Subjects: Reading, Social Studies, and Writing

Project Description: Students researched about the different Native American regions, retold legends, sang songs, created shadow boxes and sand art that depicted their specific region. Students then presented their findings at Woodneath Library.

Driving Question: How can we as second grade storytellers educate the community about the different Native American cultures?

Student Work: Students created pop-up books, made shadow boxes, told a story through sand art, and presented about the different Native American regions at Woodneath Library.

Exploring the Past: Virtual

Virtual Field Trip

Students used Google Expedition to explore the Native American Artifacts at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. Students took pictures of items that were made out of wood and turquoise. They also looked for items that were decorated with animals and beads.

Cospaces

Students created a virtual presentation using Cospaces. Students shared their artifacts, described their Native American regions, and added symbols to represent the Plains, Northwest, Southwest, or Woodland indians.

FLipgrid

Students used Flipgrid to compare and contrast different Native American regions.

Artifact

Students used materials from around the house to create an artifact that described the Native American region they were researching.

Sharing at Woodneath Library

Native American Research

Eastern Woodlands

Plains

Southwest

Northwest Coast

Shadow Boxes

Students used a variety of materials to showcase their learning about the Native Americans that lived in their region. Each item selected or created represented their regions culture, food, clothings, home, or location.

Sand Paintings

Students used Native American Symbols to create a story about the Native Americans that lived in the region they studied. Students used oil pastels on sandpaper to bring their stories to life.

How the Turtle Cracked its Shell

Students worked with Mrs. Everly to retell the legend: How the Turtle Cracked its Shell.

The Legend of the Turtle's Cracked Shell

Nelson Atkins Museum

Students observed patterns in Native American Art. They described that their art was not just to look at but had a purpose. Students took the patterns they saw to create a parfleche.

Native American Boxes

The artifacts from the Nelson Atkins Native American Trunk were sorted into boxes by regions. Students observed all of the artifacts in the box to decide which region matched each box.