Summary
In this lesson, students examine the impact of the Commerce Clause on both the U.S. government and Tribal Nations. Students first discuss the type of relationship that exists between the United States and Native Americans and examine a political cartoon. Students then research the history of the relationship between the United States and Tribal Nations to gain a deeper understanding of how the Commerce Clause affected both groups. To further extend their learning, students watch a video interview with legislator Warren Queton to learn more about public service job opportunities and how their learning applies to their lives and communities. Students conclude the lesson by completing a written assessment in which they address the essential question and learning objectives of the lesson.
Essential Question(s)
How did the Commerce Clause impact the relationship between the U.S. government and Tribal Nations?
Snapshot
Engage
Students analyze a political cartoon and consider the relationship between the United States and Native American tribes.
Explore
Students examine a collection of online resources about the history of the relationship between the United States and Native American tribes.
Explain
Students read an article about the Commerce Clause and how interpretations of the clause have affected the U.S. government and Tribal Nations.
Extend
Students watch a video interview with a legislator and reflect on what they learned about public service jobs in government.
Evaluate
Students discuss a series of prompts with a partner then write an individual response to the prompts based on the discussion and their knowledge from the lesson.
Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
T.A.C.O.S. handout (attached; one per student)
KWHL Graphic Organizer handout (attached; one per student)
Commerce Clause and the Cost of Federal Power handout (attached; one per student; print two-sided)
Give, Get, Reflect handout (attached; one per student)
Highlighters
Engage
10 Minute(s)
Use the attached Lesson Slides to guide the lesson. Display slides 3–4 and review the essential question and lesson objectives.
Show slide 5. Give each student one copy of the attached T.A.C.O.S. handout. Have students form groups of two or three. Introduce students to the T.A.C.O.S. instructional strategy and share that they should use this strategy to analyze a political cartoon. Tell students that political cartoons are visual, artistic images of historic or current events. Share that all political cartoonists express their opinions when creating political cartoons.
Briefly explain the T.A.C.O.S. acronym and introduce what each letter of the acronym stands for. Display slide 6 and have students use the T.A.C.O.S. strategy to break down each part of the cartoon. Allow students time to complete their T.A.C.O.S. analyses, then have them share their analyses with the other members of their groups. If time allows, call on a representative from a few groups to share out the main points of their discussions.
Explore
20 Minute(s)
Display slide 7. Pass out one copy of the attached KWHL Graphic Organizer handout to each student.
Introduce the KWHL instructional strategy to students. Have them begin by filling out the “K” column with everything they know about the U.S. Constitution and Tribal Nations. Invite each student to then pair up with a classmate and compare responses with their partner.
Have students then fill out the “W” column with what they don’t know or want to know about the U.S. Constitution and Tribal Nations. Have them fill out the “H” column with how they plan to find the information they want to know from the “W” column. Once again, have students share and discuss their responses with a partner.
Display slide 8 and direct students’ attention to the “L” column of the KWHL Graphic Organizer. Draw students’ attention to the Wakelet links on the slide. Have students access both the Commerce Clause: Research and the Commerce Clause: Court Cases Wakelets and have them explore the content in each with their partners. Have them then record what they learned about the history of the relationship between the U.S. and Tribal Nations from the sources in the “L” column of their graphic organizers.
Show slide 9. Invite students to share out what they noticed after exploring the Wakelets. As students share, record their responses in the blank space provided on the slide. Have students add the information from the slide to their handouts.
Explain
25 Minute(s)
Display slide 10 and introduce the topic of the Commerce Clause. Give each student a highlighter and one copy of the attached Commerce Clause Article handout. Introduce the Why-Lighting instructional strategy and have students highlight information that could help them respond to a set of questions about the Commerce Clause. Move to slide 11 and share the following questions with students:
How was the Commerce Clause used to expand the powers of the federal government?
What was the impact of the Commerce Clause on Native American tribes?
Why do you think the United States has continued to use the Commerce Clause in similar ways throughout American history?
Instruct students to write a brief explanation of why they chose to highlight each specific piece of information in the margins of the reading. Once students finish reading and highlighting, have them find a partner and share the information they highlighted. Invite pairs to share out their responses if time permits.
If you wish to provide additional information about the Commerce Clause, or believe students have gaps in their understanding, offer more information here. Consider further exploring the many interpretations of the clause in more detail.
Bring the class discussion to an end by highlighting the impact the Commerce Clause had on the relationship between the U.S. government and Tribal Nations.
Extend
25 Minute(s)
Go to slide 12 and and have students watch the ICAP video Trading Rights and Sovereignty. The video features an interview with Warren Queton, the District 7 legislator for the Kiowa Tribe. In the video, Mr. Queton offers an overview of his career in public service and discusses how tribal governments are structured, the relationship between Tribal Nations and the United States, and how tribal governments have been affected by U.S. legal decisions.
Distribute the attached Give, Get, Reflect handout or have students create a three-columned chart on paper with the three columns labeled “Give,” “Get,” and “Reflect.” Display slide 13 and introduce students to the Give, Get, Reflect instructional strategy by having them consider the question, “What did you learn about public service careers after watching the interview?” Ask students to write their responses to this question in the “Give” column of their handouts.
After students record their responses, display slide 14. Organize students into groups of four. Have students share their responses in the “Give” column with the others in their group. As students listen to their peers, have them record the info they learn in the “Get” column. Have students then record to their seats and review the information in the “Get” column. Ask them to write down their thoughts about the question on the slide in the “Reflect” column using the information they gained from the video and their peers.
Move to slide 15. Invite volunteers to share out their thoughts on the video and hold a brief class discussion. Ask students to consider who is representing their interests and what they would like to see change in their community. Consider discussing the following questions:
Would you be interested in a public service career?
What kinds of skills or experience do you need to work in public service?
Why are public service jobs important?
Evaluate
10 Minute(s)
Advance to slide 16. Organize students into small groups of no more than three students. Introduce the Friends Without Pens instructional strategy and share the following questions on the slide:
Why is the Commerce Clause such an important part of the U.S. Constitution?
How did the Commerce Clause impact the relationship between the U.S. government and Tribal Nations?
In what ways did enforcing the Commerce Clause ultimately affect both the United States and Tribal Nations?
The activity is divided into two rounds. Have students begin the first round of the strategy, “Friends Without Pens.” Have students discuss the questions on the slide and form responses to the questions without writing anything. Consider timing students to ensure that the discussion does not last too long.
When time is up, show slide 17 and have students return to their seats. Have students take out a piece of paper and something to write with. Begin the second round of the strategy, “Pens Without Friends.” Allow students time to individually write a response to the same questions on the slide without speaking to anyone.
After students have responded to each prompt, collect their papers to serve as the primary assessment of the lesson. Consider also collecting the KWHL Graphic Organizer, T.A.C.O.S. handout, and highlighted Commerce Clause Article to serve as additional assessments if you wish.
Resources
K20 Center. (n.d.). Friends without pens. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/4438
K20 Center. (n.d.). Give, get, reflect. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/2184
K20 Center. (n.d.). KWHL graphic organizer. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/127
K20 Center. (n.d.). T.A.C.O.S. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/1196
K20 Center. (n.d.). Why-Lighting. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/128
K20 Center. (n.d.). Wakelet. Tech Tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/2180
K20 Center. (2025, April 21). Trading rights and sovereignty [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTIJ2SinkYE
The reason of the Indian outbreak [Image]. (1890). Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://digital.newberry.org/scalar/indians-midwest/media/political-cartoon-1890