Lesson Plan

What Is the Price of Land?

Subject Area

Digital Literacy and Computer Science
English Language Arts
Social Studies

Grade(s)

4

Overview

In this lesson, students will define conflict as it relates to Native American land conflict during the early nineteenth century.  Students will compare Native Americans' and settlers' perspectives on land.  Students will write a narrative writing as a Creek Chief watching the settlers move into their territory, focusing on how this makes them feel and how these events will change the lives of his/her people. 

This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 4

SS10.4.2

Relate reasons for European exploration and settlement in Alabama to the impact of European explorers on trade, health, and land expansion in Alabama.

Unpacked Content

UP:SS10.4.2

Vocabulary

  • settlement
  • European exploration
  • culture
  • expansion
  • trade (barter)

Knowledge

Students know:
  • The location, purpose, and importance of European settlements including Fort Conde, Fort Toulouse, and Fort Mims in early Alabama.
  • The routes taken by early explorers including Juan Ponce de León, Hernando de Soto, and Vasco Núñez de Balboa.
  • Reasons for conflicts between Europeans and American Indians in Alabama from 1519 to 1840, including differing beliefs regarding land ownership, religion, and culture.

Skills

The students will be able to:
  • Explain the impact of European explorers on trade, health, and land expansion in Alabama.
  • Locate on maps European settlements in early Alabama, including Fort Condé, Fort Toulouse, and Fort Mims.
  • Trace on maps and globes, the routes of early explorers of the New World, including Juan Ponce de León, Hernando de Soto, and Vasco Núñez de Balboa.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • There were specific reasons Europeans began exploring and settling in Alabama and this impacted existing settlements in Alabama.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 4

ELA21.4.35

Write personal or fictional narratives using a logical plot, transitional words and phrases, sensory details, and dialogue, and providing a sense of closure.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.4.35

Vocabulary

  • Personal narratives
  • Fictional narratives
  • Logical plot
  • Transitional words and phrases
  • Sensory details
  • Dialogue
  • Closure

Knowledge

Students know:
  • A narrative is a piece of writing that tells a story.
  • A personal narrative tells about an event that was personally experienced by the author, while a fictional narrative tells a made up story.
  • A narrative story describes a sequence of events in a logical order (beginning, middle, end) and provides a sense of closure as an ending.
  • Narrative transitions indicate when and where the story is occurring.
  • Sensory details use descriptions of the five senses.
  • Dialogue is a conversation between two or more people.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Write a personal narrative that recalls a personal experience or a fictional narrative with a made-up story.
  • Write a narrative with a logical sequence of events and sensory details.
  • Use appropriate transitional words and phrases in narrative writing.
  • Include dialogue in narrative writing.
  • Write a narrative that ends with a sense of closure.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Narrative writing includes predictable elements, like a logical sequence of events and an ending that provides the reader with a sense of closure.
  • Because narrative writing describes a chronological sequence of events, it includes transitions that indicate the time and place in which the story is occurring.
  • Narrative writing can be used to tell about something that happened to them personally or it can tell a story they made up.
Digital Literacy and Computer Science (2018) Grade(s): 4

DLCS18.4.R5

Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

Unpacked Content

UP:DLCS18.4.R5

Vocabulary

  • curate
  • keyword
  • search engine
  • database

Knowledge

Students know:
  • information to research questions can be obtained from digital sources.
  • how to use resources to organize information.
  • how to find resources to present or share with others.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • create a list of keywords or phrases to enter into a search engine and/or database such as the Alabama Virtual Library.
  • use additional words or punctuation to narrow search such as AND (+), OR, NOT (
  • ), setting date boundaries, or quotation marks ("").
  • organize information.
  • share information by creating a digital resource.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • information can be located from a digital source to answer research questions.
  • information can be organzied and shared by creating a digital resource.

Primary Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

1)  define conflict as it relates to Native American land conflict during the early nineteenth century.   

2) compare Native Americans' and settlers' perspectives on land.

3) write a narrative writing as a Creek Chief watching settlers move into their territory, focusing on how this makes them feel and how these events will change the lives of his/her people. 

Procedures/Activities

Before:  Using a device connected to the internet, ask the students to visit the Answer Garden website: https://answergarden.ch/welcome/ and post a 2 to 3 word definition of the word "conflict".  (You can also do this by just posting a piece of chart paper, give students a different colored sharpie and have them write their response on the chart paper in different colors.  Or students can write their definition on a dry erase board.)  Some student definitions may include disagreement, argument, at odds with each other, squabble, clash, quarrel, or dispute.  Explain to students the Federal Government and the Native Americans were in a conflict over land during the early 1800s.  Both the Federal Government and the Native Americans had different perspectives on land use which created land conflict.

During:  

Step One: Show students Transcript of a Letter from Alexander McGillivray to Governor Zespedes.  Specifically point out the part of the letter that states, "The Gaining of these Creeks Nations over to them is more immediately an object of their policy and to effect which purpose they have held forth the most tempting baits to my people...."  

Explain to students the federal government began to negotiate a series of deceptive treaties with the Creek and Cherokee Indians, hoping to join settlements in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. The government made several promises to the Native Americans, but never really followed through on all of their promises.  McGillvray refers to these promises as "bait" in his letter. 

In 1805, the government gained the right to open and operate roads through Indian lands with the signing of the Treaty of Tellico with the Cherokees and the Treaty of Washington with the Creeks.  With each new treaty signed, the federal government took more and more Native American land and promised many new things to the Native Americans.  These were mostly empty promises that would never be kept.  Perhaps the settlers had a different perspective or "value" of the land than the Native Americans?

Step Two:  Place students in groups of 3 students per group.  Distribute the Two-Column Chart Perspectives Graphic Organizer (one per student) and the Perspectives on the Land article (one per student).  Have the students read the article carefully and find at least one way in which the settlers and the Native Americans viewed the land differently and write them in the graphic organizer. Set the classroom timer for 20 minutes, then let students share their findings. 

After:  Show the following pictures of Native American Chiefs who were involved in the signing of these treaties.  Some on the side of the government and some on the side of the Creeks.

The students will write a narrative as a Creek Chief watching settlers move into their territory.  In their narrative, they will describe how this makes them feel and how they think these events may change the lives of their people.  Students' narratives will be posted on the bulletin board for everyone to read.

Assessment Strategies

This lesson will be assessed based on their completion of Graphic Organizer and on the Narrative Writing Rubric.

The teacher should ensure that students explained the conflicts Native Americans experienced in the early nineteenth century and accurately compared the Native Americans' and settlers' perspectives on land.

 

Acceleration

Students can research one of the Native American Chiefs shown during the lesson via the internet and create a slideshow presentation to present to the class.

Suggested Reading List:

  • Bailer, Darice, and Tom Antonishak. Wanted--a Few Bold Riders. Norwalk, CT: Soundprints, 1997. Print.                                                 
  • Dorris, Michael. Morning Girl by Michael Dorris. Oakland, CA: Developmental Studies Center, 1996. Print.  
  • Fritz, Jean, and Feodor Rojankovsky. The Cabin Faced West. New York: Coward-McCann, 1958. Print.                                                  
  • Glass, Andrew. The Sweetwater Run: The Story of Buffalo Bill Cody and the Pony Express. New York: Doubleday Book for Young Readers, 1996. Print.  
  • Kroll, Steven, and Dan Andreasen. Pony Express! New York: Scholastic, 1996. Print. 
  • Paulsen, Gary. Call Me Francis Tucket. New York, NY: Delacorte, 1995. Print.
  • Turner, Ann Warren. Grasshopper Summer. New York: Macmillan, 1989. Print.                                                 
  • Wilson, Diane L. Black Storm Comin' New York: Margaret K. McElderry, 2005. Print.                                                 

Intervention

Students who need extra support should be placed in groups with teammates sensitive to the needs of that student.  The teacher may need to more closely supervise groups that contain students who are struggling with the concepts of this lesson.  The teacher may also need to provide additional instructions individually.  Students may also need additional time.

Approximate Duration

Total Duration

61 to 90 Minutes

Background and Preparation

Background/Preparation

For Students: 

Students should be knowledgeable about the early nineteenth-century land expansion in Alabama and the factors leading up to the Creek War. 

For Teachers:  

  •  Teachers may want to read pages 52, 53, 54, 59, 514, and 523 in The Alabama Guide:  Our People, Resources, and Government for detailed information about Treaties.

 Williams, Randall, and Christine Garrett. The Alabama Guide: Our People, Resources, and Government 2009. Montgomery: Alabama Dept. of Archives and History, 2009. 52, 53, 54, 59, 514, and 523. Print.                                                 

  •  Teachers may also wish to read pages 34-39, 43-45, and 54, 55 in Alabama:  The Making of An American State.

 Bridges, Edwin C. Alabama: The Making of an American State. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: U of Alabama, 2016. 34-39, 43-45, and 54, 55. Print.     

The following links may also be helpful: 

Treaty of Indian Springs

See this bibliography for additional information.

Materials and Resources

Materials and Resources

Perspectives on the Land article from Nebraska State Historical Society (one per student)

Two-Column Chart Perspectives Graphic Organizer (one per student)

Creek Chief Narrative Writing Activity Directions & Rubric (one per student)

Transcript of a Letter from Alexander McGillivray to Governor Zespedes

The following pictures of Native American Chiefs:

Technology Resources Needed

Digital devices, such as computers, laptops, tablet, or some other devices connected to the internet (one per every 2 students)

WEBSITES:

  • Answer Garden website: https://answergarden.ch/welcome/  This website is a digital scribble space to use in the classroom.  Teachers can post a question or topic and students' answers will instantly form a digital word cloud.

Approved Date

2017-05-18
ALSDE LOGO

This site may contain links to other websites or content belonging to or originating from third parties or links to websites and features in banners or other advertising. Such external links are not investigated, monitored, or checked for accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness by us. WE DO NOT WARRANT, ENDORSE, GUARANTEE, OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY INFORMATION OFFERED BY THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES LINKED THROUGH THIS SITE.
Alabama Learning Exchange © 2002-2023 by Alabama State Department of Education is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Design by Adaptive Theme