Backward Design Template

Unit Name: Group Members:

Native American Culture in North America Kirby Turner
Laurie Vance
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Established Goals

 Successfully use an atlas to locate important geographical features (The Atlantic Coastal Plain,
Great Plains, Continental Divide, the Great Basin, Death Valley, Gulf of Mexico, St. Lawrence
Rover, and the Great Lakes) on a blank outline map and use a symbol to identify each feature.
 Locate and map where the Native Americans tribes of the Artic (Inuit), Northwest (Kwakiutl),
Plateau (Nez Perce), Southwest (Hopi), Plains (Pawnee), and Southeastern (Seminole) settled.
 Describe how the environment of the different Native American nations.
 Use Twiddla and Office 365 accounts to collaborate with team members.

Understandings Essential Questions

(BIG IDEA – SO WHAT?)
Students will understand THAT
In this unit, students will learn about the
groups of people who first inhabited North
America before the Age of Exploration.
Student will learn how location helped the
Native Americans throughout the continent
establish settlements and utilize the
resources available in their area. By
understanding the intrinsic reasons for
movement/migration, student will learn
how the Native American and European
explorers affected each other and the
development of culture and economy in
North America. (Georgia DOE, 2004)
(Question must be open ended to be a true EQ)
 How does environment affect how you live?
 How did important physical features of the
United States affect the lives of Native
Americans?
 What information can you gather from a
map?
 How would you describe the environment
(land, climate, resources, and culture) of the
different Native Americans nations?

Students will know…. Students will be able to…..

 The student will understand that
location affects a society’s economy,
culture, and development.
 The student will understand that the
movement or migration of people and
ideas affects all societies involved.
 Students will be able to locate where the Native
Americans settled with emphasis on Artic
(Inuit), Northwest (Kwakiutl), Plateau (Nez
Perce), Southwest (Hopi), Plains (Pawnee), and
Southeastern (Seminole) tribes.
 Students will be able to locate major physical
features of the United States; include the
Atlantic Coastal Plain, Great Plains, Continental
Divide, the Great Basin, Death Valley, Gulf of
Mexico, St. Lawrence River, and the Great
Lakes.

 Students will be able to describe how the

Native Americans used their environment to
 Backward Design Template
obtain food, clothing and shelter.

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence

Performance Tasks Other Evidence

 SS4H1 The student will describe  Correctly located important geographical

how early Native American cultures features (The Atlantic Coastal Plain, Great
developed in North America. Plains, Continental Divide, the Great Basin,
a. Locate where the Native Americans Death Valley, Gulf of Mexico, St. Lawrence
settled with emphasis on Arctic Rover, and the Great Lakes) on a blank outline
(Inuit), Northwest (Kwakiutl), map (obtained using Office 365 account) and
Plateau (Nez Perce), Southwest used symbols to identify each feature using
(Hopi), Plains (Pawnee), and Twiddla.
Southeastern (Seminole).  Correctly mapped where the Native Americans
b. Describe how the Native tribes of the Artic (Inuit), Northwest (Kwakiutl),
Americans used their Plateau (Nez Perce), Southwest (Hopi), Plains
environment to obtain food, (Pawnee), and Southeastern (Seminole) settled.
clothing, and shelter.  Correctly described how Native Americans used
their environment to obtain food, clothing and
 SS4G1 The student will be able to shelter.
locate important physical and
man-made features in the United
States.
a. Locate major physical features of
the United States; include the
Atlantic Coastal Plain, Great
Plains, Continental Divide, the
Great Basin, Death Valley, Gulf of
Mexico, St. Lawrence River, and
the Great Lakes.

Stage 3 – Learning Plan

Learning Activities

Day 1: With a partner, and using an atlas (online or text), students will locate important geographical
features (the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Great Plains, Continental Divide, the Great Basin, Death Valley, Gulf of
Mexico, St. Lawrence River, and the Great Lakes) on a blank outline map sent by the teacher and obtained
using students’ Office 365 accounts. Students will upload maps to Twiddla accounts and create a key in
the margin of their Twiddla page for each of the symbols used on their map. Students will send Twiddla
links to the teacher when complete.

Day 2: With a partner, using the same blank map, students will locate where the Native Americans
settled with emphasis on Artic (Inuit), Northwest (Kwakiutl), Plateau (Nez Perce), Southwest (Hopi), Plains
(Pawnee), and Southeastern (Seminole) tribes. Students will create a key in the margin of their Twiddla
page for each of the symbols used on their map. Students will send Twiddla links to the teacher when
complete.

Day 3-5: With a partner, students will choose one Native American tribe to study. As students research
and learn about Inuit, Kwakiutl, Nez Perce, Hopi, Pawnee, or Seminole nations, they will complete graphic
 Backward Design Template
organizers about the clothing, shelter, food, and environment of the nation. Partners will compile their
findings in a chosen technological medium to share with their classmates.

Resources: Georgia Department of Education. (2004). Unit # 2 “The Discovery of North America”. Pg. 1-4

Discussion of 21st Century Learning

This unit is great for the 21st century classroom because it utilizes the 4 C’s— creativity, critical
thinking, collaboration, and communication—and operates at an OSPI Tier 3. According to OSPI, this tier
promotes students to be actively engaged in using technology in individual and collaborative learning
activities. Throughout the unit students create and use online resources to facilitate inquiry, engage in
inquiry-based projects driven by essential questions, and direct their own use of technology. Together,
Twiddla and this unit promote creativity by the many colors and text features of the site and the choice
to create unique keys and symbols. Students critically think by combining their use of the atlas and
online blank map to locate important topographical features and locations of Native American nations.
Students collaborate and commutate through Twiddla’s unique whiteboard feature. As students finish
different aspects of the unit, they use their Office 365 accounts to submit their work.