Designed by

Connie Ryals
cryals@lpsb.org

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page

Introduction
You have been asked to test a new invention- a time machine! During the initial sequencing of the experiment, something goes wrong! Now you  find yourself back in time not ten years ago, as was planned, but instead the year is 1502! You find yourself alone! You are exhausted and fall into a deep sleep! When you awake, you find yourself surrounded by a tribe of Indians! What do you do now? Your first instinct is simply to stay alive! In order to do this you must first learn about these people and become one of them!  

The Task

You will be assigned to a tribe in one of the five regions in the United States:

Southwest (Hopi or Navajo)
Southeast (Creek or Cherokee)
Pacific States/ Northwest ( Eskimos)
Eastern Woodlands (Iroquois)
Plains (Sioux or Comanche)

Your assignment will be to work with a partner in your tribe to research several areas about your tribe. Your tribe will share their research at a class powwow. Your tribe must complete the following to turn in for a grade: a typed report on your tribe containing all of the required information, a map showing location of your tribe, a visual aid, a creative chant about the tribe, and share a legend from the tribe.

The Process

Step 1: You will be placed into a tribe with 4 or 5 students. Select a role as either chief, warrior, squaw, storyteller and for groups with 5 members add another warrior or squaw. As partners within your tribe, your job will be to research about your tribe in order to survive. Take notes as you research. There will be many sources for you to use to get information such as CDROM encyclopedias, information books in class (from library), internet sites provided below or others that you may locate, and any other sources that you may find on your own.

All tribes may find information in the following sites:

All tribes and All tribes and All tribes

Southwest Tribes: Hopi or Navajo

Southeast Tribes: Creek or Cherokee

Pacific States/ Northwest Tribes: Eskimos

Eastern Woodlands Tribes: Iroquois

Plains Tribes: Sioux or Comanche

Chief and Warrior research: How did your tribe adapt to survive? Research the following: tools/ weapons, transportation, currency used, who was in charge and what their duties were, environmental features and how they were helpful to your tribe to help you find out. Remember to take notes as you research.

Squaw and Storyteller research: How did your tribe adapt to survive? Research food, homes, plants and uses, and natural resources available to help you find out. Remember to take notes as you research.

All tribal members must research myths and legends and areas in United States where the tribe was located. Decide on one myth / legend to share at the powwow.

Step 2: Now take the information that you found during your research and turn it into an organized report. Discuss with all members in your tribe how to organize the material: what size and type of font to use, which sections will go first, second, etc.

Your grade will be according to the following guidelines. This is a group project and you must work together.

Did you learn how your tribe used their environment to help them survive? How was your tribe different from tribes found in other regions of the United States? All people are different. If we can accept and respect others simply because they are different from ourselves, the world would be a much happier place! Let us all work to do our part to make the world a better place!

Credits & References

Thanks to Danny Williams and Karla DeMars for the tremendous inspiration and help in completing this web quest.

Last updated on August 15, 1999. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page