Native Americans and the Trail of Tears

Where are they now?

 

 

 

 

Procedure: Begin the Native American unit by creating a KWL chart with the class to find out prior knowledge from the students. Encourage students to provide their thoughts and input and what they want to know about including myths or stories they may have heard. Discuss Native Americans of today and what they know about them now.

 

Show the class the map above displaying the various routes taken by different groups of Native Americans during the Trail of Tears. Discuss what families may have had to leave behind, how they felt, and how members of our class would feel if they had to suddenly pick up and move taking only what they could carry. Have the students write a journal entry discussing how they would feel if they were suddenly forced to move and could only take a few things.

 

 

After students have finished their journal entries, discuss the Native Americans of today.� Discuss with the students what happened to the Native American tribes after they arrived in Oklahoma Territory, and where the Native Americans live today. Show the students the map above and point out concentrations of Native Americans in the United States. Discuss Native American lives today and how Native Americans keep their cultures alive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictures retrieved from: http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/trail_of_tears.jpg

http://homepage.univie.ac.at/kurt.mayer/graphics/TrailTearsl.jpg

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/united_states/1990census_americanindian.jpg