Native Peoples of North America is intended to be an introductory text about the Native peoples of North America (primarily the United States and Canada) presented from an anthropological perspective. As such, the text is organized around anthropological concepts such as language, kinship, marriage and family life, political and economic organization, food getting, spiritual and religious practices, and the arts. Prehistoric, historic and contemporary information is presented. Each chapter begins with an example from the oral tradition that reflects the theme of the chapter. The text includes suggested readings, videos, and classroom activities.

In this unit, students will explore how the worlds of America, Africa, and Europe are alike and different.  They will also explore how and why the three worlds met, and how Europeans, American Indians, and Africans view the meeting of their three worlds.

This multi-day mini-unit explores the event of Christopher Columbus landing in the Bahamas from the viewpoint of both the Europeans and the Taino Tribe.  On Day 1 the students will participate in an interactive read-aloud of Encounter, by Jane Yolen. The focus will be centered around questioning as the reading strategy and then finishing with a graphic organizer depicting the portrayal of Christopher Columbus and the Native Americans.  Day 2 involves students seeking out resources on Christopher Columbus and continuing the graphic organizer. On Day 3 students will show their understanding of the different perspectives on the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Bahamas by will creating two different storyboards, one from the European perspective and the other from the Native American perspective.  To finish the unit students will use the ShadowPuppet EDU app to create a project showcasing their storyboards.  The unit will be assessed through a rubric.

UMCDC 5th MiOpen Book Chapter 2 "How did the Three Worlds Meet?" (20-21)

UMCDC 5th MiOpen Book Chapter 2 Section 8 "The Three Worlds Meet" (20-21)

Have you ever wondered about the first people who lived on our continent? How did they get here? It is believed by many historians that thousands of years ago, hunters following herds of animals like woolly mammoths and bison migrated (or moved) to the Americas on foot from Asia. This belief assumes that they crossed over a frozen land bridge caused by the Ice Age.