Elementary School

Grade Level Middle to Upper Elementary

Captivity

Lesson Abstract

In the winter of 1704, while a palisade guard was sleeping, the settlement of Deerfield, Massachusetts was raided by an allied group of Huron, Mohawk, Abenaki, Pennacook, Iroquois and French people. During the raid, 50 English settlers were killed and 112 were taken captive. The captives were marched 300 miles to Canada.

Some captives died on the march and others, like Eunice Williams, the seven-year-old daughter of Deerfield's minister, endeared herself to her captives. Later, some captives returned to Deerfield to live and some wrote about their experiences. And still others chose to remain with their captives, eventually living their lives as a member of their Native families.

Inspired by that and other stories of captivity during the French and Indian War period, I have created this book for teachers, crediting sources where applicable. In this book, educators will find:

A teacher and student resource bibliography.
A series of related photos from Deerfield, Massachusetts.
A lesson on state and town seals.
A lesson on historical letters relating to captivity.
A literature group lesson and eight weekly assignments for two books.

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Grades 4th - 6th

Mission Impossible

Lesson Abstract

This unit is designed to give students a greater appreciation and understanding of Native Americans and what they faced throughout the conflicts of the French Indian War. Native American culture will be studied through literature connection and activities. Students will increase their awareness of the elements of conflict and take a look at the five themes of Geography to gain insight on the Ohio Valley Region. It's a lot to comprehend, but Mission Impossible? has been designed around authentic problems which integrate strategies that help students develop important reading, writing, listening and speaking skills into the study of history – promoting a love of history for elementary students. To give students more meaning, background activities have been created to "set the stage." These will help students understand the lives of the colonists and Native Americans. The lessons relating to conflict and cooperation use two texts not included in these materials, The Island of Skog, by Steven Kellogg, and The Birchbark House, by Louise Erdrich. All the other resources are included or available through Internet Access. Teachers and students will need to have Basic Technology skills to successfully complete those lessons. A bibliography and resource list are included to aid both teachers and students in studying the French and Indian War.

Grade 5

Picture Analysis: Conflict & Cooperation in the French & Indian War

Lesson Abstract

Are you a constructivist teacher? Do you prefer direct instruction? Both approaches are described in this lesson plan about conflict and cooperation among Europeans and Native Americans in Western Pennsylvania at the time leading up to the French and Indian War.

Using this lesson plan, teachers of students in Grades 5-9 can present two paintings by contemporary artist Robert Griffing, The Winter Trade and The Taking of Mary Jemison, as sources of information about the people, settings, and events during this period. Griffing's paintings include topics and details that reflect his careful historical research, and students can "learn to look" and "look to learn" simultaneously as they view the paintings. Teachers can ask a few open-ended questions to allow students to construct an understanding of the people and events in the paintings, or, on the other hand, teachers can ask a series of guiding questions to help students notice details that support the teacher's explanation of conflict and cooperation at that time. The lesson plan addresses Massachusetts History/Social Science, Arts, and English Language Arts Curriculum Frameworks standards and includes accommodations for students with special needs and English Language Learners.