The Plains Indians

Social Studies American History Civil War Through 1900 The Plains Indians
Students analyze a Navajo poem. Then they watch a video and learn more about the way of life of the Plains Indians. Next they watch an animated map showing Native American lands from 1784 to present day, and they respond to the map from two points of view—as a settler and as a Plains Indian. Finally they look at two photos—one of Apache children arriving at the Carlisle School and one of children at the end of their training at the school—and they write a diary entry for one of the children.

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Overview

In this experience, students analyze a Navajo poem. Then they watch a video and learn more about the way of life of the Plains Indians. Next they watch an animated map showing Native American lands from 1784 to present day, and they respond to the map from two points of view—as a settler and as a Plains Indian. Finally they look at two photos—one of Apache children arriving at the Carlisle School and one of children at the end of their training at the school—and they write a diary entry for one of the children.

If you have access to leveled readers about the Plains Indians, assign them to the students in parallel to this experience.

Estimated duration: 35-45 minutes

Vocabulary words:

  • nomadic
  • possess
  • healer
  • boarding school

Objectives

  • Describe the culture of the Plains Indians.
  • Analyze the impact of westward expansion and government policies on the Plains Indians.


Engage


As settlers and immigrants pushed their way westward, they settled on land that had been the homes and hunting grounds of the Plains Indian tribes for hundreds of years. In this experience, you will learn about the Plains Indians and the changes that were forced on them.

Objectives
  • Describe the culture of the Plains Indians.
  • Analyze the impact of westward expansion and government policies on the Plains Indians.


photograph of three young Indian girls playing with toy teepees

Cheyenne girls playing at the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation


Read the following excerpt from a Navajo poem.


My great corn plants,
Among them I walk,
I speak to them;
They hold out their…hands to me.

My great squash vines,
Among them I walk,
I speak to them;
They hold out their…hands to me.

 

W. Matthews, trans. and ed., The Night Chant, 1902


Discuss the poem with students. Ask:
How does the speaker view the corn and squash plants? The speaker anthropomorphizes the plants—he speaks to them, he holds their hands.
What is the main idea of the poem? Humans and nature have a mutual, cooperative relationship.

Note that the Navajo are not usually considered a Plains tribe.


Draw an illustration for the poem. Try to make it in a style appropriate to Navajo Indians.


When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.

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The Complete List of Learning Experiences in Civil War Through 1900 Unit.
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Civil War Through 1900: Vocabulary
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Conflict Over Slavery
Social Studies American History Civil War Through 1900 Reconstruction
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Social Studies American History Civil War Through 1900 Mass Immigration: The Huddled Masses
Mass Immigration: The Huddled Masses
Social Studies American History Civil War Through 1900 The Plains Indians
The Plains Indians
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