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November 2014
LESSON PLAN
Native American
Gifts to the World
CLASS DISCUSSION
Native American contributions to culture and society reach every
nation in the world. Upon their arrival in the “New World” in the 16th
and 17th centuries, European settlers were introduced to an
abundance of new foods, and novel means of transport, healing and
governance. While little recognition of the fact was made at the time,
Native Americans were brilliant at observing a situation, identifying a
problem and devising a solution. The world owes enormous gratitude
to these astute and skillful inventors.
Consider a few of the Native American products upon which many
cultures depend today.
Food: Corn, potatoes, peanuts and tomatoes were among many
North and South American native staples. They are just a few of the
foods that found their way into international diets of today. Imagine
Italian cooking without tomatoes! Or St. Patrick’s Day without
potatoes! Or the ballpark without peanuts! Corn is now grown on
every human-inhabited continent on the planet.
Clothing: Parkas and mukluks were the go-to winter garb of North
American natives. Inuit women fashioned hooded coats from layers of
pelts that trapped and held air for insulation – much like the layers of
down in the ski jackets of today. Mukluks and moccasins were
intricately designed to identify one’s tribe – design influences that can
be seen today in footwear fashion worldwide.
Transport: Kayaks and canoes, toboggans and snowshoes all herald
from various Native American tribes. Kayaks were first used by Inuits
of North America for hunting; fashioned from wood and covered by
sealskins. A hole was cut in the center for a single rider – just like the
fiberglass kayaks we use today for enjoyment and competition.
Toboggans that today serve us for fun were first created by North
American Natives for hauling heavy loads through the snow.
"The Last of the Buffalo” – The Corcoran Gallery of Art,
Washington, D.C.
Lesson Plan Continued
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USPS COMMUNITY CONNECTION
November 2014 Lesson Plan • Native American Gifts to the World
Governance: The United States Constitution owes
much of its brilliance to influences from the Iroquois
Confederacy of Nations. Long before Europeans
settled in America, five independent Iroquois tribes –
the Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida and Cayuga united in a Confederacy of Five Nations, which made
for a formidable union of self-governing tribal nations.
Their Great Binding Law created the Confederacy of
the Great Peace, which called for a Grand Council to
meet over matters of common concern, but barred its
interference in the internal matters of each tribe. The
Great Law called for an issue to be debated until two
tribes reached consensus, and it would next be
debated by two other tribes. If the two “houses”
disagreed, the fifth tribe would determine the deciding
vote. The parallels between the Iroquois Great Binding
Law and the Constitution of the United States are
clearly evident, and so noted by the US Congress in
1988 in a joint resolution acknowledging “the
contribution of the Iroquois Confederacy to the
development of the United States Constitution.”
ACTIVITY
In the study of Native Americans, scholars opt to divide
the Americas into geographic regions. Since
environment determines many ways of life, tribes
within each division share a significant number of
cultural traits. The different geographic regions
therefore define and delineate culture areas. Native
American culture areas are identified as the following:
the Arctic, the Subarctic, the Northeast, the Southeast,
the Plains, the Southwest, the Great Basin, California,
the Northwest Coast and the Plateau.
Divide your students into pairs or small groups,
assigning each group a specific Native American
culture area for study. Students are to research the
native tribes within their culture area in order to
thoroughly respond to the Nation of Nations
Worksheet, attached to this Lesson Plan. Each culture
area was home to multiple tribal nations. Direct
students to select three nations from their culture area
to complete the worksheet, and one nation to
complete the art assignment at the end of the
worksheet.
DESIRED OUTCOME
Through class discussion and research students will
discover and understand the many contributions that
Native Americans have made to all aspects of modern
society. Such understanding is essential for students to
grasp the roots of American and world cultures, and
enable them to appreciate the similarities and
differences with customs, traditions and lifestyles not
their own. By crafting an artwork patterned on one
from a tribal nation, students will honor and celebrate
the contributions of Native Americans to the current
cultural composition of the world.
CURRICULUM STANDARDS
NCSS
I.  Culture
a.  Concepts such as: similarities, differences,
beliefs, values, cohesion, and diversity
b.  How culture may change in response to
changing needs and concerns
II.  Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
a.  People belong to groups and institutions
that influence them abd by which they are
influenced
b.  Individuals, groups, and institutions share
common elements and also have unique
characteristics
Common Core
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.1
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate
understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text
as the basis for the answers.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.7
Draw on information from multiple print or digital
sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer
to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.9
Integrate information from several texts on the same
topic in order to write or speak about the subject
knowledgeably.
Lesson Plan Continued
www.uspsconnection.com • [email protected]
November 2014
WORKSHEET
Native American
Contributions
Hey students! You will need one or two extra sheets of lined paper to jot down your answers.
Culture Area:___________________________________________
1.  Identify the geographic
boundaries of your culture area.
2.  Name the states that reside
within your culture area. Research
their names and indicate if they
are native-influenced, and if so,
describe the meaning and
etymology of each.
3.  Name three tribes prevalent in
this culture area. Do these people
still reside in the area? If not,
when and why did they depart
the area?
4.  Were these tribes settled or
nomadic? What sort of homes did
they build and reside in?
5.  What did these people eat?
Name three staples to their diet.
6.  What practices and traditions
were significant to the culture and
spirit of your area’s tribes? Name
a few and describe them, or print
pictures of examples to share with
your classmates.
7.  Try to find one or two culturally or
historically significant individuals
from the tribal nations in your
culture area.
8.  Investigate the types of Native
American art created and crafted
in your Culture Area. Select one
art form from the many creative
crafts you find in your culture area
and use your own artistic
expression to replicate the Native
American artwork.