momma aimee Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 we are slowing going to be looking at "US" history. we are going to start -- purely as a starting point with -- Lief and the Vikings. More to just have a starting point than anything -- i find history a bit daunting because, no matter what, you are jumping in 'mid-story'. but i think DS1 will like reading about Lief and it gives me a starting point. After we read about him / them. I was to flow into a discussion -- basic and general -- about the people already living here ... I am not sure how to get my mid around the topic -- it is really big and vast -- and I am not sure how to present it to a 1st grader, espcailly as a foundation -- since we'll learn a lot more later. thoughts? book suggestions? what have you done in the past? is my idea stupid? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 (edited) For the earliest part of American history, we really enjoyed Prehistoric America (a Landmark book), The Real Book about Indians (a very respectful treatment with a conversational, story-telling tone), and the If You Lived... book series about Native Americans (Cherokee, Sioux, Hopi, Iroquois, and Indians of the Northwest Coast). ETA: We actually led with Native Americans. We started with the Landmark prehistory book and discussed the land bridge as the way humans likely came to North America. We got to the explorers afterward. At that point, humans had already been here for thousands of years and Native Americans were well-established. Edited May 27, 2012 by Alte Veste Academy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 I think the Betsy Maestro book is a nice place to start. And we had a cool book called 1492 by an Italian author that compared life in he old world and the new. Mostly we tried to emphasize the diversity of cultures here in the Americas. If you're curious, this is the blog post I had about the Native American books we used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted May 27, 2012 Author Share Posted May 27, 2012 thanks ladies, how long did you spend on it. i have such a hard time since you COULD study something like this for a year or more -- how did you choose what to do and when to move on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 We did two years of American history and spent the first 6 weeks of the first year just studying early Native American culture as it was before explorers and colonists. For the remainder of the two years, we folded Native American topics into American history as they were historically unfolding and relevant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALB Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 We enjoyed Evan Moor's History Pockets on Native Americans. We also read a bunch of books to go along with them. My dd is completely fascinated with all things Native American, so we did lots of read alouds and crafts, too. We really liked Om-Kas-Toe and Naya Nuki as read alouds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LillyMama Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 I think the Betsy Maestro book is a nice place to start. And we had a cool book called 1492 by an Italian author that compared life in he old world and the new. Mostly we tried to emphasize the diversity of cultures here in the Americas. If you're curious, this is the blog post I had about the Native American books we used. I second the Betsy Maestro books, we read some of them last year, in kindergarten, before we started formal history this month when we started first grade. As for how long- we're planning to follow the timing set out in SOTW and TOG. We're just in year 1, but looking ahead it looks like they focus one week on it, between 8 weeks on Greece and 12 weeks on Rome (year 1 ends with the fall of ancient Rome.) By looking through the table of contents for volume 2, it looks like they only cover the Native Americans (Mayans and Aztecs) for one week, the rest is European, Asian and "explorer"-centric. Then in Volume 3, it looks like it's all about the colonies, then the revolution, so I guess that's it when it comes to ancient Native Americans. Hm, 2-3 weeks our of four years doesn't really seem like much, does it? We're just starting out, so I cannot tell you how this will work. But our intent is to keep to the four year classical schedule as much as we can for history. But we do year-round school, so we have ten extra weeks every year. I intend to take extra time on subjects that appear interesting to my kids or ones that I think we should spend more time on. I can tell you that, after having looked this all up, we'll be spending at least one extra week this year on the ancient Americas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 thanks everyeone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 We did two years of American history and spent the first 6 weeks of the first year just studying early Native American culture as it was before explorers and colonists. For the remainder of the two years, we folded Native American topics into American history as they were historically unfolding and relevant. This is what we did in 2nd grade (though it took us longer than 6 weeks. :) I focused on tribes rather than regional groups (like Woodland or Plains), because cultures varied widely among tribes even regionally. I also tried to find tribes that there was enough info on at an age-appropriate level to do a reasonable study. I ended with the Powhatan and Wampanoag, who the Jamestown and Plimoth colonists first met. Then I folded in other tribes as they had significant points in US History. Pre-contact we covered: Hopi Apache Nez Perce (with Kaya books which are pre-contact. We did a reprise when we got to the time of Chief Joseph). Blackfoot Cherokee (again, pre-contact society and folktales. We covered the Trail of Tears separately later). Iroquois First contact: Powhatan Wampanoag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 This is what we did in 2nd grade (though it took us longer than 6 weeks. :) I focused on tribes rather than regional groups (like Woodland or Plains), because cultures varied widely among tribes even regionally. I also tried to find tribes that there was enough info on at an age-appropriate level to do a reasonable study. I ended with the Powhatan and Wampanoag, who the Jamestown and Plimoth colonists first met. Then I folded in other tribes as they had significant points in US History. Pre-contact we covered: Hopi Apache Nez Perce (with Kaya books which are pre-contact. We did a reprise when we got to the time of Chief Joseph). Blackfoot Cherokee (again, pre-contact society and folktales. We covered the Trail of Tears separately later). Iroquois First contact: Powhatan Wampanoag got a blog post or any notes you can share with me:001_smile::001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom2011 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 This is great info. Thanks! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I read an interesting J-Fiction book called "Before Columbus: The Americas of 1491" by Charles Mann that I found at the library. It really changed my perception of what things were like before the explorers. I had learned that the Americas weren't heavily populated, native Americans lived "lightly" on the land, highly organized societies were rare... We're thinking of doing a 3 year American history cycle starting this summer. I think we will spend 2 weeks talking about pre-history and then a week per month progressing during the busier school year time. It was hard to decide, you could spend so much time on pre-history alone (or skip it the way we did when I was in school. :tongue_smilie:) If you find something that works for you (schedule, activities, books) there is a market for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 These are my resources up through the Wampanoag: General The Discovery of the Americas by Maestro, Betsy The Earth under Sky Bear's Feet by Bruchac, Joseph, Locker, Thomas Four Ancestors: Stories, Songs, and Poems from Native North America by Bruchac, Joseph The Girl who Married the Moon : tales from Native North America by Bruchac, Joseph, , Ross, Gayle. The Whistling Skeleton : American Indian tales of the supernatural by Grinnell, George Bird Hopi Projects About Indians of the American Southwest by Marian Broida If You Lived With the Hopi (If You Lived) by Kamma, Anne Hopi (Native Americans) by Gray Kanatiiiosh, Barbara The Hopi (New True Books) by Tomchek, Ann Spider Spins a Story: Fourteen Legends from Native America by Max, Jill Arrow to the sun; a Pueblo Indian tale. by McDermott, Gerald. Is my Friend at Home? : Pueblo fireside tales by Bierhorst, John. Coyote & Little Turtle: a traditional Hopi tale by Sekaquaptewa, Emory. Life in a Hopi Village by Isaacs, Sally Senzell People of the Short Blue Corn; tales and legends of the Hopi Indians. by Courlander, Harold, The Warrior Maiden : a Hopi legend by Schecter, Ellen Apache The Apache (First Reports-Native Americans) by Press, Petra The Apache by McKissack, Pat The Flute Player : an Apache folktale by Lacapa, Michael. Nez Perce The Nez Perce (First Reports Native Americans) by Press, Petra Meet Kaya: An American Girl (and rest of series) by Shaw, Janet Welcome to Kaya's World 1764: Growing Up in a Native American Homeland by Raymer, Dottie Blackfoot The Blackfeet by Press, Petra. Life in a Plains Camp by Kalman,Bobbie. Projects about the Plains Indians by Broida, Marian. Om-Kas-Toe: Blackfoot Twin Captures Elkdog by Thomasma, Kenneth Iktomi and the Coyote : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Iktomi and the Ducks : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul. Iktomi and the Berries : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Iktomi and the Boulder : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Iktomi and the Buffalo Skull : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Iktomi and the Buzzard : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Iktomi Loses his Eyes : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Remaking the Earth : a creation story from the Great Plains of North America by Goble, Paul. The Gift of the Sacred Dog by Goble, Paul. Buffalo Dance : a Blackfoot legend by Van Laan, Nancy., Vidal, Beatriz. The Lost Children by Goble, Paul. Snow Maker's Tipi by Goble, Paul Dream Wolf by Goble, Paul Star Boy by Goble, Paul The Girl who Loved Wild Horses by Goble, Paul Cherokee The Cherokee Nation: Life Before the Tears by Meyers, Madeleine. Itse Selu : Cherokee Harvest Festival by Pennington, Daniel How Rabbit Tricked Otter and other Cherokee Trickster Stories by Ross, Gayle; Jacob, Murv. How Turtle's Back was Cracked : a traditional Cherokee tale by Ross, Gayle., Jacob, Murv. Dancing Drum by Cohlene, Terri, The First Strawberries : a Cherokee story by Bruchac, Joseph Yonder Mountain : a Cherokee Legend by Bushyhead, Jean Rabbit and the Bears: A Grandmother Story By Duvall, Deborah L. If You Lived With the Cherokee (If You Lived) by Levine, Ellen Iroquois If You Lived With the Iroquois (If You Lived) by Levine, Ellen The Iroquois : the Six Nations Confederacy by Englar, Mary. The Iroquois by Gaines, Richard, Life in a Longhouse Village by Kalman, Bobbie, Parker, Lewis. Song of the Hermit Thrush : an Iroquois Legend by Dominic, Gloria The Boy Who Lived with the Bears : and other Iroquois stories by Bruchac, Joseph, Jacob, Murv. The Woman Who Fell from the Sky by Riefe, Barbara, Children of the Longhouse by Bruchac, Joseph, Hiawatha : Messenger of Peace by Fradin, Dennis B. Powhatan/Jamestown The Powhatan Indians by McDaniel, Melissa. The Jamestown Colony by Sakurai, Gail. The Jamestown Colony by January, Brendan, Jamestown, New World Adventure by Knight, James The Lucky Sovereign by Lees, Stuart. A Lion to Guard Us by Bulla, Clyde Robert Pocahontas by Sullivan, George Pocahontas by Raatma, Lucia. Pocahontas and the Strangers. by Bulla, Clyde Robert Wampanoag/Plimoth The New Americans : Colonial Times: 1620-1689 by Maestro, Betsy People of the Breaking Day by Sewall, Marcia The Wamapanoag by Bial, Raymond The Children of the Morning Light : Wampanoag tales as told by Manitonquat (Medicine Story) by Medicine Story., Arquette, Mary, Tapenum's Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy in Pilgrim Times by Waters, Kate The Pilgrims of Plimoth by Sewall, Marcia. On the Mayflower by Waters, Kate Sarah Morton's Day by Waters, Kate Samuel Eaton's Day by Waters, Kate Three Young Pilgrims by Harness, Cheryl Mayflower, 1620 By Arenstam, Peter, et al If you Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by McGovern, Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Alright, Matroyshka inspired me to look up an old thread about what we used. My memory must be faulty because apparently we did 8 weeks. Here is what we used for Native Americans prior to explorers: We started with 8 weeks of Native Americans. The first week was an overview. Weeks 2-6 were for regions noted below. Weeks 7-8 were specific to Texas. *The Real Book of Indians (This was our spine. It’s from the 50s and remarkably devoid of derogatory language. The author clearly has a great deal of respect for Native Americans.) If You Lived with the Cherokee (series…also Sioux, Iroquois, Hopi, and Indians of the NW) *Learn About Texas Indians (free WONDERFUL pdf from TPWD Dept.) *Indians Who Lived in Texas *Hold Up the Sky (TX) The Legend of the Bluebonnet (TX) The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush (TX) The First Strawberries (Cherokee) *The Girl Who Helped Thunder and Other Native American Folktales *In a Circle Long Ago: A Treasury of Native Lore from North America DK North American Indian More Than Moccasins Children of the Longhouse Birchbark House Many Nations: An Alphabet of Native America *Native American Sign Language (DS loved this book.) The Golden Book of Indian Crafts and Lore We also used the Dover coloring books. We heavily supplemented with library books but I don't have a record of those. Here you will find the whole thread, where I listed everything but the kitchen sink for American history up to the Civil War. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 These are my resources up through the Wampanoag: General The Discovery of the Americas by Maestro, Betsy The Earth under Sky Bear's Feet by Bruchac, Joseph, Locker, Thomas Four Ancestors: Stories, Songs, and Poems from Native North America by Bruchac, Joseph The Girl who Married the Moon : tales from Native North America by Bruchac, Joseph, , Ross, Gayle. The Whistling Skeleton : American Indian tales of the supernatural by Grinnell, George Bird Hopi Projects About Indians of the American Southwest by Marian Broida If You Lived With the Hopi (If You Lived) by Kamma, Anne Hopi (Native Americans) by Gray Kanatiiiosh, Barbara The Hopi (New True Books) by Tomchek, Ann Spider Spins a Story: Fourteen Legends from Native America by Max, Jill Arrow to the sun; a Pueblo Indian tale. by McDermott, Gerald. Is my Friend at Home? : Pueblo fireside tales by Bierhorst, John. Coyote & Little Turtle: a traditional Hopi tale by Sekaquaptewa, Emory. Life in a Hopi Village by Isaacs, Sally Senzell People of the Short Blue Corn; tales and legends of the Hopi Indians. by Courlander, Harold, The Warrior Maiden : a Hopi legend by Schecter, Ellen Apache The Apache (First Reports-Native Americans) by Press, Petra The Apache by McKissack, Pat The Flute Player : an Apache folktale by Lacapa, Michael. Nez Perce The Nez Perce (First Reports Native Americans) by Press, Petra Meet Kaya: An American Girl (and rest of series) by Shaw, Janet Welcome to Kaya's World 1764: Growing Up in a Native American Homeland by Raymer, Dottie Blackfoot The Blackfeet by Press, Petra. Life in a Plains Camp by Kalman,Bobbie. Projects about the Plains Indians by Broida, Marian. Om-Kas-Toe: Blackfoot Twin Captures Elkdog by Thomasma, Kenneth Iktomi and the Coyote : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Iktomi and the Ducks : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul. Iktomi and the Berries : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Iktomi and the Boulder : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Iktomi and the Buffalo Skull : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Iktomi and the Buzzard : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Iktomi Loses his Eyes : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Remaking the Earth : a creation story from the Great Plains of North America by Goble, Paul. The Gift of the Sacred Dog by Goble, Paul. Buffalo Dance : a Blackfoot legend by Van Laan, Nancy., Vidal, Beatriz. The Lost Children by Goble, Paul. Snow Maker's Tipi by Goble, Paul Dream Wolf by Goble, Paul Star Boy by Goble, Paul The Girl who Loved Wild Horses by Goble, Paul Cherokee The Cherokee Nation: Life Before the Tears by Meyers, Madeleine. Itse Selu : Cherokee Harvest Festival by Pennington, Daniel How Rabbit Tricked Otter and other Cherokee Trickster Stories by Ross, Gayle; Jacob, Murv. How Turtle's Back was Cracked : a traditional Cherokee tale by Ross, Gayle., Jacob, Murv. Dancing Drum by Cohlene, Terri, The First Strawberries : a Cherokee story by Bruchac, Joseph Yonder Mountain : a Cherokee Legend by Bushyhead, Jean Rabbit and the Bears: A Grandmother Story By Duvall, Deborah L. If You Lived With the Cherokee (If You Lived) by Levine, Ellen Iroquois If You Lived With the Iroquois (If You Lived) by Levine, Ellen The Iroquois : the Six Nations Confederacy by Englar, Mary. The Iroquois by Gaines, Richard, Life in a Longhouse Village by Kalman, Bobbie, Parker, Lewis. Song of the Hermit Thrush : an Iroquois Legend by Dominic, Gloria The Boy Who Lived with the Bears : and other Iroquois stories by Bruchac, Joseph, Jacob, Murv. The Woman Who Fell from the Sky by Riefe, Barbara, Children of the Longhouse by Bruchac, Joseph, Hiawatha : Messenger of Peace by Fradin, Dennis B. Powhatan/Jamestown The Powhatan Indians by McDaniel, Melissa. The Jamestown Colony by Sakurai, Gail. The Jamestown Colony by January, Brendan, Jamestown, New World Adventure by Knight, James The Lucky Sovereign by Lees, Stuart. A Lion to Guard Us by Bulla, Clyde Robert Pocahontas by Sullivan, George Pocahontas by Raatma, Lucia. Pocahontas and the Strangers. by Bulla, Clyde Robert Wampanoag/Plimoth The New Americans : Colonial Times: 1620-1689 by Maestro, Betsy People of the Breaking Day by Sewall, Marcia The Wamapanoag by Bial, Raymond The Children of the Morning Light : Wampanoag tales as told by Manitonquat (Medicine Story) by Medicine Story., Arquette, Mary, Tapenum's Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy in Pilgrim Times by Waters, Kate The Pilgrims of Plimoth by Sewall, Marcia. On the Mayflower by Waters, Kate Sarah Morton's Day by Waters, Kate Samuel Eaton's Day by Waters, Kate Three Young Pilgrims by Harness, Cheryl Mayflower, 1620 By Arenstam, Peter, et al If you Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by McGovern, Ann This is a seriously wonderful list! Thanks for sharing! Makes me wish I had kept track of more of what we read. We loved the Goble books. My favorite book from the entire two year study wasIndian Gallery: The Story of George Catlin by Mary Sayre Haverstock. Another favorite was The Ledgerbook of Thomas Blue Eagle, an exquisitely illustrated diary-like book about a Sioux boy who was sent away to attend an institutional school in the late 1800's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 These are my resources up through the Wampanoag: General The Discovery of the Americas by Maestro, Betsy The Earth under Sky Bear's Feet by Bruchac, Joseph, Locker, Thomas Four Ancestors: Stories, Songs, and Poems from Native North America by Bruchac, Joseph The Girl who Married the Moon : tales from Native North America by Bruchac, Joseph, , Ross, Gayle. The Whistling Skeleton : American Indian tales of the supernatural by Grinnell, George Bird Hopi Projects About Indians of the American Southwest by Marian Broida If You Lived With the Hopi (If You Lived) by Kamma, Anne Hopi (Native Americans) by Gray Kanatiiiosh, Barbara The Hopi (New True Books) by Tomchek, Ann Spider Spins a Story: Fourteen Legends from Native America by Max, Jill Arrow to the sun; a Pueblo Indian tale. by McDermott, Gerald. Is my Friend at Home? : Pueblo fireside tales by Bierhorst, John. Coyote & Little Turtle: a traditional Hopi tale by Sekaquaptewa, Emory. Life in a Hopi Village by Isaacs, Sally Senzell People of the Short Blue Corn; tales and legends of the Hopi Indians. by Courlander, Harold, The Warrior Maiden : a Hopi legend by Schecter, Ellen Apache The Apache (First Reports-Native Americans) by Press, Petra The Apache by McKissack, Pat The Flute Player : an Apache folktale by Lacapa, Michael. Nez Perce The Nez Perce (First Reports Native Americans) by Press, Petra Meet Kaya: An American Girl (and rest of series) by Shaw, Janet Welcome to Kaya's World 1764: Growing Up in a Native American Homeland by Raymer, Dottie Blackfoot The Blackfeet by Press, Petra. Life in a Plains Camp by Kalman,Bobbie. Projects about the Plains Indians by Broida, Marian. Om-Kas-Toe: Blackfoot Twin Captures Elkdog by Thomasma, Kenneth Iktomi and the Coyote : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Iktomi and the Ducks : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul. Iktomi and the Berries : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Iktomi and the Boulder : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Iktomi and the Buffalo Skull : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Iktomi and the Buzzard : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Iktomi Loses his Eyes : a Plains Indian story by Goble, Paul Remaking the Earth : a creation story from the Great Plains of North America by Goble, Paul. The Gift of the Sacred Dog by Goble, Paul. Buffalo Dance : a Blackfoot legend by Van Laan, Nancy., Vidal, Beatriz. The Lost Children by Goble, Paul. Snow Maker's Tipi by Goble, Paul Dream Wolf by Goble, Paul Star Boy by Goble, Paul The Girl who Loved Wild Horses by Goble, Paul Cherokee The Cherokee Nation: Life Before the Tears by Meyers, Madeleine. Itse Selu : Cherokee Harvest Festival by Pennington, Daniel How Rabbit Tricked Otter and other Cherokee Trickster Stories by Ross, Gayle; Jacob, Murv. How Turtle's Back was Cracked : a traditional Cherokee tale by Ross, Gayle., Jacob, Murv. Dancing Drum by Cohlene, Terri, The First Strawberries : a Cherokee story by Bruchac, Joseph Yonder Mountain : a Cherokee Legend by Bushyhead, Jean Rabbit and the Bears: A Grandmother Story By Duvall, Deborah L. If You Lived With the Cherokee (If You Lived) by Levine, Ellen Iroquois If You Lived With the Iroquois (If You Lived) by Levine, Ellen The Iroquois : the Six Nations Confederacy by Englar, Mary. The Iroquois by Gaines, Richard, Life in a Longhouse Village by Kalman, Bobbie, Parker, Lewis. Song of the Hermit Thrush : an Iroquois Legend by Dominic, Gloria The Boy Who Lived with the Bears : and other Iroquois stories by Bruchac, Joseph, Jacob, Murv. The Woman Who Fell from the Sky by Riefe, Barbara, Children of the Longhouse by Bruchac, Joseph, Hiawatha : Messenger of Peace by Fradin, Dennis B. Powhatan/Jamestown The Powhatan Indians by McDaniel, Melissa. The Jamestown Colony by Sakurai, Gail. The Jamestown Colony by January, Brendan, Jamestown, New World Adventure by Knight, James The Lucky Sovereign by Lees, Stuart. A Lion to Guard Us by Bulla, Clyde Robert Pocahontas by Sullivan, George Pocahontas by Raatma, Lucia. Pocahontas and the Strangers. by Bulla, Clyde Robert Wampanoag/Plimoth The New Americans : Colonial Times: 1620-1689 by Maestro, Betsy People of the Breaking Day by Sewall, Marcia The Wamapanoag by Bial, Raymond The Children of the Morning Light : Wampanoag tales as told by Manitonquat (Medicine Story) by Medicine Story., Arquette, Mary, Tapenum's Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy in Pilgrim Times by Waters, Kate The Pilgrims of Plimoth by Sewall, Marcia. On the Mayflower by Waters, Kate Sarah Morton's Day by Waters, Kate Samuel Eaton's Day by Waters, Kate Three Young Pilgrims by Harness, Cheryl Mayflower, 1620 By Arenstam, Peter, et al If you Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by McGovern, Ann WOW :D:D:D:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 Alright, Matroyshka inspired me to look up an old thread about what we used. My memory must be faulty because apparently we did 8 weeks. Here is what we used for Native Americans prior to explorers: We started with 8 weeks of Native Americans. The first week was an overview. Weeks 2-6 were for regions noted below. Weeks 7-8 were specific to Texas. *The Real Book of Indians (This was our spine. It’s from the 50s and remarkably devoid of derogatory language. The author clearly has a great deal of respect for Native Americans.) If You Lived with the Cherokee (series…also Sioux, Iroquois, Hopi, and Indians of the NW) *Learn About Texas Indians (free WONDERFUL pdf from TPWD Dept.) *Indians Who Lived in Texas *Hold Up the Sky (TX) The Legend of the Bluebonnet (TX) The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush (TX) The First Strawberries (Cherokee) *The Girl Who Helped Thunder and Other Native American Folktales *In a Circle Long Ago: A Treasury of Native Lore from North America DK North American Indian More Than Moccasins Children of the Longhouse Birchbark House Many Nations: An Alphabet of Native America *Native American Sign Language (DS loved this book.) The Golden Book of Indian Crafts and Lore We also used the Dover coloring books. We heavily supplemented with library books but I don't have a record of those. Here you will find the whole thread, where I listed everything but the kitchen sink for American history up to the Civil War. you ladies are amazing. I love not having to reinvent the wheel :001_smile::001_smile::001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I read an interesting J-Fiction book called "Before Columbus: The Americas of 1491" by Charles Mann that I found at the library. It really changed my perception of what things were like before the explorers. I had learned that the Americas weren't heavily populated, native Americans lived "lightly" on the land, highly organized societies were rare... Do you have any other similar recommendations? I've heard of this book, and I'm trying to figure out if much of the material is agreed upon as fact within the field and how much is conjecture that is heavily disputed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 (edited) I read an interesting J-Fiction book called "Before Columbus: The Americas of 1491" by Charles Mann that I found at the library. It really changed my perception of what things were like before the explorers. I had learned that the Americas weren't heavily populated, native Americans lived "lightly" on the land, highly organized societies were rare... We're thinking of doing a 3 year American history cycle starting this summer. I think we will spend 2 weeks talking about pre-history and then a week per month progressing during the busier school year time. It was hard to decide, you could spend so much time on pre-history alone (or skip it the way we did when I was in school. :tongue_smilie:) If you find something that works for you (schedule, activities, books) there is a market for it! Do you have any other similar recommendations? I've heard of this book, and I'm trying to figure out if much of the material is agreed upon as fact within the field and how much is conjecture that is heavily disputed. I came across this thread doing research for this year's American History, and wanted to comment briefly on Mann's work. First, I would suggest reading it -- at least 1491, which I've nearly finished; I plan to go on to 1493 next -- I am very very glad I read this. I was afraid from the editorial reviews that it would be hard to separate fact from opinion/slant, but I don't think it is so difficult. Mann glosses over aspects of Native American culture that are distasteful to moderns -- for example, I don't think he ever mentions the killing of "surplus" babies that happened in some cultures, certainly in what is now California; this practice was hardly unique to the Native Americans, being practiced also in New Guinea and (I believe) Polynesia, and was essentially necessary to prevent warfare/depletion of natural resources -- and he also glossed over the role of women, slaves, &c in some of the cultures; and one gets the impression from the first part of the book that Native Americans had no such idea as total warfare (ie, killing every living human in an enemy tribe) before the Europeans arrived, which is quite wrong (see Pinker's book The Better Angels below). However, the takeaway that was most valuable to me was the multiplicity, the complexity, and the active land management practiced by Native Americans; and the fact that what Europeans encountered in the 16th century explorations were remnants of shattered cultures, not the thriving Indian culture that existed before European plagues decimated the population. Both the views of Native American life, and the perspective on the state of the natural American ecology, were far off b/c the Europeans thought they were viewing a static situation, not a way of life & an ecology in tumult. This will have a strong affect on how I teach Native American history and first contact stories, and pioneer American history generally. For the most accurate view of these things, Jared Diamond's work is very reliable I've found (Guns, Germs, and Steel; and his Collapse) and I also like Steven Pinker's recent book on violence: The Better Angels of our Nature. Pinker's book esp. changed the way I will read and will teach ancient epics, which are of course outrageously violent -- I once read the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Old Testament in short order and it was rather horrid. Pinker is less precise in some areas, to my mind, than Diamond; but the book is well-researched and a valuable read. ETA: the Diamond and Pinker books are not specific to the Americas, but have been invaluable to my own understanding of history including that of the earliest Americans. Edited August 10, 2012 by serendipitous journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allearia Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I think telling stories from a lot of different cultures is important. Then learn a bit about the area where that people lived, some geography (at the level appropriate to your child of course). It is very interesting how different they were from each other, and important to know that they were not all the plains culture we commonly see. Some widely differing languages even right next to each other, as an example of how diverse people were. Also here is a fun book about games that different Native American children played: Grass Games and Moon Races. Learning about the animals important to the tribes is another good way to engage young children. And remember that there were no horses here before Columbus. (finally, a practical use for my Native American Studies degree!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 thanks everyone. we will be studying this in GA so i am hoping to find some stuff for us to go see Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 I highly recommend Before Columbus: The Americas of 1491 by Charles Mann. It's written for 8-12 yo, though I learned a lot from it and found it highly readable (it was nice to not have to read the whole "grown-up" version to get the gist of the arguments!;)) My 9 yo loved this book, it was probably the highlight of last year's history for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFM Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 I truly appreciate these posts, thank you! It is so helpful. I find there is FAR too little Native American history in "American" History. My DC and I are all fascinated by their culture and their people. I am thrilled to take the next few weeks and discover more about them before we dive further into the exploration and conquest of the Americas. Thanks again, your post is well organized and easy to "follow". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katydid Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 We have been reading The Book of Indians by Holling C Holling. I would call it historical fiction, but it's wonderfully written and very informative. It's out of print, but used prices aren't outrageous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted August 15, 2012 Author Share Posted August 15, 2012 I highly recommend Before Columbus: The Americas of 1491 by Charles Mann. It's written for 8-12 yo, though I learned a lot from it and found it highly readable (it was nice to not have to read the whole "grown-up" version to get the gist of the arguments!;)) My 9 yo loved this book, it was probably the highlight of last year's history for her. I added it to our list -- i will get it off amazon if i have to -- and use it as a read a loud. it will be nice for ME to get some more education Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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