Summary
In this lesson, students gather information about traditional native homes before learning about the design of the First Americans Museum (FAM). Students next work in groups to create a design for a community center for a tribe. They write press releases to advertise their community center's design and present their designs to the class.
Essential Question(s)
How did North American indigenous tribes' structures reflect their culture prior to European contact?
Snapshot
Engage
Students observe and make inferences about traditional native homes.
Explore
In groups, students compare and contrast different types of traditional native homes.
Explain
Students summarize the development of the First Americans Museum by reading and viewing a video with an architect.
Extend
In groups, students create a design for a community center for an indigenous tribe using Tinkercad.
Evaluate
Students write a press release for their community centers and present their designs.
Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
Indigenous Homes Images (attached)
Indigenous Homes Graphic Organizer handout (one per student, attached)
Venn Diagram handout (one per group, attached)
Designing the FAM handout (one per student, attached)
Design Planning handout (one per group, attached)
Engage
15 Minute(s)
Use the attached Lesson Slides to guide the lesson. Review the essential question on slide 3 and the lesson objectives on slide 4 to the extent necessary.
Pass out the attached Indigenous Homes Graphic Organizer handout to each student. Display slide 5 and tell students to visit each of the eight images around the room that show a different style of indigenous tribal homes. Have students take notes on their handout about what they observe and what they can infer about each of the homes. Provide time for students to visit each image, then have students return to their desks.
Display slide 6 and have a class discussion about the different types of homes the students examined. Some guiding questions to consider are:
How were the homes different and how were they similar?
What were some commonly used materials?
Why do you think the tribes made their designs a certain way?
Tell students next they are going to learn more about one tribe's type of homes.
Explore
30 Minute(s)
Place students into groups of three to four so that there are eight groups of students. Display slide 7 and assign each group a tribe to learn more about:
Cheyenne and Arapaho
Wichita and Affiliated Tribes
Citizen Potawatomi
Pawnee
Chickasaw
Seminole
Chiricahua Apache
Seneca-Cayuga
Have students use their personal devices to access the Wakelet at http://k20.ou.edu/pasthomes and learn more about their assigned tribe. Students can use notebook paper to take notes over the tribe’s use of materials and method of constructing their homes, as well as the reasons for the choices they made when building their homes.
After students have had time to learn about a specific tribe, pass out a Venn Diagram handout to each group. Display slide 8 and pair up the eight groups so that each group works with another.
Cheyenne and Arapaho (tipi) and the Seneca-Cayuga tribes (longhouse)
Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (grass house) and the Chickasaw tribe (Wattle and daub)
Seminole (chickee) and the Pawnee tribes (earth lodge)
Chiricahua Apache (wikiup) and the Citizen Potawatomi tribes (wigwam)
Provide time for the groups to complete their Venn diagrams and then have each group share something their tribes’ home had in common and something unique.
Explain
30 Minute(s)
Have students return to their desks and move to slide 9. Play the video on the slide, “First Americans Museum,” to introduce how the First Americans Museum was designed.
After the video, pass out the attached Designing the FAM handout to each student. Move to slide 10 and tell students to read the handout while using the 3-2-1 strategy. On the back of the handout, students should write down three things they learned, two questions they have, and one thing they found interesting. Have students pair up to discuss their 3-2-1 responses. Then ask several students to share their thoughts about how the museum was designed. Have a class discussion about the ways in which tribal culture was a focal point of the FAM’s design choices.
Next, play the video on slide 11 for students. The video, “K20 ICAP – Designing for Culture,” is an interview with an architect who contributed to the design of the FAM.
After the video, have students talk to an Elbow Partner about the questions on slide 12.
Extend
45 Minute(s)
Place students back into the groups they were in earlier and display slide 13. Tell students that they are going to work in their groups to design a new community center with an outdoor area large enough to hold dances for a Native American tribe. Pass out the attached Design Planning handout to each group. Provide time for students to brainstorm their community center using the handout.
Evaluate
60 Minute(s)
Display slide 14 and pass out copies of the FAM Press Release to each group. Introduce the Why-Lighting strategy to students. Have students read the press release and as they read, highlight the details they think are important to include when announcing a new museum. They should write their reasons for highlighting in the margins.
Ask each group to share something they highlighted with their explanation. Have a class discussion about what should be included in a press release. Move to slide 15 and tell students to work as a group to write a press release for the opening of the community center they designed. Have students use notebook paper to write the press release.
As a final activity, provide time for each group to present their community center’s design in Tinkercad. Ensure that students talk through why the design choices were made as it relates to the culture of the tribe that the community center is for. As part of the presentation, have one student in each group read the press release that was written to announce the opening of the community center.
Resources
DiscoverOklahoma. (2021, October 14). First Americans Museum. YouTube. https://youtu.be/JkbNhRmnHM0
K20 Center. (n.d.). 3-2-1. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/117
K20 Center. (n.d.) Why-Lighting. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/128
K20 Center. (n.d.). Tinkercad. Tech tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/2166
K20 Center. (n.d.). Wakelet. Tech Tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/2180
K20 Center. (2023, July 13). K20 ICAP – Designing for Culture. YouTube. https://youtu.be/4vucaKopYlw