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corn, squash and beans growing together on banks of Missouri River

Corn, ELA and Math

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Standards

CC.5.R.I.10 Range of Reading and Complexity of Text: By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4–5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.7 Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

 Technology Required

Either a project or smart board connected to the computer will be required to view presentation and videos in class or students will need a computer to watch on the own. The game can be played on any computer with Internet access.

 Summary

The cross-curricular lesson combines science, English language arts and mathematics. The teacher gives a short presentation on corn uses, types and history. Students read web pages or watch videos to learn more. Students can select from two games that discuss corn in Indigenous cultures. Students complete a word journal defining new words from the reading and/or video.

Lesson

1. Presentation on evolution of corn

This slide presentation can be used as is or copied and modified.

2. Research on their own

Each of the videos and web pages below should require 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Play a game

Both the game You are Here: On the Lewis and Clark Trail and Making Camp Navajo. BE AWARE THAT MATH IN MAKING CAMP NAVAJO IS AT THE SEVENTH-GRADE LEVEL.

4. Complete word journal

This lesson provides the opportunity for students to learn many words, in the reading, in the videos and possibly in the game. Students add words or terms with which they are unfamiliar to their word journal. Some teachers call it a personal dictionary, to others it’s a word journal. Regardless, the goal is the same, for students to record new words, give a dictionary definition and “make the word their own”. This can be done by rewriting the definition in their own words, using the word in a sentence or including an illustration of the word.

Two dictionary sites to recommend for definitions are below. An added bonus to mention to students is that they can hear words pronounced.

Since students often ask for an example, here is an example you can link in your lesson. 

The personal dictionary assignment, with all links, can be found here. Feel free to copy and paste into your Google classroom or other site, or print out for your class.

Differentiation and Supplementary Materials

For students at a lower reading level, check out the book Popcorn Country.

More advanced students can write a short research essay about corn, referencing the resources they read or watched.

More advanced students who are covering ratio and proportion in mathematics can play the game Making Camp Navajo. Students who are not yet at that level should play the You are Here: On the Lewis and Clark Trail game .

chokecherries

Chokecherries and Fractions

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by Mary Fried, Andrew Overland and Heather Overland
Wakpala School

Standard:

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NF.B.4
Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication to multiply a fraction by a whole number.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings Standard 2.3 – Recognize that there is a continuum of tribal identity, ranging from traditional to contemporary lifestyle that includes the challenges of living in two worlds.

Technology Required

Students will need a Mac or Windows computer or an iPad to play the Fish Lake game. Alternatively, students can play Forgotten Trail on the web using Chromebooks or any computer with a web browser.

Technology Required

Students will need a Chromebook, Mac or Windows computer and an Internet connection to play the game and search dictionaries online. Videos can be watched on a smart board or projector as a whole class or individually by students on their devices. Access to a kitchen is required for cooking.

Time Required

4-6 hours over several days. Time depends on selection of optional activities.

Materials needed

  • Chokecherries – these will need to be picked before school starts and can be frozen until needed. 
  • Large pot 
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Sugar

If making syrup

  • Steam juicer to extract the juice
  • 4oz. canning jars with lids and rings
  • Pectin

If making pemmican

  • Dehydrator or oven,
  • Buffalo meat,
  • Food processor
  • Lard (not butter or shortening)

Paper and pencil if not using Google docs for dictionary assignment.

Lesson Summary

In this hands-on, cross-curricular unit students learn about chokecherries using all of their senses. Teachers will probably want to space these lessons over a few days and select whichever activities are a best fit for their class. Students begin by playing the Plant Knowledge game through the chokecherry level. They discuss the significance of chokecherries in Lakota culture, then make pemmican, chokecherry wojape and syrup. They apply their knowledge of fractions to compute the correct measurements for each recipe. In English Language Arts class, students read the book, When the Chokecherries Bloom and complete a vocabulary quiz.

Menu from Plant Knowledge game with arrow pointing to chokecherry level

Lesson

In this hands-on, cross-curricular unit students learn about chokecherries using all of their senses. Teachers will probably want to space these lessons over a few days and select whichever activities are a best fit for their class. While not everyone will have access to buffalo meat, food processor or a dehydrator to make pemmican, we do think including a cooking activity adds significantly to this unit.

Fun fact: chokecherries grow in 44 of the 50 states. They can be ordered online, but that’s a little pricey (about $12 a pound.) An optional addition to this unit would be a field trip with students to gather the chokecherries themselves.

  1. Begin by playing the Plant Knowledge game as a bell ringer. Play through the introduction and then select the level for chokecherries as shown. (5 minutes)
  2. Give a short presentation to the students on what they will learn and do in this unit. (3 minutes)
  3. Watch Chokecherry Patties video with elder Joseph Naytowhow . A cautionary tale on eating too many patties (6 minutes)
  4. Read the book When the Chokecherries Bloom, aloud for the first eleven pages (Chapter 1). From the publisher’s description – When the Chokecherries Bloom is Shining Water’s story – a year in the life of a Lakota girl on the Dakota plains. A year of growth and transformation as she learns to adapt and thrive in her new world. (10 minutes)
  5. Watch the video Chokecherry Wojapi with Mavis Two Bulls and Rachel Nava, from South Dakota Public Broadcasting. (8 minutes)
  6. Dictionary activity: If they have not already created a personal dictionary for another assignment, have them create one now and add these words they will encounter in the Chokecherry Syrup Recipe page. This can be done as a Google doc or as sheets of paper in a folder or stapled together. If a classroom or library has access to a set of dictionaries, these can be used in place of online search. Time for this activity may vary depending on students’ reading and writing ability and whether artwork is including for the cover sheet or to illustrate definitions (20- 25 minutes)
  7. Read the web page Chokecherry syrup recipe – students can read this on their Chromebook or other device or it can be printed out in advance. (5-10 minutes).
  8. Read Chapter 2 of When the Chokecherries Bloom aloud. (10 minutes)
  9. Read the pemmican recipe. (5 minutes)
  10. Cook wojapi (chokecherry syrup) with students. (Allow 1 hour for preparation, cooking and clean up)
  11. The wojapi recipe provided makes 7 pints. Have students solve these math problems to compute the ingredients needed for different numbers of pints or cups of syrup. Answers to the questions and explanations can be found here. NOTE: The problems on the first page require dividing by an integer with a fraction quotient or multiplying by a unit fraction. Problems on the second page require multiplying by a fraction a/b and converting to a mixed number. If your students have difficulty with that concept, you may want to have them watch the Multiplying Whole Numbers by Fractions video. (30 minutes)
  12. Dictionary activity: Add additional words to their personal dictionary. This assignment has four words and provides a start to definitions for two Lakota words. Language teachers may wish to add to this assignment (10 minutes)
  13. Read Chapter 3 of When the Chokecherries Bloom aloud. (10 minutes)

Optional : If you have access to buffalo meat, a food processor and dehydrator, making pemmican is another recommended activity and would require an additional hour.

Finishing the book- There are two options. First, reading aloud to students can be a good way to begin or end a class, even for fifth graders, depending on the level of interest your students show in the book. Second, have one or more copies available for students to read during silent reading time in the classroom or at home. We do not recommend having every student read the same book during silent reading time simply because we agree with this teacher that this should be a time students exercise their free choice to read at any level and interest.

Explore Every Trail - menu page with six choices of people or communities on the Lewis and Clark Trail

People You’d Meet on the Lewis & Clark Trail

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by Lacey Schweitzer, Longfellow Elementary School

Standard:

H.3_5.9 – I can explain how individuals and groups contributed to North Dakota.

Time

The unit will take 8-9 class periods, a total of 320 – 360 minutes. Each lesson requires 40 minutes.

Technology Needed:

Internet connection on a PC or Chromebook laptop, tablet, or phone. NOTE: The unit includes videos that are hosted on YouTube. If your school network blocks YouTube access for students, you may want to plan to show these from the teacher computer during class time.

Summary:

This Unit plan on Lewis & Clark will cover how individuals and groups contributed to North Dakota. These individuals and groups include: Corps of Discovery, Sacagawea, expedition, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, Thomas Jefferson, Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Sioux, Chippewa, Metis, tribe, sovereign, treaty, reservation. Students will be able to describe the effects of the Lewis and Clark expedition in North Dakota history and be able to explain the contributions of Native Americans in North Dakota. Students will follow along by creating a Lewis & Clark journal, which will be based off of the readings completed in the Frontier Era of North Dakota textbook. 

Lesson

  1. Introduce the unit with the downloadable Google Slides presentation is available here and as a PowerPoint presentation here. This presentation helps students gain a perspective on the adventure that the Corps of Discovery went through. Students will also be introduced to Native Americans who contributed to the discovery and how they helped shape North Dakota. NOTE: Assigned pages refer to the specific textbook used in North Dakota fourth-grade classrooms. Teachers using a different textbook will need to revise the presentation to match the pages in their textbook.
  2. Students watch the video: The Making of a Nation: Louisiana Purchase
  3. Students create a journal they will use as they read about the expedition in their textbook. Instructions for journal entries are given in the introductory presentation (#1)
  4. Students watch the video: Lewis and Clark: An American Adventure Story
  5. Students read about the expedition in the textbook used at their school. Alternatively, students can read from The Frontier Era of North Dakota, available online.
  6. Students read assigned pages on the Lewis and Clark and write in their journals. It is advisable to review each day’s assignment from the presentation.
  7. Group assignment #1: Students work in groups to research a member of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.
  8. Group assignment #2: Students meet in new groups and share the results of their research.

Game

For a review, students will play the game – “Math and Science on the Lewis & Clark Trail”.

Assessment

Students will take the post-assessment test. Teachers will be able to check for understanding, based on the data from the assessment. 

You are Here: On the Lewis and Clark Trail - splash screen from game

What was life like in Lewis & Clark’s America?

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by Zoe Hodenfield, Longfellow Elementary School

Standards

North Dakota State Standards

 G.3_5.8 Analyze patterns of human settlement in North America 

G.3_5.6 Explain how United States regions are created from common physical and human characteristics 

H.3_5.6 Describe multiple causes and effects of contemporary global events and developments in relation to the United States. 

⏰ Time

45 – 60 minutes

📲 Technology Required

Device with web-browser – Chromebook, laptop or desktop computer to play game.

Teacher will need either a projector/ smart board to show pictures OR will need to print the images to distribute OR share a link to students to see on their own devices.

NOTE: The slides presentation refers to a specific curriculum, TCI, which may not be available at your school, but alternate curriculum can be substituted.

📃 Summary

Students observe and discuss changes in the geography and society of the U.S. through 1806. They read passages on the U.S. in the late 18th and early 19th century, discuss with a partner and brief knowledge checks. The lesson culminates with a game that teaches about scientific knowledge along the trail.

📚Lesson

Start with this Google Slides presentation which includes images for activities and instructions to students. It uses the TCI curriculum materials but the slides can be copied and modified. Template slides for drag and drop activities are included.

  1. Anticipatory set: Set up the lesson by having students look at an image in the presentation, an artist’s representation of the expedition, and give their initial reactions.
  2. Class discussion: Students look at two different maps and share their observations about each one.
  3. Individual reading: Students read a passage on the United States in 1783.
  4. Individual knowledge check: Students drag and drop events in order.
  5. Partner activity: Students read a passage on the Lewis and Clark Expedition
  6. Partner knowledge check: Students drag and drop events in order.
  7. Individual interactive media: Students play the game: You Are Here: On the Lewis & Clark Trail. This game teaches about the scientific contributions made by Merriwether Lewis and William Clark, as well as the scientific knowledge of the Native American communities they visited along the trail.
Four soldiers working on a transmitter. Caption of black and white photo says code talkers

Native American Veterans Research Project

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Standards

This project specifically addresses historical inquiry, as defined by the C3 Framework and quoted in the California Department of Education History Social Science Framework.

“Historical inquiry involves acquiring knowledge about significant events, developments, individuals, groups, documents, places, and ideas to support investigations about the past. Acquiring relevant knowledge requires assembling information from a wide variety of sources in an integrative process. Students might begin with key events or individuals introduced by the teacher or identified by educational leaders at the state level, and then investigate them further.”

Technology required

Device with a browser for Warrior Vets game and to create slide presentation.

Time

2 – 3 hours of class time. Out of class time varies by student.

Lesson Summary

Students hear a presentation on the assignment, play a game introducing several Native American veterans and then conduct their own on-line research with the help of the provided research guides.

I’ve used a similar assignment with my eleventh-grade students but I am considering revising it for use in ninth-grade as well.

Lesson

Day 1: In-class

Day 2: In-class

Day 3: Student presentations (optional)

Teachers may elect to have students present in class as either a requirement or for extra credit. Alternatively, depending on class time and students’ level, teachers may elect to simply have the presentations submitted for a grade.

Four soldiers working on a transmitter. Caption of black and white photo says code talkers
Three Native American soldiers, two men, one woman.

Cross-curricular lesson on Native American vets

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CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.RP.A.1 Analyze proportional relationships and use them to solve real-world and mathematical problems.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.

⏰ Time

Three to four hours. Time varies depending on the time allowed for research online and whether presentation will be submitted in writing or include presentation or video.

📲 Technology Required

Either a project or smart board connected to the computer will be required to view presentation in class and students will need a computer or tablet to conduct research on the web. The game can be played on any computer or tablet with Internet access.

Summary

This cross-curricular lesson includes history, mathematics, English language arts, computer applications and physical education. Students play a game which teaches about Native American veterans in World War I. They are given a presentation on the accomplishments of veteran, Joseph Oklahombi. In P.E. class, students sprint 210 yards to simulate Oklahombi’s attack. They are assigned to create a presentation to nominate Oklahombi for the Congressional Medal of Honor. This may include Google Slides, PowerPoint or video presentations.

Lesson

Presentation in Social Studies

Use the Google slides presentation to teach information about Joseph Oklahombi and Native American participation in World War I. They are given a presentation that includes information on the accomplishments of veteran, Joseph Oklahombi, including the ratio of enemy prisoners captured to American soldiers in his unit. The presentation also discusses the failure of the U.S. government to recognize soldiers like Oklahombi as citizens and the subsequent congressional acts that addressed this issue.

Have students play the Native American veterans game and select the section on World War I veterans.

Screenshot of menu with 5 choices, World War I , Women Veterans, War Stories, Famous Veterans and one, unlabeled, picture of a man in a war bonnet

Writing Assignment

The writing assignment and an outline for a guide are included in the presentation. This can be printed or copied and distributed to students through Google Classroom, Schoology or other CMS.

Physical Education

During P.E., have students measure out 210 yards, set out obstacles to dodge and jump over (backpacks with stacks of books would be a good choice) and sprint down the course, simulating Oklahombi’s attack on the machine gun nests.

Mathematics

Two ratios are computed in the presentation. The teacher may ask students to compute these individually and then present the answer. This lesson may be included as part of the ratio and proportion unit.

Computer Applications

Students will need to access the internet for their research. There are many reputable sites with information on Joseph Oklahombi, including the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, Oklahoma Historical Society, Veteran’s Administration and more. Optionally, students may submit their assignment as a video or slide presentation or write it using a word processor.

Differentiation

For students who have learning disabilities or other limits on writing ability, an oral presentation or video may be submitted in lieu of the written assignment.