Survival in the Wilderness of the New World
Image Credit: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/cnnf/rec/wilderness/hw_wilderness_riparian_veg.jpg
Lesson 3:
Survival in the Wilderness of the New World
Image Credit:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/cnnf/rec/wilderness/hw_wilderness_riparian_veg.jpg
Grade Level: 3rd
Time Frame: 60
Minutes
Broad Goals:
______________________________
Social Studies
Standards:
State Goal 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations.
Learning Standard A: Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation.
Benchmark 16.A.1b:
Ask historical questions and seek out answers from historical sources
(e.g., myths, biographies, stories, old photographs, artwork, other
visual or electronic sources).
State Goal 17: Understand world geography and the effects of geography on society, with an emphasis on the United States.
Learning Standard C: Understand relationships between geographic factors and society.
Benchmark: 17.C.1a:
Identify ways people depend on and interact with the physical
environment (e.g., farming, fishing, hydroelectric power).
Subterranean
State Goal 18: Understand social systems, with an emphasis on the United States.
Learning Standard C: Understand how social systems form and develop over time.
Benchmark 18.C.1: Describe how individuals interacted within groups to make choices regarding food, clothing, and shelter.
National Council
for the Social Studies Standards:
NCSS Standard II – Time, Continuity, and Change.
Early Grades: D.
Identify and use various sources for reconstructing the past, such as
documents, letters, diaries, maps, textbooks, photos, and others.
NCSS Standard III – People, Places, and Environment
Early Grades H:
Examine the interaction of human beings and their physical environment,
the use of land, building of cities, and ecosystems in selected locales
and regions.
Lesson Objective:
During the lesson the
students will plant their own crops to get a feel what it was like to
live off the land. Students will also complete their ABC Charts with
the new terms that they learned. Students will also be given pumpkins
to take home, as well as learning about the pumpkins. Overall they will
know the hardships that the pilgrims had to face when coming to the new
world and adapting to the farming and harvesting times.
Materials:
Resources:
Books:
Kessel, K. J., Donze, L. (1983) Squanto and the First Thanksgiving. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
McGovern, A. (1969). …If
you Sailed on the Mayflower. New York, NY: Scholastic
Davis, K.C., (2002). Don’t
know much about the Pilgrims. Hong Kong: Harper Collins Publishers
Online Sources:
Cline, D.A. (November
6, 2006) The Pilgrims and Plimoth Colony: 1620. Retrieved from: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.
Baker, P.M., (No date
available) Pilgrim Hall Museum America’s museum of Pilgrim possessions
– The Pilgrims and the Fur Trade. Retrieved from: http://www.pilgrimhall.org/
Scholastic Teachers,
(2009) Life in Plimoth: Elizabeth Hopkins, Pilgrim. Retrieved from: http://www2.scholastic.com/
http://www.watersheds.org/
http://www.gutenberg.org/
Focusing Activity:
“Today boys and girls
we will be going over how the Pilgrims survived in the wilderness of
the New World. They had a great deal of help from the Native People in
the area. One of the most important Natives to the Pilgrims was
Squanto. He helped the Pilgrims plant crops, told them when to harvest,
and how to catch game (that’s animals), and shoot for other meat, such
as deer. We will also go over a peace treaty that was made between the
Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians. Then we will learn what a trade is,
and what the pilgrims traded between the Native People and themselves
and to England as well. We will also go over some special types of
plants that were used for medicines; some are still even in use today!
At the end of our learning we will continue to fill out the ABC chart,
and you will all plant your very own crop! Get excited! J ”
Purpose:
“Why we should understand the importance of trade that took
place in Plimoth?” (Students will answer with things such as to have a
better relationship with the Native Americans, or to pay off debts owed
to England) Trade was an important part of the early years in the New
World because it opened up trade lines between the Pilgrims and Native
People. To have a more basic understanding trading is when someone has
a thing of value and another person has something of value, you can
make an even trade and both gain something of value. Think of it like
switching out items in your lunch bag!”
“Who is Squanto and what did he do to help the Pilgrims? Remember last weeks lesson, Ms. Morris taught us all about him, can anyone recall some information about him?”
(Students may answer
with, he helped them plant corn). If it weren’t for Squanto’s generous
help in the first few years of life in the New World, the Pilgrims
would not have been likely to survive. He taught them how to plant
essential crops, and when it was a good time to plant and a good time
to harvest them, he helped them build sturdier houses to protect from
the elements of nature, and he also helped them in creating a treaty
with the other natives. “I also want everyone to know that there were
not drugstores to go and purchase medicines from, the Pilgrims were
taught by the Natives how to use plants found in the area to make
medicines from, who can share with us why this was an important thing
to know?” (Students may respond with, so they did not become ill and
die), “Good Job, having herbal medicines were used to help to cure
ailments and some of the plants are still used today!”
Instructional
Input/ Content Knowledge:
“The first Thanksgiving took place in the fall of 1621, and it was a great feast for the pilgrims and Native People alike. But unfortunately, it was the Pilgrims first year being in the New World and they were poorly prepared for the winter. The only way that the
Pilgrims were able to make it through that winter was to cut their allowed food quantities in half.
To make it even more difficult on the Pilgrims, new settlers arrived, 35 in all and needed help, so the Pilgrims had to provide them with food and shelter as well. Newcomers made additions to the already cramped conditions that they were all living in.
By May of the following year all of the food supplies were gone and harvest time was at least four months away. And due to the Pilgrims lack of proper fishing gear they were unable to take advantage of the cod in the area.
The harvest of 1622 was
a terrible one, they Pilgrims had not yet gotten the hang of growing
corn and they were afraid of being left to starve again. Luckily a ship
called the
Discovery made its way to Plimoth and it had cargo of what the
settlers needed such as knives and beads, which could be traded for
food with the Native People.
- Have you ever heard
of Squanto? – (Yes, he showed the pilgrims how to plant corn!)
“The harvest in the fall of 1623 was the best they had yet, after praying for rain they corn that was wilted grew. Luckily for the Pilgrims Squanto would show the pilgrims how to find a certain type of fish called a herring and use it to fertilize corn, pumpkins, and beans.
-Who knows the Native Peoples name for corn?- (Students may think Maize, as they were told this in previous lessons, we will check for retention with this question) Great Job, the word for corn in the native tongue is Maize!!!
This information was very valuable to the Pilgrims because it allowed the Pilgrims to have a successful harvest after several failed attempts and the seeds they brought from home were doing poorly.
Squanto also showed the Pilgrims where they could find clams, and eels in the rivers, and how to hunt for deer, turkeys, and even bears!!
Squanto didn’t only teach the adults in the plantation he also taught the children where to find good nuts and berries to eat.
The Pilgrims did have some guns (muskets) and ammunition with them, but they did not have much storage space on the ship for large quantities of ammunition, so they did use spears and bows and arrows.
Thanks to Squanto the Pilgrims would not go hungry again, he did more than show them how to survive though.
Show pictures of the farming tools, and Pilgrims farming.
Along with planting and harvesting crops the Pilgrims kept many animals around to help with plowing the fields and taking trips to places.
Who has some ideas as to what kind of animals the Pilgrims had in the New World? (Students may say things such as cows, horses, chickens, etc.) Great, ideas some of those are correct! The Pilgrims had cows, oxen, horses, and sheep, swine (Who knows what swine are Some students may guess that it is a pig…Great Guess you are correct!), goats and hens. The oxen were used to carry heavy loads and to help plow fields; horses did the same, but could also be a source of transportation since they are much faster moving animals than the oxen are. EXPLAIN THAT THESE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ARE FROM A PILGRIM WOMAN
“Did people bring animals or pets over to the New World? Indeed we did, for it is important for our colony to have the necessary animals such as hens for eggs, goats for milk, and pigs for meat. Dogs came with us as well. One of our neighbors, Peter Brown, brought a spaniel for hunting and a mastiff for guarding. There were no beasts that were brought as pets or lapdogs. Every creature is useful to us.
What animals impressed you most in the New World? I have seen many new kinds of animals. There are creatures here that I have no English name for. My children are much delighted this summer to see flying glowworms. These are insects that at night glow in the dark. Also, there are many beasts here that are dangerous. I do not know that there are wolves in England, but there certainly are here. There is also a creature called a rattlesnake that is said to be poisonous if it bites a man. There is also here a cat that has a most terrible smell. Indians call them skunks. If you come to the New World, do not try to pet them!”
http://www2.scholastic.com/
Show picture of man with cow.
Squanto was also an interpreter for the Pilgrims – Who knows what an interpreter is? –
(Allow students to make a prediction; they may something such as someone who translates others’ languages)
Squanto helped the Pilgrims to form a peace treaty with the Wampanoag’s, he did so by reassuring the Wampanoag people that the Pilgrims meant them no harm.”
- Why do you think it
is important that there be a peace treaty between the Native People and
the Pilgrims? (Students may say because then they could all get along
and live together peacefully on the land and help one another out).
Great ideas! It was important to have a peace treat with the
Wampanoag’s to instill trust in either side and to let everyone know
that they were safe, and that no one would be attacking the other.”
- Does anyone know what it means to trade goods? – (Students may say such things as they traded clothes, beads, etc.)
The Pilgrims began trade with England as soon as they came to the New World. The reason that they had to trade with England so much was because they owed them a large amount of money, for allowing them to sail over on the Mayflower, and for the supplies of food that they had to send over.
The Pilgrims were deeply in debt and the only way that they could pay it off was by trading.
-What do you think they traded to pay off their debts? (Students may say food, tobacco, and fur). Excellent Guesses boys and girls, they did trade some of those items! One of the largest trades that the Pilgrims had with England was the fur trade; the most popular type of fur to trade was beaver fur! The pilgrims traded grain with the Native Americans who in turn gave the Pilgrims beaver meat and beaver pelts!
Beaver fur was highly prized because it is beautiful, thick, durable, very warm, and water repellent!
-Any other ideas on what they Pilgrims might have traded? Think about the natural environment surrounding them; water, trees! - (Students may guess that they traded fish and trees) Awesome guesses boys and girls! The Pilgrims also began to trade fish and lumber to England to help pay off their debts. The Pilgrims were able to transport the gods back to England that came to the New World every few months.
- Can we think of any other ways that the Natives may have helped the Pilgrims? – (Students may say they helped them catch fish, harvest their crops, build houses, etc.) Good guesses, one way that they Natives, especially Squanto helped the pilgrims was by teaching them how to build sturdier houses and make them warmer for in the winter. Another generous way that the Natives helped out the Pilgrims was by showing them where to find plants that could heal ailments and illnesses.
-Does anyone have any
idea of the plants that were used to treat illnesses? (Students may
think of such items such as berries or maybe tree leaves). Some of the
plants that were used to treat illness were the Mayapple, Goldenseal,
and the Pale Purple Cornflower.
Show pictures of
the plants
Mayapple
The plants were use to treat cancers, deafness, and liver disease. The early settler used to treat worms, headaches, and even today part of the root is used to treat cancer!
Goldenseal
Natives used this herbal plant as a yellow dye for their clothes and to treat breathing problems, because it was such a good medicine, it has been over picked and is now very rare.
Pale Purple Cornflower
This plant has long
drooping pink petals; it was used by the Natives for allergies,
cleaning scrapes and cuts, and for even treating snakebites! Today this
plant is still used to treat colds!
Response Activity:
“So you may be wondering why there are newspapers laid down! Well Ms. Morris and I have a very fun activity planned for you today; we are going to plant and grow our own crops! (I will then pass out the clay pots to each student, and give them each a few seeds)
- The pots will be pre-filled with soil, and the seeds will have soaked overnight so they have plenty of moisture inside to grow-
Can anyone guess what type of plant this is going to be, by looking at the seed? (Students may think of such things as, sunflower, corn, peas, etc.) Great guesses, we are going to be planting peas! Do not start plating until Ms. Morris or I come around to help you.
Next we are going to be
reviewing and filling in more words to our ABC Charts J”
Modeling:
I will assist each of
the students when planting their very own crop, so there isn’t mess
left behind. I will also have a new list of words that the students
will be able to add to their ABC Charts! Their crops will each have
directions tied to them and they will be covered in saran warp and
rubber bands to ensure no messes. The directions will also serve as
guidance for the students’ parents to help them take care of their
plant.
Conclude: