Southeastern Native Americans' Lifestyles

Guiding Questions for the Lesson:

1. How did the everyday life of the Southeastern Native Americans compare to the Eastern Woodland Native Americans?

2. How did the Southeastern Native Americans depend on their environment to survive?

3. How did the Southeastern Native Americans use the environment in their daily lives?

Day 1

• Discuss with students teacher made PowerPoint: Southeastern Native Americans.
• Show students digital images from Museum: artifacts from the Southeastern region, see Florence Museum Artifacts Images.
• Allow students to discuss these objects in partners. Students should study the picture and try to identify how the Native Americans in the Southeastern region used these tools. They should also discuss how the Native Americans made these tools. Finally, they should discuss how these tools used in their daily lives show a connection to their environment.
• Share ideas as a whole group.

Day 2

• Review PowerPoint: Southeastern Native Americans.
• Give Primary source questioning sheet.
• Go over questions with students.
• Put students into 8 groups (3 in each) to rotate to primary source centers.

Center 1: John White Drawing: Indians Fishing
Center 2: John White Drawing: Indian Village of Pomeiooc
Center 3: John White Drawing: Cooking in a Pot
Center 4: Herman Moll Drawing: A New Map of the North Parts of America Claimed by France...

• Students will analyze the sources by answering the Primary source questioning sheet.
• When finished, go over questions.
• Students will draw a picture of a Native American Village that describes their environment, culture, and everyday life.
• Share pictures.

Day 3

• Review PowerPoint: Southeastern Native Americans and sources from previous lessons.
• Students will use primary and secondary sources to create a Southeastern Native Americans Info Book about the Southeastern Native Americans that describes their everyday life, culture, and environment.  
• Share student-made books.

Historical Background Notes
Students previously learned about the lifestyle of the Eastern Woodland Native Americans. Students learned that these Native Americans lived in the Northeastern portion of the United States. The Eastern Woodland Native Americans had a culture that was similar to the Southeastern Native Americans. These Native Americans hunted and gathered in similar ways, lived in similar climates and regions, and had daily activities that were similar as well. 
The Native Americans of the Southeastern Region included those in South Carolina. These Native Americans were adapted to a warm climate and were permanent settlers of the region. Green (1920) stated that “An Indian town was generally so situated as to be convenient for hunting, easily protected from sudden surprise by an enemy, with a large tract of fertile field close at hand, in a bend of a river” (p. 20). Southeastern Native Americans were able to use the environment around them to satisfy all of their needs. In the winter, they built homes called “wigwams, [which] were made of poles of pine, cedar, or hickory” (Green, 1920, p. 20). In the summer they built homes called chickees that were made of wooden poles and palmetto leaves. This type of home was open on all sides to help Southeastern Native Americans during the warm summer months. 
Southeastern Native Americans were hunter-gatherers and farmers. They would hunt animals such as deer, rabbit, elk, fish, bear, and squirrels. To hunt these animals they would make spears and bows and arrows out of wood and stone. In the Southeastern region, Native Americans would farm crops like corn, beans, squash, and pumpkins. They would often dry these food items to save for colder winter months. The Southeastern region was abundant with forests and the Native Americans in this region used the forests to gather many foods. They would gather “acorns, grapes, figs, strawberries, nuts, and wild potatoes” (Green, 1920, p. 26-27). These different food sources that the Native Americans used came from nature and they often would thank nature for providing for their needs. 
The Native Americans in the Southeastern region were guided by a government called a council and they had a chief leader. When Hernando De Soto traveled into the Southeastern region, he found that there was a chief that led the Native Americans there (Kephart, 1936, p. 3). This chief was responsible for making decisions for the tribe, like going to war. All Southeastern Native Americans were also guided by spirits. Green (1920) stated that “the good spirit was regarded as the creator of all things” (p. 64). Many groups referred to the good spirit as the Great Spirit. Green (1920) also stated that “the bad spirit tormented people with sickness, disappointment, hunger, and all ill fortune that came to them” (p. 65). Native Americans showed respect and paid tribute to these spirits by holding ceremonies in their honor. 
It is important for students to realize the connection that the Southeastern Native Americans had with nature. Nature provided everything that they Southeastern Native Americans needed in order to survive. In this way, the Southeastern Native Americans are similar to the Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands Region. 

Effective Instruction
There are many ways in which effectiveness of instruction is shown through student work. One example of student work that shows the effectiveness of instruction is the answers to questions when students are analyzing primary sources. When students are given questions to answer while analyzing primary sources, it is evident that the instruction was effective when students are able to draw appropriate conclusions about primary sources. When students correctly analyze a primary source, they will gain more information on the content and find more success in that area of American History. When students find success in content areas, it is a way to show the effectiveness of instruction. The lesson that I taught for TAHSC was about the culture of the Southeastern Native Americans. I started the three day lesson out by teaching students information about the culture of the Southeastern Native Americans. On the second day, I had students analyzing drawings from the time period that I had to teach them about, and while analyzing these sources they had to answer questions. After discussing the answers to the questions, I found that my students developed a deep understanding of the Southeastern Native Americans. My students were able to answer almost any question I had for them about the Southeastern Native Americans as a result of this use of primary sources. When primary sources are used properly in the classroom, students have a better chance of finding success in history and showing the effectiveness of instruction.

Students will be given a grade on their Native American Village pictures, Primary source questioning sheets, and Southeastern Native Americans Info Books.
Rubric for Info books is located under resources.