New York State Test Prep Social Studies 5 Native American in NY State

Possible Field Trips

Our school district is fortunate to have SUNY Oswego nearby with an excellent nature trail system at Rice Creek Field Station. There they offer a class to educators to learn about the use of nature's materials as used by the Native Americans in our area. They called the program "Nature's Views". We learned that Native Americans in our area used such things as moss for diapers, cattail fuzz for insulation in moccasins and when tied together used as torches, touch-me-not plant used as an antidote for poison ivy (always grows near the ivy), white ash bark used for splint baskets, cherry tree bark brewed for a cough medicine, basswood branches used for pipes, ferns that were used to deter mosquitoes (ever seen pictures with them wearing them draped over their heads?), and of course maple syrup used as a natural sweetener. It is also home to a huge White Pine Tree, which was the Iroquois "Tree of Peace". It is also home to many animals which had the names of the Iroquois clans.
Also in central New York, is the excellent opportunity to visit Ste. Marie Among the Iroquois to learn and observe first hand the Native American customs and culture.

Possible Learning Center

Take any poster of a "typical" Iroquois village or enlarge this photo and with the following directions, make a writing center activity.

REALLY look at the picture. Pick out as many details about the Iroquois life as possible.
Make a LIST of all the details you see. These are notes only, and you do not need to write complete sentences.
Then decide how you can group your items. For example, possible groups are: where they live, what they wear, how they dress, what they do, etc. Use a web for this part.
Now write!!! Each part of the map is its own paragraph. For example, all sentences about clothing are in one paragraph. All sentences about housing are in another paragraph, etc.
Hand in your rough draft.
Enjoy!! Be creative!!

Perhaps some reluctant writers will write more when given the possible word bank. longhouse, stockade, squaw, squash, succotash, sinew, moccasins

Literature Connections

Children of the Longhouse by Joseph Bruchac. The setting for this story is a Mohawk village in the 1400s. If you can get a class set of this book, it is a wonderful way to introduce Iroquois living. It is also good just as a read aloud.

Indian Captive by Lois Lenski is also a great book. It is about the nonfiction character, Mary Jemison, who was kidnapped by the Senecas, and then chose to live with them. A statue was placed in her honor at Letchworth State Park.