U.S. History 8 Unit 1: Our Colonial Heritage Mr. Hunt PTMS

Unit 1, Chapter 1: The First Americans

This photograph shows the environment of a Northeast American forest in the fall. An environment refers to the land, water, animals, and plants in a specific area.

Imagine that you suddenly find yourself in this environment. Brush and a thick forest of fir and pine trees surround the mountain valley.

It is late fall and getting cold. The pond will soon freeze over. But you must survive here for a year.

On a sheet of paper, describe: • the shelter you would build. • the clothing you would make to protect yourself from the elements. • the tools you would create to acquire food.

This painting is of an Ojibwa Indian camp in the Northeast region you just wrote about.

What do you see here? What were the Ojibwa houses made of? Describe as much as possible.

What type of clothing did the Ojibwa people wear? What are some ways the Ojibwa may have adapted to their environment?

The Ojibwa, like the Kumeyaay of present-day Carmel Valley, and many other American Indian groups, used natural resources for shelter, food, and clothing.

We’re now going to explore the ways in which different groups of American Indians adapted to their environments.

How did the first Americans adapt to their environments? Locate the Key Content Terms on your handout. Now review their definitions in your text (p. 6-7). Read: 1.1 Introduction (p. 5). Be prepared to answer our essential question for this unit, “How did the first Americans adapt to their environments?” Remember to keep all handouts neatly in your binder after we are finished for the day.

How did the first Americans adapt to their environments? In pairs, read through 1.4 (pp. 6-11). Read the section first, then answer the questions on your handout.

How did the first Americans adapt to their environments? Define the term Beringia in your own words. Then draw a simple illustration to represent the term.

How did the first Americans adapt to their environments? Section 1.2 Define the term Beringia in your own words. Then draw a simple illustration to represent the term. About 30,000 years ago, Beringia was a wide bridge of land between Asia and North America. It disappeared when the glaciers melted and the oceans rose.

How did the first Americans adapt to their environments? Section 1.2 2. Using the map in Section 2, answer these questions: Where did the first Americans come from? Where did they migrate?

How did the first Americans adapt to their environments? Section 1.2 2. Using the map in Section 2, answer these questions: Where did the first Americans come from? The first Americans came from Siberia across what was land area during the last Ice Age. Where did they migrate?

How did the first Americans adapt to their environments? Section 1.2 2. Using the map in Section 2, answer these questions: Where did the first Americans come from? The first Americans came from Siberia across what was land area during the last Ice Age. Where did they migrate? They migrated south down into North, Central, and South America.

How did the first Americans adapt to their environments? Section 1.3 1. Give two examples of how American Indians used natural resources to adapt to their environments. 2. In your own words, describe what the term culture means.

How did the first Americans adapt to their environments? Section 1.3 1. Give two examples of how American Indians used natural resources to adapt to their environments. American Indians in the far north regions used natural resources to adapt to their environment by making warm, hooded clothing from animal skins. To avoid being blinded by the glare of the sun, they made goggles out of bone with slits to see through. 2. In your own words, describe what the term culture means.

How did the first Americans adapt to their environments? Section 1.3 1. Give two examples of how American Indians used natural resources to adapt to their environments. American Indians in the far north regions used natural resources to adapt to their environment by making warm, hooded clothing from animal skins. To avoid being blinded by the glare of the sun, they made goggles out of bone with slits to see through. 2. In your own words, describe what the term culture means. A group’s common values and traditions, which also include beliefs and customs.

How did the first Americans adapt to their environments? 3. Use the maps in Section 3 to answer these questions: Which American Indian cultural region do you live in? What type of clothing would most American Indians living on the Plains wear? What type of housing would most American Indians living in the Southeast build? What type of food would most American Indians living in the Great Basin eat?

How did the first Americans adapt to their environments? 3. Use the maps in Section 3 to answer these questions: Which American Indian cultural region do you live in? What type of clothing would most American Indians living on the Plains wear? What type of housing would most American Indians living in the Southeast build? What type of food would most American Indians living in the Great Basin eat? Cultural regions will vary. American Indians living on the Plains would primarily wear clothing made from animal hide, fur, and plant materials. American Indians living in the Southeast would build rectangular houses with pointed leaf roofs. American Indians living in the Great Basin would eat animals and wild plants.

How did the first Americans adapt to their environments? Section 1.4 What do you think this Sioux quotation reveals about how American Indians viewed the environment? From Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit, there came a great unifying force that flowed in and through all things—the flowers of the plains, blowing winds, rocks, trees, birds, animals.

How did the first Americans adapt to their environments? Section 1.4 From Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit, there came a great unifying force that flowed in and through all things—the flowers of the plains, blowing winds, rocks, trees, birds, animals. American Indians viewed themselves as a part of (not separate from) the community of nature: they were of the plants, animals, and other natural objects.

Activity: Analyzing American Indian Artifacts (Time Permitting) In this activity, you will examine placards with drawings of artifacts from eight American Indian cultural regions. Follow these steps for each placard: Step 1: With your partner, examine the artifacts shown. Using the four maps in Section 1.3 of your book, hypothesize which American Indian cultural region the artifacts came from. Write the placard letter in the corresponding column of the matrix in your Reading Notes. Step 2: Check with others to compare your findings. Step 3: In the column for that cultural region, fill in at least two pieces of information the artifacts reveal. Step 4: Read the section in your book about that cultural region. Complete the Reading Notes for that section. Step 5: Move to an open placard. Repeat Steps 1 to 4 until you have examined all the placards and completed your Reading Notes.

Activity: Analyzing American Indian Artifacts

Activity: Analyzing American Indian Artifacts Section 1.5: Northwest Coast: Placard E Geography: thick forests of fir, spruce, and cedar; rugged mountains; Food: shellfish, seaweed, seals, sea lions, whales, fish, deer, moose, bear; Homes: large houses from logs or living trees, shingles from cedar bark; Crafts: clothing: cedar-bark capes; baskets, mats, and blankets from inner bark; Tools: seal harpoons, wooden wedges, sledgehammers, rope, needles, bone drills, stone knives

Activity: Analyzing American Indian Artifacts Section 1.6: California: Placard H Geography: coast and coastal foothills, inland valley, deserts, mountains; Food: salmon, shellfish, deer, roots, berries, pine nuts, acorns; Homes: cone-shaped homes made of bark or reeds; Crafts: clothing: skirts and aprons from grasses or plants, animal hides, baskets and sifters from plant materials; Tools: antler tools, baskets, fish traps

Activity: Analyzing American Indian Artifacts Section 1.7: Great Basin: Placard G Geography: desert, grasses, sagebrush, piñon; Food: ducks, eggs, cattails, snakes, grasshoppers, plants, berries, jackrabbits; Homes: temporary shelters of willow poles shaped into a cone and covered with brush or reeds; huts and caves; Crafts, clothing: robes from rabbit skins, baskets coated with pine sap; Tools: seed beaters (baskets to collect seeds), nets, decoys to attract ducks, sharp sticks

Activity: Analyzing American Indian Artifacts Section 1.8: Plateau: Placard A Geography: mountains, forests, grasses, sagebrush; Food: salmon, onions, carrots, camas, antelope, deer; Homes: partly underground homes lined with logs and covered with saplings, reeds, and mud; Clothing: clothing from animal hides and decorated with seeds and shells; woven baskets and hats; Tools: nets for catching salmon, spears, digging sticks

Activity: Analyzing American Indian Artifacts Section 1.9: Southwest: Placard C Geography: canyons, mountains, deserts, flat-topped mesas, rivers; Food: corn, beans, squash, rabbits, chili peppers; Homes: apartment-like houses made from adobe bricks; Crafts, clothing: cotton clothes dyed with bright colors from plants and minerals; Tools: corn grinders, dams, clay pots, clay ovens

Activity: Analyzing American Indian Artifacts Section 1.10: Great Plains: Placard B Geography: treeless grasslands; Food: farming, buffalo; Homes: tipis made from buffalo hides; Crafts, clothing: clothing and bags made from buffalo; Tools: hardwood bows, arrows, bone knives and scrapers, spears, shields, rope

Activity: Analyzing American Indian Artifacts Section 1.11 Eastern Woodlands: Placard D Geography: forests, lakes, streams; Food: deer, bears, beavers, birds, fish, greens, nuts, berries, corn, squash; Homes: log-frame homes covered with elm bark (longhouses); Crafts, clothing: deerskin skirts, capes, and moccasins; Tools: canoes, corn grinders

Activity: Analyzing American Indian Artifacts Section 1.12: Southeast: Placard F Geography: coastal plains, river valleys, mountains, swamps; Food: corn, beans, squash, squirrels, rabbits, turkeys, deer, wild plants; Homes: tree strips woven in a rectangular frame and plastered with clay, roofs of leaves; Crafts, clothing: deerskin skirts; Tools: hoes made of stone, shell, or bone; blowguns; bows and arrows

Activity: Analyzing American Indian Artifacts 1. Which cultural regions do you think would have been least challenging to adapt to? Why? 2. Which cultural regions do you think would have been most challenging to adapt to? Why? 3. In what ways did American Indians adapt to their environments?