Native American Research Projects

For many years, the study of Native Americans has been part of the second grade social studies curriculum. The unit includes researching Native American tribes and presenting the information that is learned. Numerous projects and variations thereof have been completed. Below are some examples of student projects. These can be easily adapted to the technology that is available in your school.

Projects

Comic Life: For this project, we used the application Comic Life. We started with a template that divided the page into four. In each section, the students wrote about the homes, clothing, transportation, and food available to a particular tribe. The students drew pictures in a paint program and exported them as .jpegs to insert them into Comic Life.

General Paint Program: Another way to complete the above mentioned project is to create five to six pages in a general paint program (Title, Home, Food, Clothing, Transportation, and Other). Students not only draw their pictures in this program, but also write about what they learned. Each page could be printed out separately or combined onto one page.

General Paint Program: As an addendum to the last project, I have had students add a recorded narration of each slide or image. This way, the students did not have to type as much (we still required a summative sentence on each page) but were still able to include much of the information that they had found. Our paint program, Pixie, allows the students to record the audio directly onto each page and for the entire project to be exported as a Flash or Quicktime movie file.

Native American Commemorative Stamps: Instead of spending time on drawing or making many pictures or slides, the students write up their research findings and then draw one picture representing the tribe and what it is known for. Design It! Student Stamps for America has a full curriculum built around stamp making. 

General Paint Program: As the students learn about Native American pottery, they are given the task of decorating their own pottery bowl. In the design phase, the students must incorporate only colors that would have been available at the time. Also, drawings depicting nature, birds, buffalos, and so forth are recommended. Then, each student is given a template in the paint program in order to create the final version. 

Create Your Own Native American Board Game: This links to a complete lesson plan that includes an introduction to the topic, research planning sheets, project directions, and a project evaluation sheet. The directions also recommend that the students work collaboratively in small groups.

Researching Websites

Native American Facts for Kids

Native American Legends (very noticeable ads)

Online Encyclopedia – ask a librarian if your school subscribes to one

iPad Apps

Any drawing or story-creating app on the iPad, such as Storykit (Free), can be used to complete the above-mentioned projects.

Below are a few fun apps to enhance learning:

Ho-Chunk (Hoocąk) Native American Language: This app provides the pronunciation for certain words in the Hoocąk language. Just pick a category and click on the desired word to hear it read aloud. (Free)

Navajo Toddler: Learn to speak the Navajo language through these free flashcards that provide pronunciations when tapped. Swipe your finger across the screen to get to the next card. This includes a comprehensive list of terms in each category. (Free)

uFlute Lite - Native American Flute Simulator: Play your device like you would play a flute. I am not sure you would want to use this if the devices are not 1:1 because you need to blow on the microphone to make the flute play. The app provides places to put your fingers to play the different notes. (Free with ads or $1.99 without)