Summary
This lesson examines the systemic removal of the southeastern United States Native American tribes from their ancestral homes and each tribe's reaction to removal and relocation. Students will gain an understanding of how the policies of the American government about Native Americans changed over time, particularly with the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. This lesson requires student access to internet-enabled devices and websites for research.
Essential Question(s)
What prompted the United States government to remove southeastern Native American tribes from their ancestral lands? How did the tribes react to the forced removal?
Snapshot
Engage
Students hypothesize what they would take if they were forced to leave their homes without advanced notice.
Explore
Students watch a brief video clip about the Cherokee removal from Georgia and examine the United States government's attitude toward Native Americans during the Jacksonian Era.
Explain
Students read, research, and analyze primary and secondary sources to contribute to an in-depth narrative of the relocation of southeastern United States Native American tribes to Indian territory and the governmental attitudes and policies that contributed to these removals.
Extend
Students present their findings about Native American removal and relocation of their assigned topics to the class.
Evaluate
Students reflect on the lesson by writing a short summary response using the Two-Minute Paper strategy.
Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
Group Research Notes handout (attached; one per student)
Group Research Notes Sample Responses (attached)
Presentation Rubric (attached; one per student)
Sticky notes or small pieces of paper (one per student)
Student devices with internet
Poster paper
Markers
Engage
10 Minute(s)
Use the attached Lesson Slides to guide the lesson. Pass out a sticky note or a small piece of paper to each student. Display slide 3 and introduce the scenario on the slide. Ask students to consider what they would take with them if the government told them they had 24 hours to leave their homes. Have students write down their answers and their reasonings on slips of paper. Display slide 4 and introduce students to the Commit and Toss strategy. Have students crumple their answers and toss them into a basket or box. Mix up the responses, then have students select a random paper from the box and read it aloud.
Once a variety of answers have been shared, transition through slides 5–6 to go over the essential questions and learning objectives.
Explore
10 Minute(s)
Move to slide 7 and tell students they will view a short video. As they watch, they should consider how the government’s attitude toward Native Americans changed after Andrew Jackson was elected president. Play the video: Trail of Tears | American Experience.
After the video, tell students that while the video only depicted the Cherokee removal, all tribes experienced some form of forced removal from their ancestral homes in the southeastern United States. There were many "Trails of Tears,” not just one. Display slide 8, which depicts the paths tribes took from their homes during Indian Removal.
Explain
90 Minute(s)
Place students into groups of four and display slide 9. Provide each group with one document from the Group Research Notes handout so that each group has one of the four topics. Depending on class size, there might be multiple groups researching the same topic. Topics include the experiences of the removal of various tribes, the government's attitude toward Native Americans during this era of removal, and the tribes' responses to removal, including appeals to the Supreme Court.
Explain that the handout has guiding questions for the group's research topic. Slide 9 provides a link with a collection of web resources for each topic. Have students navigate to the link via their personal devices. Emphasize the need to divide up the work, to share information with each other, and to investigate their topics thoroughly.
After providing time for students to learn about their topic, display slide 10. Tell students to create either a paper poster or a three-slide presentation over their topic. Pass out the attached Presentation Rubric to each student and move to slide 11. Review the rubric with students. Let students know that groups should be prepared to present their slides or posters to the class. Answer any questions students may have.
Allot one class period for student research and another another class period for students to create their presentations.
Extend
35 Minute(s)
Have students present their group posters or slide decks to the class. Although the attached Presentation Rubric is provided for assessment purposes, you may prefer having students use the rubric for feedback as they present their research. To manage the presentation times, determine in advance how much time each group is allowed. Have groups present their slides or posters to the whole class.
Evaluate
5 Minute(s)
Move to slide 12 and introduce the Two-Minute Paper strategy to students. Tell students they will have two minutes to respond to the prompt on the slide:
Explain why the United States passed the Indian Removal Act and describe how tribes were affected. Consider the impact of this legislation on the lifestyle and development of the Native American tribes.
Collect the handouts to review and check for student understanding of the lesson content.
Resources
American Experience. (2026, April 29). Trail of Tears: American experience: Grades 9-12 social studies teaching and Lesson Resources. PBS LearningMedia. https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/akh10.socst.ush.exp.trail/trail-of-tears/
K20 Center. (n.d.). Commit and t
oss. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/119
K20 Center. (n.d.). Google sites. Tech Tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/631
K20 Center. (n.d.). Many Trails of Tears: research. https://k20.ou.edu/lz
K20 Center. (n.d.). Two-minute paper. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/152