Teaching American history in our homeschool and learning from “Everything you Need to Ace American History In One Fat Notebook”. My homeschoolers’ will be reading about history from this book, and I will be teaching them through reading, games and discussions. Our homeschool is geared towards hands on learning.
Timeline is another form of history that we do on Friday’s and it is project based. I have a four part system for teaching, and this week’s focus is on Native Americans. After researching this book to create my curriculum I liked the focused content and comprehension questions at the end of each chapter.
Events and Happenings
Early Native Americans were called the “Anasazi”. American history tells us they were known as Cliff dwellers because they made homes in the cliffs and mountains. Moreover, for religious rites they built ceremony chambers called KIVAS. This group of Native Americans were excellent farmers and created an irrigation system in a dry part of America. Living in what is now UTAH, COLORADO, ARIZONA, AND NEW MEXICO, the Anasazi became farmers.
History Timeline Connections
Next we have the HOHOKAM tribe, and they lived in what is now known as Arizona. Arriving from Mexico, this tribe is best known for their pottery and irrigation innovation also. Likewise, we have the Mound Builders. These builders created huge earthen mounds that can be viewed today. Their mounds resemble the MesoAmerican pyramids.
Mound builders were hunter-gatherers, farmers and traders. Their largest settlement was called CAHOKIA, present day Illinois. Home to them was the Ohio River Valley where they built the largest mound. Adena, Hopewell, and Mississippi Native Americans created more than 10,000 mounds. That’s pretty impressive.
The Happenings and Highlights
Present Day Alaska was settled by Inuits and Aleuts. They built igloos to protect themselves. Fishing and hunting were their livelihood. Northwest was home to the Chinook, Haida, Tlingit peoples because of the access to the ocean. Fish was their main food source.
The Shoshone made the West their home, Growing food was easy due to the fertile land. Additionally, the Great Plains were abundant with buffalo, so the Blackfeet and Apache tribes made it their home. Southeast was home to the Creek, Chickasaw, Seminole, and Cherokee Indian tribes, who thrived off of the fertile rivers and mountainous area. Finally, the Northeast of America was home to the Iroquois and Algonquin tribes. Northeast tribes thrived in the forest areas and became avid hunters. In addition to that they made homes called Longhouses.
American History Famous Historical Figures
John Ross was a famous Cherokee Indian who tried to stop the Trail of Tears. While born to a Scottish father and Cherokee mother, he grew up in a white school. John Ross started a tribal newspaper, and devoted his life to holding onto his peoples’ land. However, he fought Washington for two years’ against the removal of his people from their land. A rival Cherokee tribe had several leaders’ that coerced them into signing a fraudulent treaty. President Andrew Jackson refused his petition which led to the forced migration called the Trail of Tears.
Lesson Plan for Homeschool American History
Day 1- Read about the various Native American Tribes and their locations.
Day 2- Map out the tribe locations on the map and label where they lived.
Day 3- Order a book about John Ross from the library and use it as a family read aloud.
Day 4- Look up some of the farming and irrigation practices they used. Compare and contrast with what we do today.
Day 5- Write a two paragraph narration (cursive if older than 11) and wrap up with a mound building project.
My hope is this American history lesson finds its way into your homeschool lessons. Again we are using this book to keep us on track chapter by chapter to learn the history of America. If you wish to order this book using the link provided it will provide a small commission to our family.
For more frugal history lessons or tips sign up for my newsletter.
Leave a Reply