Begin the day's lesson on Native Americans by
introducing the Iroquois with the book If You Lived with the Iroquois
by: Ellen Levine. Afterwards have the students discuss with a partner something
they learned about the Iroquois from the book. Then have a group discussion
about what they learned.
Tell the class that most people
know them as Iroquois; however they prefer to call themselves Haudenosaunee
which means "people who live in the extended longhouse". The name Iroquois means "rattlesnakes" and
was given to the people by their Algonquin enemies. Explain to the class that unlike some of the other Native
Americans we will study, the Iroquois are a confederacy of six nations. The different nations are Mohawk, Oneida,
Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. Briefly discuss each of the different nations and show the
students the map below of the different nations and the area where they lived
in what is New York today.
Have the students compare and contrast the
similarities and differences they notice and then work on creating a page to
add to their Native American Cultures book. Once students complete their book
page, review the housing that Iroquois people lived in, which is the longhouse.
Give
the students all the materials necessary to build their own longhouse such as
sticks, popsicle sticks, bark, glue, paint, shoe box, scissors, construction
paper, etc. Show them a completed longhouse as an example and then allow
students to get creative and use their artistic talents to create their own
longhouse in a shoebox or on a piece of cardboard.
Assess
the students informally by taking note of the discussion comments and
completion and effort at building their longhouse.
Resources
http://www.iroquoismuseum.org/history.htm
http://www.iroquoisartisans.com/
http://www.tolatsga.org/iro.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/iroquois.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iroquois
http://www.native-languages.org/kids.htm