Thematic Thursday-Native Americans

Thematic Thursday is a weekly teacher linky party focused on the sharing of ideas for a different theme each week. This week's theme is "Native Americans", and bloggers are asked to share their favorite resources, book ideas, activities, and suggestions to help students learn about Native Americans including Pocahontas, Squanto, and any other famous Native American.  Please grab the image above as well as the template below, write up your post sharing your ideas, resources, and anything that fits the theme, and link up your blog name and intended grade level for the resources and ideas you share.  (Example-Comprehension Connection-4th and 5th)  Please remember that this link up is for blog posts only.  No store links will be allowed even with freebies as the hope is for readers to return to these themes later in the year or when they wish to focus on the theme.  Many themes can be used any time of year. The image below can be used to plan out your posts and once completed works beautifully for pinning. [This board] has been formed to collect our planning sheets as well as other themed resources.  I look forward to reading your posts.  Now, on to mine...

As we move from Halloween to Thanksgiving, I thought it was the perfect time to study Native Americans.  For my students in fourth grade, Pocahontas is studied as part of Virginia history when our students learn about the Jamestown Colony and the interactions between the Powhatan and English settlers. Since we've been reading a biography about Pocahontas, I also opted to compare/contrast her life to Squanto's life with a second biography about him which also ties in the Pilgrim settlement too. The resources I'm sharing will focus on these topics.

Book Ideas

Book list from PreK and K Sharing

Craft Ideas

There are so many fun craft ideas that can be incorporated into each region's tribal studies, and the internet provides the opportunity to see authentic examples.  Here are a few projects I liked, but I have pinned quite a few others on my board.  {Here} is the link again

     

Notebooking Ideas

Even though crafts are so much fun and teach children more than we realize, the content is the heavy part.  These resources offer foldables, sorts, graphic organizers, and projects to help students learn the content about Native American homes, hunting methods, habits, and traditions.  

   

Do you have favorite Native American resources you use and are willing to share?  Feel free to share your ideas in the comments, link up, or email me (and I'll add them to my post).  

Many states teach Native American tribes and traditions, so I hope this will be well received and useful to you.  

Have a great weekend (and feel free to link up through next Wednesday readers).  

Check out this and other linky opportunities at Teacher Karma by clicking the image below.