Monday 9/9 - Pre-Columbian Civilizations

Objective: define the term 'Pre-Columbian" and explain what the Americas were like before Columbus arrived.

Bell Work: List and explain 3 physical / cultural characteristics that you associate with the ancient Native American societies?

Native American True/False Sort

With a partner, sort the statements as true or false!

We will discuss as a class and break some myths that you may believe

Scalping was a common Native America practice.

1. True2. False

Scalping was a common Native American practice.

FALSE-Scalping was actually a practice started by the French!

The political leaders of Native American Nations were known to their people as “Chief” prior

to the Europeans arriving.

1. True2. False

The political leaders of Native American Nations were known

to their people as “Chief”.

FALSE-Most tribes did not use the term ‘chief’; instead tribes would have a term in their language to indicate a person’s status.

Native Americans were often nomadic people.

1. True2. False

Native Americans were often nomadic people.

FALSE-Yes some tribes moved around due to the seasonal changes in weather (in the Plains region) but most tribes created permanent settlements.

Prior to the Europeans, cancer, syphilis, and tooth decay were

virtually unknown on the North American continent.

1. True2. False

Prior to the Europeans, cancer, syphilis, and tooth decay were virtually unknown on the North American continent.TRUE-These were brought to the

Americas through the food and culture the Europeans carried with them.

Native Americans worshipped the spirits of the natural world

around them.

1. True2. False

Native Americans worshipped the spirits of the natural world

around them.

TRUE- They looked to the spirits of the natural world to explain how the world was formed and how they came to be.

Pre-Columbian Native Americans were experts in

riding horseback.

1. True2. False

Pre-Columbian Native Americans were experts in

riding horseback. FALSE-Horses were not introduced to

North America until the 1500s, when the Spanish brought them to the plains.

Native American civilizations possessed extensive knowledge of astronomy and mathematics.

1. True2. False

Native American civilizations possessed extensive knowledge of astronomy and mathematics.TRUE-Similar to Egyptians, Native

American tribes in both North & South America extensively studied the sky in order create detailed calendars; they were also very well educated in geometry, which lent itself to the building of great temples and buildings

Native American tribes lived in peace with one another and respected the land they lived

on.

Tru

e

Fal

se

55%

45%1. True2. False

Native American tribes lived in peace with one another and respected the land they lived

on.FALSE-There were many wars fought

among/between tribes; There was also destruction of many forests for mass hunting

Review

Primary Sources – Books, diary entries, photos, legal papers,

etc. that were written by someone during the time period

Secondary Sources – Information gathered afterwards by

historians, scholars, etc.

What does the term “Pre-Columbian” refer to?

Pre = beforeColumbian = Refers to the time

period when Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas

Write this in Your NotesPre-Columbian = describes the

Americas before Columbus (and other Europeans) arrived

How do we know?

How do we know information about Pre-Columbian societies?– Artifacts—objects they made and have left

behind– Primary Sources—documents written by

the people themselves!– Secondary Sources—documents written

by the explorers about the lives of the Native Americans (usually written after during the time of Exploration and not always with true facts)

This Week in Class:

Today—Introduce Mini-ProjectTuesday—Complete Web-quest on

your civilizationWednesday—Work in ClassThursday—Projects Due (Walk Around)Friday—

– Pre-Columbian Quiz– Create your own civilization

Pre-Columbian Mini-Project

Based on the card you chose you will be placed in the following tribes:– Spades – Aztec– Clubs – Mayan– Diamonds – Inca– Hearts – Cahokia

Your specific assignment will coincide with the # you picked. The assignments are:

Pre-Columbian Mini-Project

Ace - Primary Source—Diary Entry2 - Primary Source—Letter3 - Secondary Source—History4 - Secondary Source—Map5 - Artifact 16 - Artifact 27 - Artifact 3

How do we know?

Look as a class at four civilizations in the Pre-Columbian World– Mayan– Aztec– Inca– Cahokia

Create primary sources and secondary sources to share information about each civilization

Cahokia

Aztec Mayan

Incan

Pre-Columbian “Mini-Project”

Worth the Practice scores for this week– Web-quest– Mini-Project Assignment– Project Chart– Map of the Americas