Native Americans of the Great Lakes Region
Who were the original inhabitants of the Illinois & Great Lakes region?
What were the causes of the migration of the Native Americans of the Illinois & Great Lakes region?
Are there currently any federally recognized tribes located in Illinois?
4th Grade Social Studies Focus
SS.H.1.4: Explain connections among historical contexts and why individuals and groups differed in their perspectives during the same historical period.
SS.H.2.4: Using artifacts and primary sources, investigate how individuals contributed to the founding and development of Illinois.
SS.H.3.4: Explain probable causes and effects of events and developments in Illinois history.
Multimedia Resources
Information regarding the Treaty of Fort Wayne and the impact on several Native American Tribes, such as the Potawatomi.
The story of the arrival of Native Nations and photographs of artifacts.
Creation-Story-Lesson-1.pdfA creation story that can be used with students in conjunction to informative videos linked.
A New York Times article speculating on the reasons behind the decline of the Cahokia People in what is the currently the St. Louis area.
Information about a visit to the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, including teacher resources like a photo gallery, maps, and research regarding the mounds.
A short history lesson with information regarding tribes in Illinois.
A concise overview of the tribes first identified in the Great Lakes region in the 1600s.
An explanation of the group of tribes in Illinois in 1673 and the reasons for their decline.
Blog post regarding the history of the Michigan area dating back to the 1700s.
A website promoting the history of Native American Tribes and their languages.
Starved Rock has evidence of Native American inhabitants from over 12,000 years ago.
Texts for the Classroom
A story of an Ojibwa girl who is fighting against the oil pipeline.
The Birchbark House by Louise Eldrich (#1)
A realistic fiction book centered around an Ojibwe family.
The Game of Silence by Louise Erdich (#2)
The second in the series, a realistic fiction book centered around an Ojibwe family.
The Porcupine Year by Louise Erdich (#3)
Book number 3 of a story about an Ojibwe family.
Chickadee by Louise Erdrich (#4)
The fourth installment in a series about an Ojibwe family.
Makoons by Louise Erdrich (#5)
Book five of the Birchbark House series about an Ojibwe family.
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
A YA book about an Ojibwe teen who is fighting to do what is right.
Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley
A YA novel about a girl on Sugar Island, who is doing what she can to right her peoples' history.
Rabbit Chase by Elizabeth LaPensee
A story about an Anishinaabe child with themes of Indigenous and gender issues.
The Star that Always Stays by Anna Rose Johnson
A story about a girl who is Ojibwe with themes of family and identity.