Social Studies - United States History I
Lesson Plans

U.S. I Strand 1: THREE WORLDS MEET

(Prehistory-Ca. 1650)

Europe's exploration of America had a profound impact on the world. For thousands of years, complex and sophisticated American Indian civilizations had flourished in the Americas, separated from other parts of the world by vast bodies of water. After Columbus' arrival, the lands of the Western Hemisphere were forever connected to the rest of the world. The international slave trade forced millions of Africans to the Americas, bringing these "three worlds" together in unprecedented ways. Patterns of trade, exploration, conquest, and settlement have ramifications that continue to the present day.

Possible Guiding Questions to Consider:

• How do historians and archeologists construct interpretations from artifacts, oral histories, legends, primary sources, and other evidence?
• What were the motives that led to European exploration?
• What were the effects of European exploration, especially on the indigenous populations encountered?
• How has physical geography affected cultures historically? How does it affect cultures today?
• How is your own cultural history woven into the history of America?

U.S. I Standard 1.1:

Students will analyze evidence, including artifacts and other primary sources to make evidence-based inferences about life among several American Indian nations prior to European exploration of the Americas.

• Native American Cultures Across the U.S.
  This lesson discusses the differences between common representations of Native Americans within the U.S. and a more differentiated view of historical and contemporary cultures of five American Indian tribes living in different geographical areas. Students will learn about customs and traditions such as housing, agriculture, and ceremonial dress for the Tlingit, Dinè, Lakota, Muscogee, and Iroquois peoples.

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