentation on the differences between the coastal and plateau tribes of Washington state.  The director (teacher) realizes that this is their first assignment, so he has broken down the process for them to guide them through their first project.

There will be 4 missions to complete this presentation. The first mission is background information on the geography of Washington state.  The second mission will be looking into a specific coastal tribe. The third mission will be looking into a specific plateau tribe. The final mission will be putting all of the information together into a culminating educational PowerPoint presentation and a compare and contrast paper.

Aim (Top)

This curriculum web is designed for middle school students to understand the influence of geography on the indigenous population of Washington state while promoting a more comprehensive understanding of different Native American cultures.

Rationale (Top)

Native Americans have had a profound effect on the historical, cultural, and socioeconomic development of the state of Washington. This activity has been developed to make students aware of the significant and important contributions made by the indigenous population
both past and present. It is important that each student gain an awareness of the variety of cultures that existed in the state prior to European arrival. Students must also understand the many cultural similarities and differences along with the impact geography had on the development of the two contrasting Native American cultures Coastal and Plateau within the state.

Native Americans have been an important contributor to Washington States heritage and economic development. While Native Americans were the original inhabitants until the mid-16th century they provided much of the foundation for future growth and development. It is important for students to understand how geography has impacted their lives so they can better understand the economic and cultural differences with in the state today. The link between geography and how our state developed is an integral part of a student’s knowledge to understand our history and their place in it.

The Coastal and Plateau Indians will be studies in great detail to delineate the differences between them and to emphasize the influence geography had on these great cultures. By allowing students to discover these correlations, they will gain a better understanding of the culture they live in and the development of the state in which they live.

Goals and Objectives (Top)

1. Understand the 7 regions of Washington and the differences between western Washington and eastern Washington.
2. Realize the impact of geography on the cultural development of early Native American cultures.
3. Compare and contrast the tribal structure, shelter, diet, and clothing,
   between Pacific Northwest’s Coastal and Plateau Indian groups.

Materials (Top)

Students will use this website to complete four missions. Mission One will look at geography, Mission Two will investigate a coastal tribe, Mission three will investigate a plateau tribe, and Mission Four will bring all of this knowledge together in a compare and contrast paper and PowerPoint presentation.

Below is a list of the required forms for the students to complete the various missions:

1. Geography Worksheet
2. Coastal Tribe Worksheet
3. Plateau Tribe Worksheet
4. Seasonal Round Worksheet
5. PowerPoint Template
6. Sudent Evaluation Form (optional)

Instructional Plan (Top)

This is structured student centered project that they should complete individually.

This exercise leads students through a process of comparing and contrasting and infering influences from outside factors such as the geography.

Students will be working independently and walked through the entire process, with each mission building on the next. Providing them with the required knowledge to complete the final culminating mission at the end.

As students progress through each mission they will turn in their results to the teacher. Through their feedback the teacher may need to interject and explain in more detail one or more of the following concepts.

• How to compare and contrast
• 7 geographical regions of Washington
• Coastal Tribe culture
• Plateau Tribe culture

Assessment and Evaluation (Top)

Teacher assessment of student learning can be done throughout this project. With the completion of each mission the teacher should be able to ascertain whether the student has grasped the content of that mission. Also with the culminating misssion at the end assessment of how geography influenced native American cultures in the state of Washington.

Also please take the time to evaluate this curriculum web. As always I am continually looking to make this a better activity. Your imput is critical to the development of this curriculum web. Please take the time to take a quick survey and let me know what you think of this activity.

One assessment option is to have the students evaluate each others PowerPoint presentations. The link below provides a student evaluation form.

Click here for the student evaluation form.

Click here for the Site Survey

Learners (Top)

The activities designed in this curriculum are for eighth grade students ages 13-14 years old that have basic computer skills and are familiar with web browsers. This activity could be utilized to provide students with practice in word processing skills, as well as, familiarizing them with the World Wide Web.

Subject-Matter (Top)

1. This lesson will be focused on Pacific Northwest History.
2. The lesson will focus on comparing and contrasting different cultures. The students will be able to discuss each group’s tribal customs, shelter, clothing, and diet.
3. The organizational scheme will be to compare and contrast based on the two types of Native Americans found in the state of Washington
4. The subject matter of this curriculum web is the differences between Coastal and Plateau Native American cultures in the state of Washington.

Prerequisites (Top)

1. Students should be able to read at a sixth grade level.
2. Have a basic understanding of world geography and understand the different hemispheres.
3. Be able to work with maps
4. Be able to navigate on a basic web page and use a web browser.
5. Be able to copy and paste from web pages to a word processor.
6. Know how to conduct a simple search using a web search engine.
7. Understand how to compare and contrast two subjects.
8. Be able to use a dictionary or web dictionary to find terms.

1a. Students unable to read at this level may need to have portions of this activity read to them.
2a. Hemispheres will be discussed in the lesson but may need further explanation.
3a. A quick explanation on how to use a key and a compass rose may be needed.
4a. A demonstration on how to navigate through the activity may be needed.
5a. An exercise in how to cut and paste may be needed.
6a. You may need to refresh students memory and or instruct on how to conduct a proper search on the web.
7a. Further explanation of these terms and the skills needed to compare and contrast may be needed.
8a. A web location for a web dictionary may be needed as well as a walk through on how to use that site.