Year 2: Unit 3 – Last of the Plains Indians – Westward Expansion and Native Americans (1860 – present): Lessons

Central Question: How have Native American and settler encounters on the western frontier evolved over time?

Historical Background

Although Americans and Native Americans had been interacting for hundreds of years in the eastern United States, the native peoples in the western part of the continent had enjoyed relative peace until the 19th century. The occasional trader or explorer interacted with native tribes, but most interactions were brief and nonviolent. Tribal culture flourished, relatively untouched by white American society. Following the Civil War, however, as white settlers began seeking land out West, conflict increased and turned violent. From the late 19th century through today, the interactions of native peoples with American society have remained tense and fraught.

For more background, read “American Indians and the Transcontinental Railroad” and “The Impact of Horse Culture” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required), and “The Homestead Act” on the History Channel website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 3 Key Terms:

• The Spokane
• The Sioux
• The Nez Perce
• The Great Plains
• Buffalo
• Westward expansion
• Homestead Act
• Pacific Railway Act
• Transcontinental Railroad

Scholars understand the changing nature of Native American and settler encounters over the course of the 19th century and can explain how these encounters have evolved into the 21st century.

Preparation

• Display the Unit 3 Essential Question on the wall in your classroom for scholars to reference throughout the unit.
• Create a word wall in your classroom with the Unit 3 Key Terms for scholars to reference during class discussion. Hold scholars accountable for using these Key Terms throughout the unit.
• Post a digital timeline or a hard-copy timeline in your classroom to track key events from this unit and previous units.

Do Now — 5 minutes

• Scholars complete the Unit 3 Lesson 1 Do Now in the Unit 3 Workbook.

Context — 25 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

• Introduce the Essential Question for Unit 3: How did westward expansion and government policies affect Native American communities after the Civil War?
• Explain that, each day, scholars will gather more evidence to answer this question.
• Remind scholars that this unit builds upon past content and that they must constantly make connections to previous periods of history to help them answer this Essential Question.
• Then pose today’s Central Question, and invest scholars in examining the origins of conflict between Native Americans and American settlers.

Watch (10 minutes)

• Watch the video “Native Americans and the West Before the Civil War” on YouTube.
• Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
  • How did the beginning of westward expansion affect Native American encounters with the Europeans?

Read (10 minutes)

• Read the essay “The Civil War and Reconstruction in the American West” on page 3 of the Unit 3 Sourcebook.
• Scholars should read and annotate the source, writing a main idea next to the title.

Discuss (5 minutes)

• Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video as well as the question below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the text and the video.
  • Why did Americans begin moving westward following the Civil War?
  • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: Why did western settler and Native American encounters change over time?

Investigate — 25 minutes

• Scholars read and annotate Documents A through D on pages 4–7 of the Unit 3 Sourcebook. After reading each source, they should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
• Circulate to determine the major trend in scholars’ work.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the document he or she is reading. Ask: What is the main idea of this document? How do you know? How does this document help answer the Central Question?
  • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on the main idea of the document.

Discuss — 10 minutes

• Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure that the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
  • How do Documents A and B characterize Native American and settler encounters?
  • How are Documents C and D different? Why?
  • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: How did these interactions affect Native American communities in the West?

Investigate 2 — 10 minutes

• Tell scholars that Document E connects the history of Native American and settler interactions to the present day and will give them context for their research project at the end of the unit.
• Scholars read and annotate Document E: “The Poem that Made Sherman Alexie want to ‘Drop Everything and Be a Poet’” by Sherman Alexie on the Atlantic website. As scholars read, they should think about how Document E helps answer the lesson’s Central Question. After reading the source, they should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
• Circulate to determine the major trend in scholars’ work.

Discuss — 5 minutes

• Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure that the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
  • How does Sherman Alexie’s essay characterize the relationship between Native American communities and reservations?
  • How might this help us better understand our whole-class novel?
  • Make a connection to the Big Ideas. Ask: How did the encounters of the 19th century most likely influence Alexie’s perspective on reservations?

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

• Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
  • How have Native American and settler encounters on the western frontier evolved over time? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two different sources.

Homework

• Scholars read “American Indians: The Image of the Indian” by historian Brian Dippie on the National Humanities Center website and examine the image on page 9 of the Unit 3 Sourcebook in preparation for the next lesson.

Central Question: How did western settlers and Native Americans view one another following the Civil War?

Historical Background

As settlers moved westward in staggering numbers, the relative peace experienced by the Sioux and other tribes of the West was put at risk. Settlers destroyed Native American land to build the Transcontinental Railroad and massacred the buffalo population, destroying the main source of food and raw materials for native communities. To the Native Americans, the “white man” was an invader of their lands. To settlers, Native Americans were savage and violent and stood in the way of their dreams to control the continent.

For more background, read “American Indians and the Transcontinental Railroad” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required).

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars plan and draft speeches with strong ideas backed by evidence that develops, supports, or proves their claims.

Preparation

• To complete this writing seminar, before class you must:
  • Ensure each scholar has the Lessons 2–3 Speech Planning Guide in the Unit 3 Workbook accessible.
  • Create a teacher model of the planning guide and the speech.

Do Now — 5 minutes

• Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from the previous lesson based on the grade and feedback you gave them.

Mentor Text Study — 30 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

• Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
• Pose today’s Central Question, and invest scholars in continuing their study of the origins of conflict between Native Americans and American settlers.

Read (20 minutes)

• Read Documents A through D on pages 10–12 of the Unit 3 Sourcebook.
• Tell scholars that they will be writing speeches from the perspective of either a western settler or a Native American, expressing their perspective on the “other.” As scholars read the following mentor texts, they should think about how the authors of these texts develop their ideas about the “other.”
• Read together as a class. After reading each source, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.

Discuss (3 minutes)

• Pairs of scholars discuss the following questions. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents.
  • What are the authors’ main ideas?
  • Why did the authors write these documents?

Give scholars 2 minutes to revise their main idea annotations for the documents based on the discussion.

Discuss (3 minutes)

• Pairs of scholars discuss the following questions. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents.
  • How did western settlers view the Native Americans of the West?
  • How did the Native Americans view the western settlers?
  • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: How did western settlers’ views of the “other” affect how they interacted with and treated Native Americans?

Teacher Model — 5 minutes

• Say: Today you will be writing a speech as if you are either a western settler or a Native American in the West. You will be expressing your perspective of the other in response to our Central Question (display for scholars to see): How did western settlers and Native Americans view one another following the Civil War?
• Show scholars your completed Speech Planning Guide.
• Ask scholars: What is the idea I want to convey in my speech?
• Ask scholars: How does my evidence support my argument?

Plan — 15 minutes

• With partners or in small groups, scholars discuss possible answers to the prompt. Ensure scholars pay attention to perspective when answering this prompt.
• Lead a whole-class discussion on possible answers to this question. Remind scholars that there is not a single right answer to this question, but they must have evidence to defend their answers!
  • Call on pairs to share out their answers and defend them with evidence from Documents A through D.
  • Have scholars evaluate one another’s answers. Scholars should consider whether each answer is compelling and based on evidence from the text.
  • Give scholars feedback on the clarity and quality of their ideas.
• During the discussion, chart strong versus weak answers. Ensure that scholars can explain what makes a particular answer strong or weak.
• Tell scholars that their answers to this question will become their claims in their final speeches. All of the evidence in a speech must prove this claim.
• After the discussion, give scholars 2 minutes to write down their own claims in the Lessons 2–3 Speech Planning Guide in the Unit 3 Workbook. Ensure that scholars are not just copying an answer that was discussed but are actually formulating their own claims based on the discussion.

Outline and Draft — 30 minutes

Outline (15 minutes)

• Scholars create an outline for their speeches in the planning guide by finalizing their claims and determining relevant evidence from Documents A through D that support their claims.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Have each scholar explain his or her claim. Does the claim answer the narrative writing prompt? Is it compelling? Does the evidence chosen support and illustrate this claim?
  • If scholars are struggling to choose strong evidence, have them write how each document helps convey how Native Americans and western settlers viewed one another.

Draft (15 minutes)

• Scholars use their outlines to draft their speeches. As scholars draft, they must focus on strong and clear claims. Make sure their ideas contain an argument, rather than just a statement of facts or details.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Have scholars explain their writing. Can their writing be made stronger?
    ◦Ensure that scholars are using relevant evidence to prove their claims.
  • Ensure that scholars are revising their writing to make sure it is simple and clear.
  • Hold scholars accountable for implementing the feedback you’ve given them.
  • Hold scholars accountable for using the proper formatting and style for speeches.

Share — 5 minutes

• Select a few scholars to present their draft speeches to the class and/or have scholars share their drafts with partners.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

• Before the next lesson, review scholars’ drafts and provide feedback on the quality of their work. Prioritize the most important change scholars must make to improve the strength of their claims and supporting evidence in this speech as well as in their future writing. Use your study of scholar work to determine a common trend in scholars’ writing.

Central Question: How did western settlers and Native Americans view one another following the Civil War?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars revise their speeches based on individualized teacher feedback to make their speeches stronger and clearer and understand how to use their feedback to grow as writers.

Preparation

• To complete this revision, before class you must:
  • Choose an exemplar and non-exemplar draft speech from the previous lesson to use in the Launch and Mini-lesson. If there is no exemplar piece, plan to use your own teacher model piece.

Do Now — 5 minutes

• Scholars read your feedback on their initial drafts of their speeches and discuss with a partner how they will apply this feedback in their revisions today.

Launch — 10 minutes

• The launch is your opportunity to provide a whole-class model of excellence and explain the biggest issue that holds scholars back from achieving excellence. The launch should end with scholars describing how this piece of writing exemplifies the Habits of Great Writers.
  • Reread the narrative writing prompt with scholars: How did western settlers and native peoples view one another following the Civil War?
  • Ask scholars: How does narrative writing differ from argumentative writing?
  • Scholars discuss in pairs. Call on one or two pairs to share out.
  • Then share an exemplar draft. Have scholars discuss 1) what makes the scholar’s claim compelling and 2) why the evidence selected is effective in proving this claim.
  • Have scholars articulate to partners how the work study applies to their own writing today.

Mini-lesson — 10 minutes

• Choose an anonymous scholar draft argument that demonstrates a whole-class trend from your study of scholar work in the previous lesson, and show this scholar’s line-edited draft to the class.
• Have the class work together to apply your individualized feedback to begin to revise the speech. Call on a scholar to articulate how this scholar must apply the feedback to all writing moving forward.
• Have scholars articulate to partners how the work study applies to their own writing today.

Revise 1 — 20 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars should use this entire time to revise their work based on the feedback you have given them. Explain that some scholars may need to start from scratch, and that is OK! Note that this time will be productive only if you have given every scholar individualized feedback.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Have scholars explain the feedback that they have received, as well as their plan to apply it.
  • Coach scholars on how to apply your feedback.

Mid-Workshop Teach — 10 minutes

• Share a speech that has greatly improved through revision. Have the scholar explain how he or she has applied feedback to effectively revise.
  • If there is a clear whole-class misconception that must be addressed, share an anonymous example of that trend. Have the class discuss how the scholar needs to change his or her approach to revision in order to make more substantial changes.
• Ensure scholars understand how this feedback is transferable to their own work.
• Scholars articulate to their partners how they will revise their work based on the Mid-Workshop Teach.

Revise 2 — 25 minutes

• Scholars use the transferable takeaway from the Mid-Workshop Teach to revise their speeches.
• Set the expectation that scholars should use the entire time to continue revising their speeches.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Help scholars focus on what is most important: compelling claims and supporting evidence.
  • Coach scholars on how to apply our feedback.

Share — 10 minutes

• Select a few scholars to present their final speeches to the class and/or have scholars share their final speeches with a partner.

Homework

• Scholars read “The Price of Freedom: Western Indian Wars” on the Smithsonian National Museum of American History website and “The Battle of Little Bighorn” on the History Channel website in preparation for the next lesson.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

• Before the next lesson, give scholars a final grade on their revised essays, as well as one transferable next step that they must apply to their next pieces.

Central Question: Why did war erupt on the western frontier?

Historical Background

As tensions grew between white settlers and Native Americans across the western frontier, wars erupted. Known collectively as the Indian Wars, settlers and U.S. armed forces clashed with Plains Indian tribes in a number of different battles and massacres.

For more background, read “How the Civil War Became the Indian Wars” on the New York Times
website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 3 Key Terms:

• Lakota
• Crazy Horse
• •General Custer
• Indian Wars
• Battle of Little Bighorn
• Reservations
• Wounded Knee Massacre

Scholars understand the major events of the Indian Wars and can explain why war erupted between Native Americans and settlers on the western frontier.

Do Now — 5 minutes

• Scholars complete the Unit 3 Lesson 4 Do Now in the Unit 3 Workbook.

Watch and Discuss 1 — 20 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

• Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
• Pose today’s Central Question, and invest scholars in beginning their study of why conflict broke out in the West.

Watch (14 minutes)

• Watch the documentary The West, Episode 4 “Death Runs Riot,” directed by Ken Burns, 1996, available on YouTube.
  • Begin the documentary at 53:07, and pause the clip at 1:07:05 to allow for discussion.
• Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
  • How did the Sand Creek Massacre affect Native American attitudes toward settlers?

Discuss (4 minutes)

• Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video as well as the questions below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the video.
  • Who caused the Sand Creek Massacre? Why?
  • Why was the Sand Creek Massacre called a “massacre”?
  • Make a connection to the Big Ideas. Ask: How did the Sand Creek Massacre affect the relationship between the Cheyenne and Arapaho and settlers in Colorado?

Watch and Discuss 2 — 20 minutes

Watch (14 minutes)

• Continue to watch the documentary The West, Episode 4 “Death Runs Riot,” directed by Ken Burns, 1996, available on YouTube.
  • Begin the documentary at 1:09:30, and pause the clip at 1:22:55 to allow for discussion.
• Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
  • How did violence escalate following the Sand Creek Massacre? Why?

Discuss (6 minutes)

• Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your question with claims supported by evidence from the video.
  • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: How did violent conflicts affect Native American land and communities?

Investigate 1 — 10 minutes

• Scholars read and annotate Document A on page 14 of the Unit 3 Sourcebook. After reading this source, they should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
• Circulate to determine the major trend in scholars’ work.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the document he or she is reading. What is the main idea of this document? How do you know? How does this document help answer the Central Question?
  • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on the main idea of the document.

Discuss 1 — 5 minutes

• Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the document. Ensure that the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
  • Based on Document A, why did war erupt on the western frontier?
  • To what extent is this account trustworthy?

Investigate 2 — 15 minutes

• Scholars read and annotate Documents B through D on pages 15–16 of the Unit 3 Sourcebook. After reading each source, they should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
• Circulate to determine the major trend in scholars’ work.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the document he or she is reading. Ask: What is the main idea of this document? How do you know? How does this document help answer the Central Question?
  • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on the main ideas of the document.

Discuss 2 — 5 minutes

• Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure that the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
  • How did Documents B and C challenge the explanation given by Document A?
  • Which explanation does Document D support — that of Document A, or that of Documents B and C? Why?
  • Make a connection to the Big Ideas. Ask: Why do the explanations for the outbreak of war differ?

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

• Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
  • Why did war erupt on the western frontier? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two different sources.

Homework

• Scholars read “The Reservation System” on the Khan Academy website and “Wounded Knee” on the History Channel website in preparation for the next lesson.

Central Question: How did the Indian Wars affect Native American communities in the West?

Historical Background

Despite the success of some battles, such as the Battle of Little Bighorn, most tribes did not stand a chance against the U.S. military. The goal from the 1860s through the 1880s was to force native tribes off of their lands and onto reservations. By the end of 1890, the army had defeated the last resistance and resettled Native Americans onto the reservations while also effectively eliminating their life source: the buffalo. Many Native Americans living on reservations faced many hardships and grew dependent on the federal government for food and supplies.

For more background, read “Where the Buffalo No Longer Roamed” on the Smithsonian magazine website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 3 Key Term:

• Ghost Dance

Scholars plan and draft speeches with strong ideas backed by evidence that develops, supports, or proves their ideas.

Preparation

• To complete this writing seminar, before class you must:
  • Ensure each scholar has the Lessons 5–6 Speech Planning Guide in the Unit 3 Workbook accessible.
  • Create a teacher model of the planning guide and the speech.

Do Now — 5 minutes

• Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from the previous lesson based on the grade and feedback you gave them.

Mentor Text Study — 30 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

• Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
• Pose today’s Central Question, and invest scholars in continuing their study of why conflict broke out in the West.

Read (20 minutes)

• Read Documents A through D on pages 18–20 of the Unit 3 Sourcebook.
• Tell scholars that they will be writing speeches from the perspective of a Native American, reflecting on how the Indian Wars affected their lives. As scholars read the following mentor texts, they should think about how the authors of these texts develop their ideas about the impact of the Indian Wars.
• After reading each source, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.

Discuss (3 minutes)

• Pairs of scholars discuss the following questions. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents.
  • What are the authors’ main ideas?
  • Why did the authors write these documents?

Give scholars 2 minutes to revise their main idea annotations for the documents based on the discussion.

Discuss (3 minutes)

• Pairs of scholars discuss the following questions. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents.
  • Who “won” the Indian Wars? Why?
  • Why was the loss of tribal land significant for many Native Americans after the Indian Wars?

Teacher Model — 5 minutes

• Say: Today you will be writing a speech as if you are a Native American following the Indian Wars. You will be reflecting on your life in response to our Central Question (display for scholars to see): How did the Indian Wars affect Native American communities in the West?
• Show scholars your completed Speech Planning Guide.
• Ask scholars: What is the idea I want to convey in my speech?
• Ask scholars: How does my evidence support my argument?

Plan — 15 minutes

• With partners or in small groups, scholars discuss possible answers to the prompt. Ensure scholars pay attention to perspective when answering this prompt.
• Lead a whole-class discussion on possible answers to this question. Remind scholars that there is not a single right answer to this question, but they must have evidence to defend their answers!
  • Call on pairs to share out their answers and defend them with evidence from Documents A through D.
  • Have scholars evaluate one another’s answers. Scholars should consider whether each answer is compelling and based on evidence from the text.
  • Give scholars feedback on the clarity and quality of their ideas.
• During the discussion, chart strong versus weak answers. Ensure that scholars can explain what makes a particular answer strong or weak.
• Tell scholars that their answers to this question will become their claims in their final speeches. All of the evidence in a speech must prove this claim.
• After the discussion, give scholars 2 minutes to write down their own claims in the Lessons 5–6 Speech Planning Guide in the Unit 3 Workbook. Ensure that scholars are not just copying an answer that was discussed but are actually formulating their own claims based on the discussion.

Outline and Draft — 30 minutes

Outline (15 minutes)

• Scholars create an outline for their speeches in the planning guide by finalizing their claims and determining relevant evidence from Documents A through D that support their claims.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Have each scholar explain his or her claim. Does the claim answer the narrative writing prompt? Is it compelling? Does the evidence chosen support and illustrate this claim?
  • If scholars are struggling to choose strong evidence, have them write how each document helps convey the impact of the Indian Wars.

Draft (15 minutes)

• Scholars use their outlines to draft their speeches. As scholars draft, they must focus on strong and clear claims. Make sure their ideas contain an argument, rather than just a statement of facts or details.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Have scholars explain their writing. Can their writing be made stronger?
  • Ensure that scholars are using relevant evidence to prove their claims.
  • Ensure that scholars are revising their writing to make sure it is simple and clear.
  • Hold scholars accountable for implementing the feedback you’ve given them.
  • Hold scholars accountable for using the proper formatting and style for speeches.

Share — 5 minutes

• Select a few scholars to present their draft speeches to the class and/or have scholars share their drafts with partners.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

• Before the next lesson, review scholars’ drafts and provide feedback on the quality of their work. Prioritize the most important change scholars must make to improve the strength of their claims and supporting evidence in this speech as well as in their future writing. Use your study of scholar work to determine a common trend in scholars’ writing.

Central Question: How did the Indian Wars affect Native American communities in the West?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars revise their speeches based on individualized teacher feedback to make their speeches stronger and clearer and understand how to use their feedback to grow as writers.

Preparation

• To complete this revision, before class you must:
  • Choose an exemplar and non-exemplar draft speech from the previous lesson to use in the Launch and Mini-lesson. If there is no strong exemplar piece, plan to use your own teacher model piece.

Do Now — 5 minutes

• Scholars read your feedback on their initial drafts of their speeches and discuss with a partner how they will apply this feedback in their revisions today.

Launch — 10 minutes

• The launch is your opportunity to provide a whole-class model of excellence and explain the biggest issue that holds scholars back from achieving excellence. The launch should end with scholars describing how this piece of writing exemplifies the Habits of Great Writers.
  • Reread the narrative writing prompt with scholars: How did western settlers and native peoples view one another on the western frontier?
  • Ask scholars: How does narrative writing differ from argumentative writing?
  • Scholars discuss in pairs. Call on one or two pairs to share out.
  • Share an exemplar draft. Have scholars discuss 1) what makes the scholar’s claim compelling and 2) why the evidence selected is effective in proving this claim.
  • Have scholars articulate to partners how the work study applies to their own writing today.

Mini-lesson — 10 minutes

• Choose an anonymous scholar draft argument that demonstrates a whole-class trend from your study of scholar work in the previous lesson, and show this scholar’s line-edited draft to the class.
• Have the class work together to apply your individualized feedback to begin to revise the speech. Then call on a scholar to articulate how this scholar must apply the feedback to all writing moving forward.
• Have scholars articulate to partners how the work study applies to their own writing today.

Revise 1 — 20 minutes

• Set the expectation that scholars should use this entire time to revise their work based on the feedback you have given them. Explain that some scholars may need to start from scratch, and that is OK! Note that this time will be productive only if you have given every scholar individualized feedback.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Have scholars explain the feedback that they have received, as well as their plan to apply it.
  • Coach scholars on how to apply your feedback.

Mid-Workshop Teach — 10 minutes

• Share a speech that has greatly improved through revision. Have the scholar explain how he or she has applied feedback to effectively revise.
  • If there is a clear whole-class misconception that must be addressed, share an anonymous example of that trend. Have the class discuss how the scholar needs to change his or her approach to revision in order to make more substantial changes.
• Ensure scholars understand how this feedback is transferable to their own work.
• Scholars articulate to their partners how they will revise their work based on the Mid-Workshop Teach.

Revise 2 — 25 minutes

• Scholars use the transferable takeaway from the Mid-Workshop Teach to revise their speeches.
• Set the expectation that scholars should use the entire time to continue revising their speeches.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Help scholars focus on what is most important: compelling claims and supporting evidence.
  • Coach scholars on how to apply feedback.

Share — 10 minutes

• Select a few scholars to present their final speeches to the class and/or have scholars share their final speeches with a partner.

Homework

• Scholars read “The Dawes Act” on the Khan Academy website and “This Day in History: Cleveland Signs the Dawes Severalty Act” on the History Channel website in preparation for the next lesson.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

• Before the next lesson, give scholars a final grade on their revised essays, as well as one transferable next step that they must apply to their next pieces.

Central Question: Why did the United States pass the Dawes Act?

Historical Background

In 1887, Congress passed the Dawes Act. In response to the overwhelming poverty experienced on reservations, the act instead proposed breaking up reservations and giving individual land parcels to Native Americans. Any Native American who accepted an individual land parcel could become a U.S. citizen. The second goal of the act was to assimilate Native Americans into white American culture. Alongside the act, schools to “civilize” Native Americans were established, with the goal to “Kill the Indian, Save the Man.” The act also allowed the government to sell former reservation land to non-Native Americans, leading to a massive land grab of Native American lands.

For more background, read “Indian Territory and the Dawes Act” on the National Archives website and “The Dawes Act” on the University of Houston Digital History website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 3 Key Terms:

• The Dawes Act
• Assimilation

Scholars understand the significance of the Dawes Act and can explain different perspectives for and against passage of the act.

Preparation

• To complete this simulation, before class you must:
  • Make a plan for how you are going to divide scholars into groups for the simulation.
  • Ensure each scholar has their assigned position materials on pages 23–26 of the Unit 3 Sourcebook available.

Do Now — 5 minutes

• Scholars complete the Unit 3 Lesson 7 Do Now in the Unit 3 Workbook.

Context — 15 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

• Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
• Pose today’s Central Question, and invest scholars in beginning their study of the evolution of government Indian policies.

Watch (8 minutes)

• Watch the video “The Dawes Act of 1877” on YouTube.
• Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
  • What were the official goals of the Dawes Act?

Discuss (5 minutes)

• Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video as well as the questions below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the homework and the video.
  • How did Native Americans respond to the Dawes Act?
  • How did the Dawes Act affect native tribal land in the West?

Preparation — 30 minutes

• Assign each scholar one of four positions on the Dawes Act: Pro Position #1 (page 23 of the Unit 3 Sourcebook), Pro Position #2 (page 24 of the Unit 3 Sourcebook), Con Position #1 (page 25 of the Unit 3 Sourcebook), or Con Position #2 (page 26 of the Unit 3 Sourcebook). Explain that scholars will assume the role of a senator who holds one of these four positions about the Dawes Act and will use these positions to prepare to simulate a Congressional debate on the Dawes Act.

Investigate (20 minutes)

• Scholars read and annotate Documents A through C in their assigned position sourcebooks.
• As scholars read, they should:
  • Identify the key goals of the proposed Dawes Act.
  • Identify each of the issues outlined in their position.
  • Evaluate each of the listed concerns in their position.
  • Analyze the historical perspectives for each issue to contextualize their arguments.
  • Summarize their assigned position on the Dawes Act and outline how the act addresses their positions’ main issues and concerns.
• Circulate to determine the major trend in scholars’ work.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the document he or she is reading. Ask: What is the main idea of this document? How do you know? How does this document help answer the Central Question?
  • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on the main idea of the document.

Partner Work (10 minutes)

• Scholars work with partners with the same position. Together, scholars compare and revise their notes and responses to the prompts above.
• Circulate to determine the major trend in scholars’ work.

Simulation — 20 minutes

• Divide scholars into groups of four, with only one of each perspective represented.
• Within these groups, scholars will discuss their senators’ perspectives on the Dawes Act. Tell each group that, by the end of their time, they should come up with a decision for or against the Dawes Act and must be able to explain their rationale for why they chose this position based on the evidence provided. For the vote to pass in each small group, at least three scholars must vote in favor of or against the Dawes Act. Therefore, scholars must work to try and convince their peers why their perspective is correct.
• Before scholars begin, set clear expectations for scholar participation and roles within the groups. Ensure that scholars understand that their arguments and decisions must be based on their senators’ biases and perspectives, not their own.
• While scholars discuss, listen in to understand whether or not scholars accurately reflect their senators’ beliefs and propose authentic and compelling arguments for or against the Dawes Act. Address misconceptions within each group, or stop and address as a whole class, based on what you hear.

Wrap-up — 10 minutes

• Have the groups share out their decision to support or oppose the Dawes Act by presenting a one-minute explanation of their decision.
• Then, as a class, conduct a vote for/against the Dawes Act. Tell scholars that they are free to vote however they please, regardless of their small group’s decision or their assigned role. However, their vote must be informed by the different arguments presented in class. After the vote, call on one or two scholars to share out why they voted as they did.
• Tell scholars that as they learned in the video, the Dawes Act did pass in Congress and that in the next lesson, they will explore how Native Americans responded to this push for assimilation.

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

• Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
  • Why did the United States pass the Dawes Act? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two different sources.

Homework

• Scholars read “How Boarding Schools Tried to ‘Kill the Indian’ Through Assimilation” by Becky Little on the History Channel website in preparation for the next lesson.

Central Question: Why did the United States adopt assimilation policies at the end of the 19th century?

Historical Background

Following the passage of the Dawes Act, the U.S. government, as well as many philanthropic societies, pushed for policies that aimed to assimilate Native Americans into white American society. Assimilation often meant attending Indian schools that promised to “Kill the Indian, Save the Man” in an effort to erase all aspects of tribal culture from Native American children. These assimilation policies played a significant role in devastating Native American communities and destroying their cultures and heritage.

For more background, read “How Boarding Schools Tried to ‘Kill the Indian’ Through Assimilation” on the History Channel website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 3 Key Term:

• Indian schools

Scholars understand the effects of assimilation policies on Native Americans and create cartoons that illustrate these effects.

Preparation

• To complete this project, before class you must:
  • Create a teacher model of an assimilation cartoon.
  • Ensure each scholar has the Assimilation Cartoon Planning Guide in the Unit 3 Workbook accessible.
  • Print one Assimilation Cartoon Template from the Unit 3 Workbook on cardstock for each scholar.
  • Gather colored pencils and Sharpies or permanent markers to make project captions and illustrations, and organize these materials in a place accessible to scholars for easy use during project work.

Do Now — 5 minutes

• Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from the previous lesson based on the grade and feedback you gave them.

Study Mentor Images — 20 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

• Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
• Pose today’s Central Question, and invest scholars in continuing their study of the evolution of government Indian policies.

Examine (10 minutes)

• Show Documents A through C on pages 28–30 of the Unit 3 Sourcebook to the class. Highlight features in these authentic examples to provide a model for scholar projects.
• Tell scholars to think about the following question as they examine the images:
  • How do these documents demonstrate the effects of assimilation on Native Americans?
• After examining each source, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.

Discuss (3 minutes)

• Pairs of scholars discuss the following questions. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents.
  • What are the main ideas in these images?
  • Why were these images created?

Give scholars 2 minutes to revise their main idea annotations for the images based on the discussion.

Discuss (3 minutes)

• As a whole class, scholars discuss the question posed before examining the images as well as the following questions. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents.
  • Why did many Americans promote assimilation policies?
  • How do these cartoons challenge the supposed “benefits” of assimilation policies?

Planning — 10 minutes

• Explain that scholars will create their own cartoons, based on their knowledge of the impact of assimilation policies on tribal communities.
• Tell scholars that their cartoons must portray a powerful and compelling idea supported by strong visual evidence, similar to the sample documents.
  • Remind scholars that visual projects, just like written pieces, make arguments, and all arguments require a strong idea with supporting details.
• Tell scholars their cartoons may have text within them and must feature a title, a date, and a caption. This text must be focused on expressing the idea of the cartoon, which should answer the Central Question.
• Scholars may reference Documents A through C on pages 28–30 of the Unit 3 Sourcebook as they work.
• Scholars use the Assimilation Cartoon Planning Guide in the Unit 3 Workbook to plan their cartoons, writing their ideas and planning the details they will use to support them.

Mid-Workshop Teach — 10 minutes

• Share an exemplar plan. Have scholars discuss how the plan illustrates the scholar’s idea with clear and coherent organization.
• Share a non-exemplar plan. Have scholars discuss why the plan lacks an idea and/or clear and coherent organization.
• Ensure that scholars understand how this feedback is transferable to their own work.
• Scholars articulate to partners how they will revise their plans based on what they have learned.

Revise — 10 minutes

• Scholars use the transferable takeaway from the Mid-Workshop Teach to revise their plans.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Ensure all scholars are rereading their plans to ensure they have strong ideas and clear organization.
  • Help scholars to focus on what is most important: ideas and supporting details.
  • Coach scholars on how to implement the feedback you’ve given them.

Project Work — 30 minutes

• Scholars create their own cartoons on the Assimilation Cartoon Template in the Unit 3 Workbook, referring to Documents A through D as they work.
• Actively circulate to reinforce your expectations for strong ideas and persuasive visual evidence in project work and to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Have each scholar tell you the idea conveyed by his or her cartoon. Can the idea be made stronger? How can the cartoon illustrate the idea more effectively? Is the cartoon interesting and visually compelling?
  • Hold scholars accountable for implementing the feedback you’ve given them.
  • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on conveying the devastating impact of assimilation.

Wrap-up — 5 minutes

• Show an exemplary project to the class. Look for work that clearly and compellingly illustrates the perspectives of late-19th-century Native Americans on assimilation policies.

Homework

• Scholars read “Indian Policy, U.S.” on Encyclopedia.com and “Obama’s Indian Problem” on the Guardian website in preparation for the next lesson.

Central Question: How did U.S. government policies affect Native American territories over time?

Historical Background

Following the Dawes Act, Native American tribes lost two-thirds of their land. Through the mid-20th century, many Native American children were forced to attend assimilation schools, and families were removed from the frontier to cities to better adapt to white American culture. Beginning in the 1960s, the
U.S. government began recognizing the sovereignty of the tribes and establishing more acts to restore their tribal autonomy. However, the Native Americans recovered barely a fraction of the land they once controlled on the continent. Today, tribal communities struggle with higher rates of poverty, addiction, and crime than any other minority group in the United States.

For more background, read “Native Americans and the Federal Government” on the History Today website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand how native tribal territories have changed over time and can explain the impact of evolving U.S. government legislation on tribal territorial ownership by creating maps.

Preparation

• To complete this project, before class you must:
  • Create a teacher model of all four maps and captions.
  • Print the Territorial Loss Map Templates in the Unit 3 Workbook for each scholar.
    • Note: The template includes four maps, one for each time period. Ensure that you print all four pages for each scholar.
  • Gather colored pencils and Sharpies or permanent markers to make project captions and illustrations, and organize these materials in a place accessible to scholars for easy use during project work.

Do Now — 5 minutes

• Scholars complete the Unit 3 Lesson 9 Do Now in the Unit 3 Workbook.

Context — 10 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

• Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
• Pose today’s Central Question, and invest scholars in continuing their study of the evolution of government Indian policies.

Watch (2 minutes)

• Watch the video “The Invasion of America” on YouTube.
• Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
  • How did Native American land ownership change over time?

Discuss (6 minutes)

• Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the videos. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your question with strong ideas and back up their ideas with evidence from their homework and maps in the video.
  • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: How did specific events and policies, such as the Indian Wars or the Dawes Act, affect tribal land ownership?

Project Work — 30 minutes

• Explain that scholars are going to make their own maps today to illustrate how government policies affected native tribal territories over time, referencing the maps in Documents A through D on pages 32–34 of the Unit 3 Sourcebook as they work. Scholars will create four separate maps on each of their Territorial Loss Map Templates in the Unit 3 Workbook, one for each era that they are representing.
• Tell scholars that their maps must clearly show:
  • Map #1: Major Native American Territory, before European Arrival: The Great Plains, the Northeast, the Northwest Coast, the Plateau, the Southeast, the Southwest, the Great Basin, California tribal regions
  • Map #2: Major Native American Territory, 1865
  • Map #3: Major Native American Territory, 1894
  • Map #4: Major Native American Territory, present day
• All maps must include captions that explain what the map shows and why Native American tribes possess — or do not possess — the land illustrated in their maps.
• Actively circulate to reinforce your expectations for strong ideas and persuasive visual evidence in project work and to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Have each scholar tell you the idea conveyed by his or her maps and captions. Can the idea be made stronger? How can the maps illustrate the idea more effectively? How can the captions express the idea more clearly? Are the maps and captions interesting and visually compelling?
  • Hold scholars accountable for implementing the feedback you’ve given them.
  • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on conveying the loss of Native American land over time.

Mid-Workshop Teach — 10 minutes

• Share an exemplar map. Have scholars discuss how the map and caption illustrate the scholar’s idea clearly.
• Share a non-exemplar map. Have scholars discuss why the map and caption lack a clear idea.
• Ensure that scholars understand how this feedback is transferable to their own work.
• Scholars articulate to partners how they will revise their plans based on what they have learned.

Revise — 20 minutes

• Scholars use the transferable takeaway from the Mid-Workshop Teach to revise their maps.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Ensure all scholars are rereading their captions to ensure they have strong ideas.
  • Help scholars to focus on what is most important: ideas and supporting details.
  • Coach scholars on how to implement the feedback you’ve given them.

Wrap-up — 5 minutes

• Show an exemplary map to the class. Look for work that clearly and compellingly illustrates the changes in Native American territories over time and explains how government policies affected these territories.

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

• Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
  • How did U.S. government policies affect Native American territories over time? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two different sources.

Homework

• Scholars read “13 Issues Facing Native People Beyond Mascots And Casinos” on the Huffington Post website, “Indian Reservations” on the Gale Group website, “What to Know About the Dakota Access Pipeline” on the Time magazine website, and “Preserving Native America’s Vanishing Languages” on the National Geographic website in preparation for the next lesson.
• Scholars come prepared with the topic they are most interested in researching for their presentations based on their homework reading.

Central Question: How does federal American Indian policy continue to affect Native American communities today?

Historical Background

In the 21st century, Native American communities — especially those living on reservations — have faced a host of challenges, many of which stem from the conflicts of the 19th century. Native Americans on reservations face extreme poverty, poor education, multiple public health crises, sustained conflicts over land, and threats to their very own cultural survival. Although the U.S. government, with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, has attempted to ameliorate many of these problems, many of these challenges can trace their roots back to the actions and policies of the government not so long ago.

For more background, read “13 Issues Facing Native People” on the Huffington Post website, “Indian Country: Today’s Challenges” on the PBS website, and “Native American Property Rights” on the Atlantic website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand how federal American Indian policies have continued to affect Native American communities in the United States and conduct research on a topic about Native Americans in the present day that will prepare them to create a trifold.

Preparation

• To complete this gallery walk and independent research lesson, before class you must:
  • ◦Create a teacher model project, including all components of the project:
    • a completed Research Planning Guide (in the Unit 3 Workbook)
    • a completed Trifold Planning Guide (in the Unit 3 Workbook)
    • a model trifold
    • an oral presentation
• Ensure that each scholar has access to a computer, laptop, iPad, Chromebook, etc.
• Ensure each scholar has the Research Planning Guide in the Unit 3 Workbook accessible.
• Print all texts and images on cardstock and distribute at each respective station.
• Determine how you will present video or audio content, if necessary.

Do Now — 5 minutes

• Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from the previous lesson based on the grade and feedback you gave them.

Launch — 5 minutes

• Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
• Pose today’s Central Question, and invest scholars in answering this question by researching an aspect of Native American life today and presenting their research.
• Pairs of scholars discuss the following question:
  • Based on your homework, which topic of Native American life today are you most excited to research for your trifold presentation? Why?
• Call on pairs to share out.

Gallery Walk — 20 minutes

• Divide scholars into five groups. Assign each group one of five stations to begin the gallery walk (note that some of these videos are over 4 minutes long, so have scholars pause the videos after 4 minutes):
  • the video “American Indians Stand Together To Shut Down Pipeline Project” on the Newsy website
  • the video “Schools on Native American Reservations in a State of Disrepair” on the CBS News website
  • the video “Inside Life on the Lakota Sioux Reservation l Hidden America: Children of the Plains Part 1/5” by ABC News on YouTube
  • the video “Meet the Last Speaker of a Dying Language” on the National Geographic website
  • the video “Life Expectancy on Pine Ridge Reservation l Hidden America: Children of the Plains Part 5/5” by ABC News on YouTube
• Explain that each group will examine the images or watch the videos at their assigned station for 4 minutes before switching to the next station.
• After examining the sources, scholars should record their observations and inferences.
• Circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work, and conference with groups of scholars as they rotate between stations.

Discuss — 5 minutes

• Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure that the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
  • How is life on reservations challenging for Native Americans today?
  • Make a connection to the Big Ideas. Ask: Why do Native Americans continue to face so many challenges in the present day?

Teacher Model — 10 minutes

• Show scholars your completed Research Planning Guide for an independent research project. Tell scholars that all good projects start with independent research, and all research drives to answer the Central Question with a strong idea and evidence from the research to support it.
• Model for scholars how to choose relevant evidence from an article online that helps answer the Central Question. Open an article, and show scholars where in the text you found your evidence. As you work, explain to scholars how you chose relevant evidence to put in your Planning Guide.
• After viewing your planning guide, scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with specific evidence from your project example.
  • How did I choose evidence from the article?
  • How am I using my research to answer the Central Question?
  • How do I determine which evidence is relevant and which evidence is irrelevant?

Independent Research — 20 minutes

• Explain that scholars will spend the rest of today conducting independent research on one of the topics examined during their homework and the Gallery Walk from the Native Americans Today project menu in the Unit 3 Workbook. Scholars must choose one topic and answer the Central Question about that topic with their research.
• All research conducted today will prepare scholars to plan how they will display this research in their trifolds in the following lesson.
• Scholars use the recommended websites for research in the Unit 3 Workbook as a starting point, then conduct their own research for further information about their topic. Guide scholars on how to choose high-quality, accurate websites for their research using “Scholar Research Guidance” in the Unit 3 Workbook. They put their findings into the Research Planning Guide in the Unit 3 Workbook.
• Tell scholars that they should not be writing down every detail they learn about their topic. Their research should focus on answering the Central Question.
• Scholars should answer the following questions, in order, as they research:
  • What were the lives of Native Americans like before the arrival of Europeans, as related to your chosen topic?
  • What government policies were passed between the Civil War and the present day related to your topic?
  • How did U.S. government policies affect your topic in Native American communities today?
  • How did these policies affect Native American communities and the relationship between Native Americans and the U.S. government?
• Actively circulate to reinforce your expectations for strong ideas and relevant evidence in research work that answers their Central Question and to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the research article he or she is reading. Ask: What is the main idea of the article? How do you know? How does this article help answer the Central Question?
  • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on recording research that is relevant only to their topic.

Mid-Workshop Teach — 10 minutes

• Share an exemplar plan. Have scholars discuss how the plan effectively organizes the scholars’ research and choose the best evidence from the research to include in the guide.
• Share a non-exemplar plan anonymously. Have scholars discuss why the plan lacks coherent organization of the evidence from the research and/or irrelevant evidence from the research.
• Ensure that scholars understand how this feedback is transferable to their own work.
• Scholars articulate to partners how they will revise their research based on what they have learned.

Revise — 10 minutes

• Scholars use the transferable takeaway from the Mid-Workshop Teach to finish and review their research.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Check that all scholars are rereading their research to ensure they have strong evidence that answers the Central Question.
  • Coach scholars on how to implement the feedback you’ve given them.

Wrap-up — 5 minutes

• Show an exemplar plan to the class. Look for work that clearly and compellingly answers the Central Question with an idea supported by relevant evidence from the research.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

• Before the next lesson, review scholars’ completed plans and provide feedback on the quality of their work. Prioritize the most important change scholars must make to improve the quality of their research for these projects as well as in their future work. Use your study of scholar work to determine a common trend in scholars’ projects.

Central Question: How does federal American Indian policy continue to affect Native American communities today?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars plan and draft a clear and compelling trifold that answers their Central Questions with strong ideas and evidence from their research that supports or proves their ideas.

Preparation

• To complete this project, before class you must:
  • Check that you have all necessary materials available in your classroom to allow scholars to complete their trifold, in addition to the exemplars prepared for the previous lesson. Specifically, you must:
    • Ensure scholars have the Trifold Planning Guide in the Unit 3 Workbook accessible.
    • Ensure that each scholar has access to a computer, laptop, iPad, Chromebook, etc.
    • Ensure that each scholar has the Research Planning Guide in the Unit 3 Workbook accessible with your feedback.
    • If your school has printers accessible, organize a system for scholars to print all images they plan to use. During scholar planning time, have scholars provide you with links of images they wish to print for their final trifold presentations. Ensure that all images are appropriate and relevant for scholar projects. Make a plan to print all scholar images and distribute them in the following lesson.

Do Now — 5 minutes

• Scholars revise their research plans based on the feedback you gave them.

Teacher Model — 10 minutes

• Show scholars your completed Trifold Planning Guide. Tell scholars that all good projects rely on a strong idea conveyed through clear and coherent visual presentation and organization of images and text. Scholar presentations must answer the Central Question with a strong idea and evidence from the research to support it.
• Show scholars how you used your research to determine an idea.
• Tell scholars that there are a number of effective ways to organize their trifolds and that this is how you chose to organize your evidence. Tell scholars why you chose to organize your trifold in this way in your plan.
• After viewing your planning guide, scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with specific evidence from your project example.
  • How did I use my research to determine an idea to answer the Central Question?
  • Why is this an effective way to organize my research on my trifold?
  • How does the organization of my research support my idea?

Draft — 30 minutes

• Have scholars work individually to complete the plan for their trifold.
• Tell scholars that their presentations must express a powerful and compelling idea supported by strong visual and written evidence, just like the teacher model.
  • Remind scholars that projects, just like written pieces, make arguments, and all arguments require a strong idea with supporting evidence.
• Scholars use their Research Planning Guides to determine an idea. Scholars must ensure that their ideas answer the Central Question. They may use the research questions as guidance as they determine their own ideas:
  • What were the lives of Native Americans like before the arrival of Europeans, as related to your chosen topic?
  • What government policies were passed between the Civil War and the present day related to your topic?
  • How did U.S. government policies affect your topic in Native American communities today?
  • How did these policies affect Native American communities and the relationship between Native Americans and the U.S. government?
• Scholars use the Trifold Planning Guide to sketch out how they will organize and present their research on their trifolds.
• Actively circulate to reinforce your expectations for trifold plans that answer scholars’ Central Question with ideas and are supported by relevant evidence from their research.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Have each scholar explain his or her plan to you. Is the trifold organized around a clear idea? Does the research clearly and coherently support the idea?
  • Is the presentation of the research visually interesting and compelling?
  • Hold scholars accountable for implementing the feedback you’ve given them.
  • Hold scholars accountable for using both images and text as evidence in their trifolds.

Mid-Workshop Teach — 10 minutes

• Share an exemplar plan. Have scholars discuss how the plan conveys a clear idea and organizes the scholar’s research clearly and coherently.
• Share a non-exemplar plan anonymously. Have scholars discuss why the plan lacks a clear idea and evidence of coherent organization. .
• Ensure that scholars understand how this feedback is transferable to their own work.
• Scholars articulate to partners how they will revise their plans based on what they have learned.

Revise — 30 minutes

• Scholars use the transferable takeaway from the Mid-Workshop Teach to revise their trifold plans.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Ensure that all scholars are refining their plans based around an idea that answers the Central Question.
  • Help scholars focus on what is most important: organized presentation of an idea using supporting research and compelling evidence.

Wrap-up — 5 minutes

• Select a few scholars to present their plans to the class, and/or have scholars share their plans with a partner.
• Discuss how effectively their trifold plans demonstrate their ideas and the evidence from research used to support them.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

• Before the next lesson, review scholars’ completed plans and provide feedback on the quality of their work. Prioritize the most important change scholars must make both to improve the strength of their ideas and supporting evidence in their projects as well as in their future work. Use your study of scholar work to determine a common trend in scholars’ projects.

Central Question: How does federal American Indian policy continue to affect Native American communities today?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars create creative and compelling trifold and oral presentations based on their presentation plans.

Preparation

• To complete this project, before class you must:
  • In addition to the exemplars prepared for the previous lesson, you must ensure you have all necessary materials available in your classroom to allow scholars to complete each option. Specifically, you must:
  • Ensure scholars have trifolds for their projects.
  • Provide colored pencils, markers, and fine-tip Sharpie markers for writing on trifolds.
    ◦Provide construction paper, scissors, and glue sticks to support trifold work.
  • If you have access to a printer, distribute all images printed in the previous lesson to scholars to use in their final trifolds.
  • Organize these materials in a place accessible to scholars for easy use during project work.
  • Ensure each scholar has the Trifold Planning Guide in the Unit 3 Workbook accessible with your feedback.
  • Ensure each scholar has the Oral Presentation Planning Guide in the Unit 3 Workbook accessible and notecards for oral presentations.

Do Now — 5 minutes

• Scholars revise their trifold plans based on the feedback you gave them.

Launch — 5 minutes

• Explain that today, scholars must create their trifold presentations and accompanying oral presentations.
• Remind scholars of any changes they must make to their presentation plans today based on your Wrap-up from the previous lesson and your feedback.

Project Work — 25 minutes

• Scholars create trifolds to present their research. Hold scholars accountable for presenting information in an organized and compelling way.
• Ensure that scholars are handling materials carefully and are constantly referring to their plans as they work on their trifolds.
• Actively circulate to reinforce your expectations for trifolds that answer the Central Question with ideas and are supported by relevant evidence from their research.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • Have scholars tell you how they plan to transfer their plans onto their trifolds. How will this effectively convey the idea of his or her research to the viewer? Is the impact of federal policies on his or her chosen topic clear? Is he or she using the space on the trifold effectively and according to his or her plan? Is the presentation creative and clear?
  • Hold scholars accountable for implementing the feedback you’ve given them.
  • Hold scholars accountable for creating compelling and engaging trifolds.

Mid-Workshop Teach — 10 minutes

• Share an exemplar trifold. Have scholars discuss how the trifold presents the scholar’s idea and evidence clearly, compellingly, and neatly.
• Share a non-exemplar trifold anonymously. Have scholars discuss why the trifold lacks a clear idea and evidence of coherent organization.
• Ensure that scholars understand how this feedback is transferable to their own work.
• Scholars articulate to partners how they will revise their final presentations based on what they have learned.

Revise — 20 minutes

• Scholars use the transferable takeaway from the Mid-Workshop Teach to revise their trifolds.
• Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
  • ◦\Check that all scholars are rereading their work to ensure they have strong ideas.
  • Help scholars focus on what is most important: ideas and supporting details.
  • Coach scholars on how to implement the feedback you’ve given them.

Oral Presentation Preparation — 20 minutes

Plan (15 minutes)

• Scholars plan their oral presentations in their Oral Presentation Planning Guides in the Unit 3 Workbook to present their research and their trifolds. Tell scholars to ensure that their oral presentations, like their trifolds, answer the Central Question with an idea and explain the research they have put on their trifolds.
• Tell scholars that their oral presentations should be 2–3 minutes long, and the purpose of the presentation is to sell the viewer on their trifolds.
• Actively circulate to reinforce your expectations for oral presentations that explain scholars’ trifold presentation with ideas and are supported by relevant evidence from their research.

Preparation (5 minutes)

• Scholars use their plans to write notes for their oral presentations on the note cards provided.
• Scholars ensure all materials are finalized by the end of the lesson.

Wrap-up — 5 minutes

• Show one or two exemplary trifolds to the class. Look for work that is historically accurate, answers the Central Question with an idea and strong evidence, and is visually compelling.

• Scholars read the following articles on Newsela*:
  • “Despite Obstacles, Native Americans Fight for Their Voting Rights”
  • “Native Americans’ Voices Are Heard: Presidential Statue to be Removed”
  • “Tensions Run Deep at Standing Rock over the Dakota Access Pipeline”
• Scholars write an essay of no more than 400 words based on all three of the articles above in response to the following prompt:
  • How does Native American resistance to the American government in the present day compare with Native American resistance during the Indian Wars?

*To access all articles on the Newsela website, you must create a free account.

Prompts: Scholars may choose one of the following prompts about Big Ideas in American history.

• To what extent is “Westward Expansion” an accurate name for this era in American history (1865–1887)?
• Were the Indian Wars inevitable? Why or why not?
• How has the U.S. government’s response to Native Americans evolved from the Civil War through the present?

Project Menu: Scholars may then choose to respond to the prompt chosen above with one of the formats outlined below.

• Thematic Essay: Scholars write a thematic essay that answers one of the extra credit prompts, drawing on evidence both from the unit and from their own independent research.
• Podcast: Scholars create an original podcast that answers one of the prompts above. The podcast should be 5–8 minutes long. Podcasts must draw on evidence both from the unit and from scholars’ own independent research.
• “Docudrama”: Scholars create a “docudrama” that answers one of the prompts above. A docudrama is a dramatized video that tells the story of historic events. The docudrama should be 5–8 minutes long. Docudramas must draw on evidence both from the unit and from scholars’ own independent research.
• Interview: Scholars record (video or podcast) an interview with a “historian” or a historical figure in order to answer one of the prompts above. The historian or historical figure must be the scholar. A parent, a classmate, or a teacher should be the interviewer. Interviews should be 5–8 minutes long. Interviews must draw on evidence both from the unit and from scholars’ own independent research.
• Propose your own project: Scholars may propose to do their own project. These projects must still answer one of the extra credit prompts, and any project proposal must draw on evidence both from the unit and from scholars’ own independent research.