The students will be presented with a list of resources (textbook, handouts and primary source documents) which will give students the informational background necessary to determine the people, places and events that transpired during the settlement of North America. As each class unfolds, whatever classroom assignments are incomplete will be done for homework.
Overview:
Native Americans are people who are indigenous to the continent of North America. These Native people lived, cultivated agriculture and created a culture that was enjoyed by various tribes throughout the region prior to the arrival of the Europeans in the fifteenth century.
Historians and scientist have debated long and hard concerning the beginnings of human history. Archeological data suggests that the large supercontinent Pangea, broke apart which spawned the seven continents that exists today. In addition, as far as the continent of North America is concerned, scientists and historians agree that ancient ancestors of modern Native Americans crossed a land bridge that connected Northeast Asia to the continent of North America. Historians and scientists agree that these people migrated to the continent of North America prior to the arrival of the last Ice Age.
Native American cultures developed differently across the continent. . Due to necessity, they were skilled at using natural resources and adapting to differing climate regions within the continent. As European settlers began to arrive on the continent in the fifteenth century, Native Americans were faced with many different challenges. Native people had to learn to coexist with Europeans. Trade networks were established and many Native Americans began adopting various types of European technologies. Many more faced generations of upheaval and disruption as Europeans, and later British settlers who became Americans and Canadians, took Native American lands and tried to destroy their ways of life. The purpose of the unit is to teach students about the impact of European colonization on the lives of the indigenous Native American populations on the continent of North America.