 In this lesson, you will learn how Native Americans in six cultural regions adapted to their environments and how they interacted with European and American settlers.  You will use text and online sources to research one particular group of native people.  You will then share your results with others while learning about other Native American groups.

 I can discuss the migration routes of Native Americans to North America.  I can describe Native American attitudes toward their environment.  I can describe cultural adaptations made by Native Americans living in six cultural regions.  I can describe the encounter between Native Americans and Europeans in six cultural regions.

 Turn to page 1 in History Alive! and read Section 1.1  Examine the image on page 1:  What do you see here?  Into how many regions is the map divided?  Why do you think the map was divided in this manner?

 The map shows the eight cultural regions into which scholars often divide Native American groups who live in the contiguous United States.  You will use this graphic organizer to better understand how Native Americans adapted to their environments.

 Turn to page 2 in History Alive! and read Section 1.2  Answer questions 1 – 3 in your Reading Notes.

1. According to scientists and historians how did the first humans arrive in North America?  Historians believed first people migrated across a land bridge connecting Asia and North America during the last great Ice Age. Some scientists believe humans migrated by following the coasts of Asia and North America in hollowed out canoes. 2. What led to the first humans migrating east and south in North America?  Hunters followed the migration patterns of animals such as the mammoth which led them to spread across the two continents. 3. What environmental change forced humans to adapt to their environment? What kind of adaptations to their environment did early humans make?  When the earth warmed and melted their traditional prey began to die off. Ice people were then forced to change to the new environment. Adaptations included changes to clothing, shelter, and diet.

 Turn to page 3 in History Alive! and read Section 1.3  Answer questions 4 & 5 in your Reading Notes.

4. What is an environment?  An environment includes everything that surrounds us – land, water, animals, and plants. Every environment also has a climate or long-term weather pattern. 5. Define the following terms:  Culture: A way of life for a group of people including, beliefs, customs, food, dwellings, and clothing.  Cultural region: An area in which a group of people share a similar culture and language.

 Turn to page 6 in History Alive! and read Section 1.4  Answer questions 6 & 7 in your Reading Notes.

6. Where did Native Americans see their place in the universe?  Native Americans saw their place as equal to the plants, animals, and features of the environment. They tried to live in harmony or balance with the environment. 7. What was the Native American attitude toward the land? How was this view expressed in reality?  Native Americans did not believe anyone could own the land, instead it existed to provide for everyone’s needs.

 You will now research one Native American tribe in one cultural region.  As you research you will complete the relevant portion of your graphic organizer and annotate a cultural regions map of North America.  You will then share your findings with other students and learn about Native Americans in the other cultural regions.

 Choose one of the tribes from the cultural region you were assigned listed below:12345 Eastern Woodlands SoutheastGreat Plains Southwest/ California Great Basin/Plateau IroquoisCherokeeSiouxNavajoNez Perce MohawkChoctawCheyenneApacheShoshone HuronCreekPawneeKiowaPaiute Seminole

1. Using the textbooks in class and online sources research a tribe of your choice from the cultural region you were assigned. 2. Record what these people did in response to the environment they settled in. This should include food, shelter, clothing, tools, structure of their society and relations with nearby people. 3. Record what happened to them after they made contact with Europeans. 4. On your map shade the area where each tribe was located and label this cultural region.

 Locate a person who studied a Native group from a cultural region you did NOT research.  Share your findings with each other and repeat the process until your graphic organizer is complete.

 Examine your list of cultural adaptations. Are there any similarities among the groups?  How can you account for these similarities?  Why do you think Native Americans did not fight against European or American colonizers?  Why do you think Native Americans lacked comparable technology to explore and conquer other parts of the world as Europeans did?

 In his book Guns, Germs and Steel, historian Jared Diamond explains:  Native people developed technology to meet their immediate needs based on the resources immediately available to them.  The development of technology was dependent:  Upon a stable food supply through permanently settled farming.  In turn, this led to specialized labor or workers devoted to specific types of work.