The Cherokee

            Main Ideas to be Covered:
            The first people to live in South Carolina were the American Indians.
            Each tribal group had its own culture.
            The Cherokee lived in the mountain area of South Carolina.
 
Day 1
 
To Prepare for the Lesson:
 
Print the following vocabulary for students or have them find the definitions and write them:
Agriculture: farming
Council: a group of people who meet to make decisions and rules or laws.
Culture: the way of life of a particular group of people, including their food, clothing, buildings, language, beliefs, arts, tools, and traditions.
Native: born in a place or coming naturally from a place
Tradition: a way of doing something that is passed down over time
Tribe: a large family group
Wattle and Daub: a building material in which sticks, or branches are woven together and covered with clay or mud. 
 
When students are finished getting vocabulary words, separate them into groups. Have them close their eyes and think about what life must have been like being the first people to live in South Carolina. Explain there were no homes, no maps, no food, etc. Let them think with their eyes closed for 1-2 minutes. As individuals, have them draw on construction paper what they think life was like. 
Ask the questions as they are thinking:
            How did they get here?
            Where did they come from?
            Why were they here?
            How did they live?
Give students 10 minutes to draw/color. After, have them share with their group and explain their drawings to one another. 
 
Day 2
Watch video on Native Americans/Cherokee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwnC0PHSspY
Give students the questions: Why do we call the first people Native Americans?
Native means being born in a place or naturally coming from a place. Native Americans were the first people to live in America.

1. Why are Paleo Indians known as hunter-gatherers?

They moved to many places to hunt large animals and they gathered crops or materials to be used like berries, nuts, and wild roots.

1. What did they use to help them hunt?

Atlatl 
Allow students to use their social studies books and/or Chromebooks/iPads to find answers.
Have students answer them individually, and then check with a partner, and then discuss with the whole group. 
 
Day 3
Read the book Children of the Longhouse.
Have students return to seats and turn to read in their Social Studies book about the Eastern Woodland Period. 
Have a class discussion about how life changed for the Indians during this time. Explain to students that they began growing their own crops so they would no longer need to travel to obtain them. They learned to make pottery and store food, and they used a new tool that they 
Have students read in their Social Studies book about the Mississippian Period. 
Have a class discussion about how life changed for the Indians during that period. Explain to students that this caused them to form governments and choose leaders for government.
Have a discussion where students wonder/answer how we know about the Indians’ lives when there are no written records. Students should know that the Indians left clues about how they lived (shells, spear points, ashes from fires, etc.)