7th Grade Geography
The primary purpose of Social Studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of the culturally diverse, democratic society in and interdependent world. The learner will develop an understanding of world, national, regional, and local cultures, including Montana’s American Indians.
Little Shell - New Lesson Plans and Resources
Fire on the Land This lesson provides an opportunity to analyze diverse land use and explain the historical and contemporary effects of this use on the environment with an emphasis on Montana. Could be couple with the destruction of rainforests in Tropical regions.
Utilize the State of Montana and its tribal nations to teach the five themes of geography.
Collaborate with your 7th grade English partners to teach the geography lesson included with the Joseph Medicine Crow novel to enhance the students understanding of Crow Country. Scroll to page 23.
Blood on the Marias Primary Source lesson plan (January 23, 1870). See your library in the Spring for copies of actual newspaper reports to support this unit.
Sacrifice Cliffs History Mystery this would be a good support lesson leading into 8th grade science (Dating Deep Blood Kettles). See your library for this interactive primary source kit.
Bison on the Great Plains. Please See Bison Resource Page. This packet includes primary resource images, written sources, and maps which tell the story of the abundance and extermination of the bison on the Great Plains.
Featured Lesson Plans
Geography of Montana Indian Reservations This link includes an outline map. Students know basic common features of the seven Indian reservations of Montana. They can identify the reservations and their approximate boundaries, the location of the tribal capitals, the names of tribes identified with each reservation, significant towns, physical features, and the tribal colleges. They can identify the seat of government of the Little Shell Band of Chippewa. Students know the historical and ancestral lands for at least two tribes of Montana (use those closest to your school district).
Human Expression and Transmission of Culture – Winter Counts Students will be able to interpret various symbols from a Nakota winter count and describe why this means of recording history complements tribal oral traditions. Students will know winter counts were one form of written communication used by some tribes to document historical events.
Analyzing Point of View – Chief Rosebud Remembers Lewis and Clark Students will explain how and why events may be interpreted differently according to the points of view of participants, witness, reporters and historians. Students will view and analyze an American Indian perspective (specifically from the Assiniboine) regarding the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Passports Required – Major Issue for the Blackfeet Nation of Montana Students will be able to research and review Blackfeet treaties, the Blackfeet Confederacy, and new (2008) passport requirements, as needed for class discussion and class work; analyze and evaluate the new passport requirements and their effects on the Blackfeet Nation; determine the impact of the new federal passport requirements on Blackfeet citizens.
The Power of Place: Place-Based Approaches to Researching Indigenous Montana Histories This approach brings an authenticity to working with indigenous histories, but it also helps students relate genuinely to the subject matter by incorporating some of that “close proximity” that MCA 20-1-501 mentions. By keeping the research focus close to home, teachers help students build new understandings about cultures and histories through previously established connections to place.
Who is an Indian? Students will prepare a document describing the membership requirements specific to one of the tribal nations and compare with another tribe outside of Montana. Students will present their findings to the class for comparison and discussion. In addition, students will also identify three or four unique characteristics of the Montana tribe they have researched.
Slide Show: Tribes and Reservations of Montana
More than 12,000 years of Montana history come to life in Montana: Stories of the Land. This new book, created for use in teaching Montana history, offers a panorama of the past - beginning with Montana's first people and ending with life in the twenty-first century. Incorporating Indian perspectives, Montana: Stories of the Land is the first truly multicultural history of the state. It features hundreds of historical photographs, unique artifacts, maps, and paintings largely drawn from the Society's extensive collections. Sidebar quotations bring the stories of ordinary people to life while providing diverse perspectives on important historical events.