rd
3 Grade Michigan Studies
Unit 3: The History of Michigan
SS030302
Lesson 2
Lesson 2: American Indians in Michigan
Big Ideas of the Lesson
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Native Americans, or American Indians, were the first people in Michigan.
The very first Native Americans in Michigan lived in Michigan long, long ago. They left behind
artifacts like spear points and arrowheads.
The Hopewell, or Mound-builders, lived in parts of Michigan after these early people.
After the Hopewell, came “The People of the Three Fires.” This was an alliance made up of the
Potawatomi, the Odawa (Ottawa) and the Ojibway. They had similar cultures.
Other Native Americans who lived in Michigan included the Miami, the Huron, and the
Menominee.
Many Native Americans still live in Michigan today. Like all cultural groups, it is important to
them to keep their cultural traditions alive.
Lesson Abstract:
In this lesson students apply what they have learned about the study of history to American Indian
cultures in Michigan. They explore early American Indian groups in Michigan. Students then
identify similarities and differences among the groups known as the “Three Fires.” Geography
concepts are applied when students examine how American Indians used, adapted to, and
modified the environment. The lesson concludes as students connect the past to the present by
investigating American Indians in Michigan today.
Content Expectations
3 - H3.0.5: Use informational text and visual data to compare how American Indians and settlers
in the early history of Michigan adapted to, used, and modified their environment.
3 - G4.0.4: Use data and current information about the Anishinaabeg and other American
Indians living in Michigan today to describe the cultural aspects of modern American
Indian life.
Integrated GLCE’s
R.IT.03.02 Identify informational text patterns including descriptive, sequential, enumerative,
compare/contrast, and problem/solution. (English Language Arts).
R.CM.03.03 Compare and contrast relationships among characters, events, and key ideas within
and across texts to create a deeper understanding; including a narrative to an
informational text, a literature selection to a subject area text, and an historical event
to a current event. (English Language Arts).
Key Concepts
culture
history
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November 23, 2009
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3 Grade Michigan Studies
Unit 3: The History of Michigan
SS030302
Lesson 2
human/environment interaction
Instructional Resources
Equipment/Manipulative
Chart paper
Highlighters - one per student
Overhead projector or document camera/projector
Student journal or notebook
Student Resource
Cherry, Lynne. A River Ran Wild. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, Jovanonich, 1992.
Kalman, Bobbie. Life in an Anishinabe Camp. New York: Crabtree Publishing, 2004.
King, Sandra. Shannon, An Objibway Dancer. We are Still Here: Native Americans today series.
Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1993.
McConnell, David. Meet Michigan. Hillsdale, MI: Hillsdale Educational Publishers, 2009. 47-63,
264-267, 376 (or other similar textbook).
Waboose, Jan Bourdeau. Morning on the Lake. Tonawanda, NY: Kids Can Press, 1998.
- - - . Skysisters. Tonawanda, NY: Kids Can Press, 2002.
Teacher Resource
Egbo, Carol. Supplemental Materials (Unit 3, Lesson 2). Teacher-made material. Michigan
Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum, 2009.
“The Hopewell.” The Mitten. September 2003.
“The Huron Indians.” The Mitten. September 2002.
Hopewell Mounds. 23 November 2009 <http://aboutfacts.net/Ancient/Ancient14/mounds2.jpg>.
Native American Tribes of Michigan Map and Websites. 23 November 2009 <http://www.nativelanguages.org/michigan.htm>.
Nokomis Learning Center. 23 November 2009 < http://www.nokomis.org/>.
Paleolithic Spearheads. 23 November 2009
<http://www.historyofscience.com/G2I/timeline/images/biface.jpg>.
Photos of the Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan. 23 November
2009 <http://www.mbpi.org/History/photos.asp>.
“The Three Fires.” The Mitten. September 2001.
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November 23, 2009
rd
3 Grade Michigan Studies
Unit 3: The History of Michigan
SS030302
Lesson 2
Lesson Sequence
Teacher note: The terms Native American and American Indians are used interchangeably in this
lesson. Both are correct and it is important that students are exposed to both.
1. Using the lesson graphic organizer from Lesson 1, review what was covered in that lesson
regarding history and historical inquiry. Remind students that they also learned some important
things about Waterford: an early Michigan settlement. They learned that two families came and
settled along the river. Explain that these people were not the first people to live in the area,
however. Ask students who they think might have been living there before. Discuss student
responses, and then use Word Card # 9 as you guide them in understanding that Native
Americans, or American Indians, had lived in that area long before the white settlers came.
2. Refer back to the book A River Ran Wild which was used in Unit 1. Review the first section on
Native Americans by reading the text and sharing the illustrations. Explain that, although this
story did not take place in Michigan, it contains many similarities with early Michigan history,
including Native American settlements.
3. Explain to students that historians think humans have lived in Michigan for over 10,000 years.
Explain that we don’t know much about these early people. Ask students why they think this is
true. Discuss student responses. Guide students in understanding that these people did not
leave behind any photographs or written records like the clues they examined in Lesson 1, but
they did leave behind some objects, or artifacts. Review Word Card #10 and then use Word
Card #11 to explain that a special kind of a historian, called an archaeologist, specializes in
study of artifacts from the past.
4. Display “Clue #1” located in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 3, Lesson 2). Ask students to
make a guess as to what the artifacts are, what they are made of, and write their guesses in
their journal. Have students share their ideas with a partner and then with the large group.
Explain that these artifacts are stone spear points made thousands of years ago. Remind
students that primary sources are records created by people who saw or took part in an event,
and these stone spear points are, therefore, primary sources.
5. Explain that by using artifacts like these, archaeologists have begun to put clues together in
order to understand more about these earliest people in Michigan. Display the chart “The
Earliest People in Michigan,” located in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 3, Lesson 2) and
discuss the information on it with students.
6. Explain that when these early people were living in Michigan, the climate changed and became
warmer. As a result, smaller animals and different kinds of plants appeared in Michigan. The
early humans changed also. They adapted to this new environment. They began to gather
more plants for food, and they learned to make boats and fish. Eventually they began to farm
and grow their own food. (Note that page 53 of Meet Michigan, or a similar piece of text from
another Michigan textbook can be used to supplement the discussion of Michigan’s earliest
people.)
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November 23, 2009
rd
3 Grade Michigan Studies
Unit 3: The History of Michigan
SS030302
Lesson 2
7. Using the sheet with “Clue #2” and “Clue #3”, located in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 3,
Lesson 2), explain that these clues are evidence from a group of Native Americans that lived in
Michigan after the earlier people. Explain that these people were known as the Hopewell, or
Mound Builders. Explain that archaeologists have studied the burial mounds they left behind
like Clue #2. Explain that mounds like these were found mostly near Grand Rapids, but also in
Saginaw, Detroit, and other areas in the 1800’s. They looked unusual because the land around
them was flat. The mounds did not appear to be natural. Farmers who found these mounds in
their fields dug into them and found pottery, bones, and other objects. Over time, construction
crews leveled many of these mounds, and cities grew where the mounds had been.
8. Ask students to examine Clue #3, which shows pencil drawings of artifacts found in a mound
over one hundred years ago. Ask students what can be learned from the old pencil drawings.
Discuss student responses. Possible answers include:
 The people who built the mound buried things like pottery in them.
 Sometimes the pottery was all in one piece, and sometimes it was broken into many
pieces.
 The pottery had designs on it.
 Other things were found, such as spearheads and teeth.
 It was hard to figure out what some pieces were.
9. Display the chart “The Hopewell in Michigan”, located in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 3,
Lesson 2). Discuss the information on it with students. (Note that pages 41-45 in Meet
Michigan or a similar piece of text can be used to supplement this information on the Hopewell.)
10. Explain that the early hunters and the Hopewell lived long ago in Michigan. Closer to our time
there were three major Indian groups in Michigan. They were known as the “People of the
Three Fires” or the Anishinabeg. These terms refer to three groups that formed an alliance.
This meant they pledged to come together when there were problems. These three groups
were related through language. They also had very similar cultures. Remind students that the
term culture refers to the way of life of a group of people. Review Word Cards #12, #13, and
#14.
11. Explain that the three groups making up the Three Fires were:
 The Ojibwa (also spelled Ojibway or Ojibwe) who were also known as the Chippewa.
 The Odawa, or Ottawa
 The Potawatomi
Using the map of the “People of the Three Fires” located in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 3,
Lesson 2), show the location of the three groups. Note that this map shows their location
roughly 300 hundred years ago. An earlier map or later map may show some differences.
Explain that students will now have a chance to learn about the cultures of each of these three
groups. (Note that pages 47 - 51 from Meet Michigan, or a similar piece of text, can be used at
this time to supplement information on the Three Fires.)
12. Display the “Data Collection Sheet”, located in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 3, Lesson 2).
Fill in the name of the group at the top, and review the five questions on the chart. Then,
display the informational article on “The Ojibwa,” located in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 3,
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November 23, 2009
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3 Grade Michigan Studies
Unit 3: The History of Michigan
SS030302
Lesson 2
Lesson 2). Read over the article with students to get the gist of its main ideas and to identify its
type of text structure. Guide students in understanding that this is an example of descriptive
text structure.
13. Read through the text again, but this time highlight information that will help answer the five
questions on the Data Collection chart. Finally, guide students in helping you fill in the chart,
using the highlighted information. Note that a “Completed Chart” has been included in the
Supplemental Materials (Unit 3, Lesson 2) for reference. (Note that you can supplement
information on the Ojibwa with pages 54-57 in Meet Michigan, or a similar piece of text from
another textbook if you desire.) Note also, that the book, Life in an Anishinabe Camp by
Bobbie Kalman provides excellent illustrations and information on Ojibwe culture which you
may wish to share with students.
14. Divide students into pairs, and give each pair a copy of the text piece on the “Potawatomi,” and
another “Data Collection Chart” from the Supplemental Materials (Unit 3, Lesson 2). Explain
that partners should repeat what they watched you model in Steps 12 and 13, in order to
complete a chart on the Potawatomi.
15. Give pairs time to work, offering help as needed. Then, lead a discussion on the Potawatomi by
having students share what they have written on their charts. (Note that you can supplement
information on the Potawatomi with pages 61 - 62 in Meet Michigan, or a similar piece of text
from another textbook if you desire.)
16. As an independent reading activity, give each student a copy of the text piece on the “Odawa”
and another “Data Collection Chart” from the Supplemental Materials (Unit 3, Lesson 2).
Explain they should repeat the process modeled by you with their partner to complete the chart.
17. Give students time to work, offering help as needed. Note that you may wish to assign this as
homework. Then, lead a discussion on the Odawa by having students share what they have
written on their charts. (Note that you can supplement information on the Odawa with pages 5960 in Meet Michigan, or a similar piece of text from another textbook if you desire.)
18. Give students a copy of the “Completed Reference Chart: People of the Three Fires,” located in
the Supplemental Materials (Unit 3, Lesson 2) that was mentioned in Step 13 for them to use
as a reference sheet. Then, use Word Card #15 to review the geographic concept of
human/environment interaction which was explored in Unit 1. Using Word Card #16, review the
term ‘natural resources’ and ask students to find examples of how the People of the Three Fires
used the natural resources of their environment from the chart.
19. Display the “Human/Environment Interaction” chart, located in the Supplemental Materials (Unit
3, Lesson 2) or make a similar chart on chart paper. List students’ examples of natural resource
use in the first row of the chart. Note that a chart with sample answers has also been included
in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 3, Lesson 2) as a reference.
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November 23, 2009
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3 Grade Michigan Studies
Unit 3: The History of Michigan
SS030302
Lesson 2
20. Using Word Card #17, review the term ‘adapting to the environment.’ Ask students to explore
their Reference Chart and find examples of how People of the Three Fires adapted to their
environment. Record their ideas in the second row of the chart.
21. Using Word Card #18, review the term ‘modifying the environment.’ Ask students to explore
their Reference Chart and find examples of how People of the Three Fires modified, or
changed, their environment. Record their ideas in the last row of the chart.
22. Briefly explain to students that other Native American groups lived in Michigan besides the
“Three Fires.” Share the following information about three of these groups with students:
 Huron: They came from what is now New York. The Iroquois drove them out of that
area. They went to live near the Straits of Mackinac and later moved to the Detroit
area. The Huron living in Detroit were known as the Wyandotte. (Note that the
September, 2002 issue of the Mitten featured the Huron.)
 Miami: They lived mainly in the southwestern corner of Michigan but there was also
a Miami settlement in the Detroit area. Farming was important to them.
 Menominee: They lived in the western part of the Upper Peninsula. They depended
mainly on wild rice, but also kept gardens, hunted, and fished.
(Note that pages 62 - 63 of Meet Michigan, has additional information on these and other groups.)
23. Explain to students that we have to be careful not just to think about Native Americans in the
past. We also need to learn about Native Americans living in Michigan today. Display the map
of “Indian Reservations and Tribes in Michigan,” located in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 3,
Lesson 2), and point out the different groups and where they live. Explain that many Native
Americans in Michigan do not live on these reservations, but rather in cities and towns
throughout the state.
24. Note that a Reference sheet showing the Internet addresses for the groups listed on the map,
has been included in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 3, Lesson 2). These websites contain a
variety of information including newsletters, photographs, and cultural information. For example,
the following website has a good collection of photos on the Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of
Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan: http://www.mbpi.org/History/photos.asp. Also, the Nokomis
Center in Okemos, Michigan has a website with photos, information and an online shop with
many resources which can be purchased.
25. Note that pages 264-267 in Meet Michigan include contemporary cultural information about
Native Americans groups and page 376 includes information on tribal governments.
26. As a final look at contemporary Native Americans, read students one or more of the following
books:
 Shannon: Ojibway Dancer – this book offers excellent photographs a look at the life
of an urban Native American teenager and her family. School, homework, and
preparation for a performance make up her busy days. The book also includes some
tribal history and culture.
 Morning on the Lake – this is the story of grandfather who takes his grandson on a
day’s trip in the wilderness to help him learn how the Ojibway view nature.
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November 23, 2009
rd
3 Grade Michigan Studies
Unit 3: The History of Michigan
SS030302
Lesson 2
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Skysisters - This is a big-and-little-sister story infused with Native American lore. Two
Ojibway girls venture out one cold night for an unclear purpose, following their
grandmother's advice: "Wisdom comes on silent wings." Along the way, they
encounter three guardian spirits: a rabbit, a deer, and a coyote. At last, they arrive at
Coyote Hill, where they see the object of their journey: the Northern Lights, or
SkySpirits, who dance in the frigid, starry sky.
Note that using Shannon: Ojibway Dancer and either of the other two books provides an
effective way to work on the English Language Arts GLCE R.CM.03.03
Assessment
The charts created in Steps 14 and 17 can be used as an assessment. Students could also create
a poster, PowerPoint presentation, or diorama describing some facet of Native American culture in
Michigan.
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