Subject: Social Studies

Activity: Michigan Native American Tribes

Setting: 3rd Grade General Education Classroom
Number of Students: 26

Components Teacher Activity Student Activity

Objective(s): Students will be able to
evaluate and interpret the
differences in gender roles
within the Michigan tribes.

Students will be able to

compare the gender roles
in Native communities to
society today.
Materials: -Markers/Crayons/Colored Pencils
*Prepared and organized -Posters
*Available for all -Paper
-Google Slides
-Textbook
-Pencils
-Text: Nations of the Western Great
Lakes
Accommodations: Providing multiple forms of direction,
Students with Special visual and oral
Needs
Provide extra support by going around to
ELL students each small group table and reiterating the
task and checking in on the students
Behavior students
Scaffolds

Reiterate the directions in a clear and

concise manner, allowing questions at any
time.

Opening: Ask students background knowledge on Students will discuss in small groups
(5 minutes) what they know about different tribes in with their table and then will share
*Gain attention/motivate Michigan. out loud in a big group after
*Activate prior discussing what they have learned so
knowledge Preview the topic by asking: What do you far about Native communities.
~link/relate; assess; think life was like for some of the tribes
prepare for new you have been learning about so far? Students will share what they think
learning (e.g. gender is; possible answers: “Men
vocabulary) Introduce the idea of gender roles, and probably have harder jobs than the
*State goals/set purpose ask if they think children and adults had women in the tribes.” “Children
~explain task: why, the same jobs? (Men and women etc.?) probably didn’t do much to help the
what, how, and when tribe.” “I don’t think men and
for strategies women will have the same jobs
*Clear directions
 because men are stronger than
women.”

Development Introduce them to our Big Idea and lesson Students will listen to the objective
Activity: objective: “Today, by the end of the class
Creating their own period, you will be able to describe the Students will determine what roles
tribe and participating differences in gender roles within Native each person in their small group will
in a gallery walk communities and compare them to our have, and then come up with an idea
(25 minutes) society today.” on what their tribe would look like.

Transition into an activity Students will then design their tribe

on a piece of poster that I have
Activity: Have students design their own provided with crayons, coloring the
tribe and determine what roles each people, the homes, and the roles
person in their small group would have. each person had in their picture.
Students will decide who is: going to Students will participate in gallery
gather the food, hunt for the food, build walk, and determine similarities and
their homes, and is the leader or chief of differences between the posters and
the tribe. *During this time, provide the tribes each group created.
students with their textbooks to help with
visuals, as well as, walk around with the Students (4) will then share-out to
Nations of the Western Great Lakes book the whole group what they noticed
for more images. among the posters (both similarities
and differences). Possible student
Once they have created their tribes on answers would be: “I noticed that
their poster, have everyone participate in everyone had homes in their tribes
a gallery walk to see what each group but they all looked different.” “I
drew. Indicate to them that I want them to noticed that some people in the
think about similarities and differences tribes were hunting, while some
they notice among each poster. people in their tribe had people
gathering food.” “I saw that all the
Then, tell everyone to sit down at their posters had people in their tribe
tables and ask for 4 volunteers to share doing their roles that we assigned.
out some of the things they noticed in
each of the posters. *I am choosing six
volunteers; one for each table group.

Transition: Read Aloud: Students will listen to the passages.

Read two different passages from this
Transition into reading book that refer to gender roles and Three students will share out their
part of Nations of the equality among the Native communities. understanding of gender.
Western Great Lakes
(10 minutes) Ak 3 volunteers to explain to me what Possible student responses to
gender is to reiterate our understanding of question: “Men did a lot of the
the differences. hunting and fishing but women did
the gathering.” “Men did the heavier
Discuss: jobs and women did things like
“What did you notice when we read part cook.”
of Nations of the Western Great Lakes, Potential student responses: “I don’t
about the different roles men and women think we have the same roles
had in the tribes?” because women can still get food
 “How do we see these gender roles, or and build things.” “Not all men do
specific jobs in society, still happen today heavy jobs, I know some women
in our own lives?” who build houses and get food for
their whole family.” “I know there
are some men who do cook and
clean, it isn’t just women.”

Closing: Exit Ticket: Students will write two complete

(5-10 min) Say “On a piece of paper, please write sentences on what they have learned
*Adequate time two things you have learned from this about gender roles. Possible student
*Students summarize lesson about gender in the Native responses: “I learned that back then,
content and American tribes. You may compare the men and women had very different
accomplishments jobs to your own lives and experiences. jobs. Today is different though
*Assess/identify new *Think about what we just discussed as a because boys and girls can have the
goals whole group.” same jobs, it doesn’t matter what
*Link to future learning their gender is.”
Provide a list of vocabulary words on a
PowerPoint slide to help with spelling
purposes.

List of Vocabulary words:

• Woman
• Man
• Girl
• Boy
• Hunt
• Gather
• Fish
• Wood
• Build
• Children
Figure: This student demonstrates an
understanding of the gender roles within
the Native community, as well as the
importance of children learning their roles
from their parents.

Figure: Another example of a student’s

work, demonstrating knowledge of gender
roles within Native communities.