For the most part, in the 17th and 18th century agrarian societies, there was little or no money. Exchange of goods was completed through the barter or trade system. This gradually began to move to a market system. By examining trade records from the Fort Pitt Day Book (1765) and early inventories of households, we can discover what was being traded and what people relied upon in their homes.
Breaking Down Misconceptions about Eastern Woodland Indians - Click Here
In these series of classroom activities, you will find 15 of the most ingrained misconceptions about Eastern Woodland Indians that we have encountered in schools throughout Western Pennsylvania, along with specific strategies on how to break down these misconceptions in the classroom. Nearly all of the images of Native Americans our students see as they are growing up are stereotypical Hollywood portraits of Western Indians. It is not surprising, then, that most students sitting in American classrooms today think that all Indians lived in teepees, that Native men were essentially simple-minded creatures running around the forest wielding a tomahawk, that Native women were all submissive, obedient wives who wielded no power in Indian villages, that nothing important took place in North America before the white man came, that the Indians were always a powerless people with no impressive technology, no "civilized" government, no knowledge that could equal the white man's, and that there are only a handful of Native Americans left in the U.S. today…who all live out west and speak broken English.
After each misconception is discussed, teachers are provided with critical thinking activities, such as classroom simulations, hands-on projects, cause-effect thought-provokers, creative writing assignments, art projects, map reading, oral presentations, and role-playing activities. Lessons include simulating an Iroquois Council meeting, comparing and contrasting the U.S. Constitution with the Iroquois Constitution, using maps to teach Native linguistic and cultural diversity, playing history detective, analyzing historical art to break down misconceptions about gender roles, discovering Native contributions to modern medicine, composing and delivering an Indian speech, making Native artifacts, role-playing an 18th century journalist, writing a biographical sketch of a woman chief, developing native menus, using primary sources, doing a math project to understand the vast size of Woodland Indian cornfields, creating word games to understand the cross-cultural impact of the fur trade, writing historical fiction, and playing a "Facts in Five" game to find examples of Indian stereotypes in modern American culture.
Clash of Empires: A Historical Investigation of the French and Indian War - Click Here
The French and Indian War, unlike the other wars, began on North American soil and then spread to Europe, where Britain and French continued fighting. Britain officially declared war on France in 1756. Native Americans fought for both sides but primarily alongside the French, who were interested in expelling the English from the continent and regaining their ancestral lands. Your students will be able to participate in unveiling the hidden mysteries of this war.
This lesson was designed to provide students with a variety of perspectives on the French and Indian War. In addition, this lesson was designed to meet the NSS Standards for U.S. History to 1877 and therefore can be easily adapted to meet state standards. More importantly, this lesson can be used as a general teaching resource with minimal modification. Students will be able to interpret, analyze, and evaluate primary/secondary sources that are related to this historical time period. As a result, students will be able to develop and refine an appreciation for the complexities of historical texts to investigate their relationship to a variety of archival and contextual materials.
Native American History Database - Click Here
The Native American History Database is designed to provide primary sources for the purpose of facilitating teacher planning and student research on Native American History.
Picture Analysis: Conflict & Cooperation in the French & Indian War - Click Here
This lesson plan provides constructivist and direct instruction approaches to teaching about conflict and cooperation among Europeans and Native Americans in Western Pennsylvania at the time leading up to the French and Indian War.
The Trial of George Washington - Click Here
In this lesson, students assume the roles of judge, attorneys, jurors, and baliff to determine the guilt or innocence of George Washington. The research involved in preparing for and implementing the trial gives all involved a greater understanding of the varied viewpoints of the people and nations represented in the time period of the French and Indian war. Since the trial script is based loosely on New York State Criminal Procedure Law, this lesson also familiarizes students with the trial vocabulary and courtroom practice.
Understanding Points of View in the French and Indian War: Document and Painting Analysis - Click Here
This lesson was designed to help students analyze a variety documents to determine various points of view, including the views of the French, the British, the American colonists, and the Native Americans. As a result, students should recognize the complexity of the historical context of the French and Indian War. The lesson on document analysis includes scaffolding questions that ask the students to determine unstated assumptions or answer general questions about the documents. The lesson on image analysis focuses on the painting The Death of General Wolfe by Benjamin West (1770) and includes background materials to help students better understand the subjects in the painting and the time period it represents.
Whose Land Is It Anyway? Conflict and Cooperation in the French & Indian War- Click Here
This unit incorporates time periods from both the Early American (to 1630) and the Colonial Period (1630 – 1763). It delves into the land claims made during the Early American time period to set up the conflict and cooperation that will occur during the French and Indian War in the Colonial Period.
