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Extraordinary Women in the Great Plains (Grade 8)

Master Teacher

Lisa Ruppe Brumley

Time Allotment

Two 45-minute class periods

Overview

Women in the Great Plains had many different roles in the 1800s. These included picking berries, gathering vegetables, building teepees, preparing the skins of the great buffalo, deer, antelope and elk, and playing vital roles in the Sun Dance ceremonies.

Through the activities presented in this lesson, students will become familiar with the roles women had in the Plains culture. Students will identify the roles, compare and contrast predictions, and work in groups to recreate some of the roles women had in the 1800s. After watching the video, students will better understand the roles these women played. This lesson will ideally be used as part of a Native American Unit.

Subject Matter

World Geography

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

predict, in writing, what roles they think women filled in the Great Plains
identify the roles women played in the Great Plains
compare and contrast, using a Venn Diagram, the written prediction and the roles learned through the video lesson
work in cooperative groups to role play three different roles women played in the Great Plains

South Carolina Standards

These Standards can be found online at Office of Curriculum Standards.

Standard 8.1.1:

Discuss the nature, challenges, and contributions of African-American communities and Native American culture; women and their role in society, and other ethnic and religious groups.

Media Components

Video

Native American Series, Lesson 3: "Indians of the Plains" introduces students to the customs, culture and history of these Indian people.

Materials

Per student:

Following the Video guide sheet (see Activity Sheet 1)

pencil and paper

Per class:

3 picture books containing photographs of the food eaten by the Plains Indians
2 packs of beef jerky
3 small boxes of raisins
2 cups of pretzels
36 straws
18 rectangular strips of modeling clay
1 marker
10 index cards

Prep for Teachers

Prior to teaching this lesson, watch the video carefully and familiarize yourself with the cues. Make copies of the Following the Video guide sheet for each student.

Prepare the hands-on element of the lesson by setting up three separate stations in the classroom for the Culminating Activity. Arrange chairs in groups of six and place the following materials at each station:

Station 1

2 packs of beef jerky

3 small boxes of raisins

2 cups of pretzels

Station 2

6 straws per student

6 rectangular strips of modeling clay

Station 3

12 rectangular strips of modeling clay

3 books with food pictures

1 marker

10 index cards

When using media, provide students with a Focus For Media Interaction, a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites, or other multimedia elements.

Introductory Activity

Step 1: As a class, discuss the roles women have in today's society. Ask students for examples of the roles women play. (Expect answers such as teachers, nurses, stay-at-home moms, government officials.)

Step 2: Put students in groups of six and instruct them to list at least six roles they think women played in the Great Plains during the 1800s. In-struct them to elect one recorder for this activity. Allow them to work together for approximately 10 minutes.

Step 3: At the end of the 10-minute period, send students back to their seats while the recorders write their groups' findings on the board.

Learning Activity

Step 1: Ask students what they think of when they hear the words "Native Americans." What images come to mind? (Students will most likely say things like first people in the U.S., Indians, hunters, and hard workers).

Step 2: Explain to your students that we will be discussing the Plains Indians in class for the next few days and the roles women played in these Midwest tribes in the 1800s.

Step 3: Pass out the Following the Video Guide Sheet (Activity Sheet 1) to each student and instruct them to use it as a guide during the video. Explain that we will complete each segment of questions as we pause the video.

Step 4: Insert the Native American Series, Lesson 3, into your VCR. Provide your students with a Focus for Media Interaction by asking them what roles women had in the Great Plains tribes. START the tape when the screen shows the close-up picture of the wolf lying down, with the horse in the background and the narrator is saying, "While the men hunted, the women . . . " PAUSE the video when you see the picture of the Indian woman holding up her left arm with the horse in the background and the narrator is saying, "Women and older children worked. . . . "

Check for Understanding: Instruct students to answer the Segment One question on their work-sheet. After about three minutes, ask volunteers to share their answers. Discuss this as a class.

Step 5: Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction and ask if anyone knows what

pemmican is. FAST FORWARD the videotape to the scene where a woman is getting a buffalo horn out of a basket and the narrator is saying, "Buffalo horns made bowls, nuts. . . . " PAUSE when you get to the picture of the woman holding a rock over a bed of coals and the narrator is saying, "Hot rocks to boil stew in a buffalo. . . . "

Check for Understanding: Instruct students to answer the Segment Two questions on the

Following the Video Guide Sheet. Give students about five minutes to answer these questions and then ask for volunteers to share their ideas.

Discuss as a class.

Step 6: Provide students with Focus for Media Interaction and ask what housing they think the Plains Indians used. FAST FORWARD the tape to the scene where several teepees are in the background and the narrator says, "On this day, Brave Horses' mother. . . . " PAUSE the video when you see the woman giving gifts out to the children and the narrator is saying, "Everyone to a celebration that night. . . . "

Check for Understanding: Instruct students to answer the questions in Segment Three on the Following the Video Guide Sheet. Give students about five minutes to answer these questions and then ask for volunteers to share their answers. Discuss as a class.

Step 7: Instruct students to return to their cooperative groups and compile their findings from the video's segments. Each recorder will go back to the board and write down what the group found out about the roles of women living in the Great Plains region.

Step 8: Make a Venn Diagram to display predictions and findings about the roles of the women.

Culminating Activity

Step 1: Say, "In this video lesson, you have learned what roles women played in the Great Plains."

Step 2: Divide students into groups of six and go to the three different working stations.

Students at Station 1 will make pemmican with beef jerky, raisins, and pretzels. Beef jerky will represent buffalo fat; raisins will represent dried fruit; and pretzels will represent bread. Students will mix the ingredients to make a hearty snack.

Students at Station 2 will make teepees with straws and modeling clay. Each group member will be given 6 straws and clay to build the teepee.

Students at Station 3 will use pictures (from books listed under Student Materials) to make replicas of food eaten in the Plains. Each food will be labeled.

Step 3: Each group will present their creation in role-playing form to the class.

Step 4: As an assessment of the lesson, students will write a short essay on the role of women in the Great Plains.

Cross Curricular Extensions

Language Arts: Write an essay on the role of women in the Great Plains.

Mathematics: Measure amounts of pemmican made in cooperative groups.

Science: Research animal hides and textures of each.

Art: Make examples of the jewelry Native American women wore in the 1800s.

Community Connections

Take students to local or regional museums like the Schiele Museum in Gastonia, NC, to see the Native American displays.

Invite a Native American to speak to the class.

Student Materials

Following the Video Guide Sheet (one per student)

*North American Indian by David Murdoch

*The Apache by Raymond Bial

*The Sioux by Raymond Bial

*Books will be used in cooperative groups during Culminating Activity.

Activity Sheets:

Activity Sheet 1: Following the Video Guide Sheet