Last updated: January 23, 2025
Lesson Plan
Subsistence: Men’s Contributions
Two animal drawing in colored pencil. On the left is a pronghorn antelope. On the right is a bison.
National Park Service
- Grade Level:
- Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
- Subject:
- Literacy and Language Arts,Math,Science,Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- State Standards:
- Social Studies:
Fourth Grade
4.1.1,4.1.3
Eighth Grade
8.1.1 ,8.1.2
Essential Question
How did men contribute to the dietary needs of the people living at Knife River Indian Villages?
Objective
Students will develop a greater understanding of traditional Hidatsa culture by learning and using Hidatsa words when discussing Knife River Indian Villages.
Background
This lesson is part of Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site Teacher's Guide for Grades K-8: Guide to the Earthlodge People. It was written by members of the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Nation for educators.
Subsistence: Men's Contributions, is broken into two parts. First students will learn some basic Hidatsa language referring to subsistence. The second part reinforces the literacy skills learned in lesson 1 by engaging students with the text through use of the KWL model (Know/Want to Know/Learned).
Finally students will demonstrate cultural literacy through dramatization by either writing a song or a skit using the words that they learn in part 1 of the lesson.
Preparation
Read the background information before working with the students.
KWL Chart (in materials)
Student journals
Materials
Procedure
Pre-visit
Part1 (Language)
Step1
Tell the students that today they will be learning about the roles and responsibilities of the men within the community at Knife River Indian Villages. Inform students that a large portion of any culture is wrapped up in their language, and today they will have a chance to learn some Hidatsa words that relate to the subsistence of the tribes.
Step2
Ask the students to listen carefully as you play the CD with Hidatsa pronunciations of the following words.
a. garden maw-uddoo-guhdee
b. corn go-xhaw-dee
c. squash guh-goo-ee
d. meat ee-duke-shuh-dee
e. buffalo muh-day-a-gawdee
f. deer tsee-dudda-ghee
Step 3
Play the CD another time and have students practice the pronunciation quietly to themselves and then outloud as a group.
Part2 (Culture)
Step1
Write the main topic (Subsistence/Men'sRoles) at the top of the KWL grid. Ask students to contribute what they know or think they know about this topic and record their answers under the column K - what they know.
Step2
Record the student's questions as discussion continues under the W column - what they want to know.
Step3
Ask students to read the background information (specifically Men's Contributions and Hunting and Foraging) and to look for information that answers their questions.
Step4
Once students have completed the reading, focus their attention on the L- What We Have Learned column of the chart. Ask students to offer new information they discovered in the reading and record this information on the grid.
Step5
After the K-W-L grid is complete,create a concept map that brings together all the information under each category.
Step6
Formative Assessment
Divide students into groups to writea simple song that they might sing in their garden or a skit that they canperform in class to show the different roles and responsibilities of men andwomen at Knife River Indian Villages.
The songs and skits should each takeunder a minute to perform.
Remind students that their song or skit should represent Hidatsa, Mandan and Arikara values. In other words itshould demonstrate a sense of respect for life and for food, and most of allrespect for each other.
Step7
Allow students 15 minutes to prepare their songs and skits and then the remainder of the hour to perform them.
Step8
ClosureActivity
Ask students to write a description in their explorer journals describing the roles of men and women regardingobtaining food amongst the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara.
Vocabulary
Fish trap, medicine bundle, spiritual ceremonies, foraging, willow baskets, food preservation, pemmican
Assessment Materials
Students provide answers to fill in the KWL chart
Student skits and songs demonstrate understanding of Hidatsa language
Students skits and songs portray respect for theculture of the Hidatsa people
Additional Resources
During the Knife River Indian Villages years, the people ate healthy foods and lived more active lifestyles. After relocating to areas that were less favorable for agriculture, they became more sedentaryand began to adopt more European-like eating habits including eating commodities and in more modern times fast foods.
On-Site
Ask students to write down somethingmemorable that they learned about men's roles in their journals.
Post-visit
Design a tool made of bone that youwould like to have had if you lived at Knife River.
Book: Tools of Native Americans
Website: www.mhanation.com
Contact Information
Email us about this lesson plan
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