Research Scenario

The Maryland Historical Society is planning a new virtual exhibit featuring the culture of Native Americans indigenous to the state. They are sponsoring a contest for student groups to create digital models for possible displays. These displays should highlight the relationship between the Native Americans' habitats and their lifestyles. Your class has decided to create a display for several Maryland Native American groups.

First, you will need to build some background knowledge about this topic.

• BrainPop Video- American Indians

Task and Product

Research a Native American tribe that was indigenous to Maryland. You will be assigned to one of the following tribes:

1. Your team will gather information about the political, economic, and social characteristics of your Native American tribe, as well as their habitat.
2. As a group, you will then create a Voicethread which will serve as a virtual model for your museum display.
3. Your teacher may decide to assign an alternate type of presentation from the following list:
   • Oral report: Audacity or a digital recording device such as a Flip camera
   • Poster: Glog or drawing software such as Pixie
   • Brochure: Microsoft Publisher or a drawing software.

Assessments:

The following scoring tools may be used or adapted by your teacher to evaluate your research process and your final product and presentation.

You will be scored on the following components:

• Notetaking Sheet: at least one completed by each group member
• Voicethread: created collaboratively by all team members
• Oral group presentation: given by all group members as a team
• Voting Sheet: one by each individual team member

Questions

Subsidiary Questions

• Where was the Native American tribe located? What was their habitat like?
• What are the social characteristics of the tribe?
  • Shelter?
  • Food?
  • Clothing?
  • Traditions?
  • Beliefs?
• What are the political characteristics of the tribe?
  • Type of government?
  • Leadership roles?
  • Laws?
• What are the economic characteristics of the tribe?
  • Types of currency?
  • Jobs?
  • Trade?

Gather and Sort

Use a variety of sources to gather information about your topic such as:

• The BCPS Student Resources page
• Specific websites
• Keyword searching to locate additional websites
• An online encyclopedia or a print encyclopedia
• Destiny to locate books about the topic in your school library

Sort your research findings using:

• Notetaking sheet for social characteristics
• Notetaking sheet for political characteristics
• Notetaking sheet for economic characteristics

Each member is required to complete one of the notetaking sheets for your Native American tribe. In addition, as a collaborative effort, each group member will contribute information about the habitat of your tribe.

Be sure to avoid plagiarism and remember to cite your sources.

Organize

• Analyze your research notes by looking at your research organizer to determine if you have enough information about your topic.
  • Do you think you have enough information to answer the essential question?

• Synthesize your research findings by using the the steps in the Voicethread planning checklist to prepare your Voicethread.
  • Poster checklist
  • Oral report checklist
  • Brochure checklist

• Evaluate your finished product by using the Voicethread planning checklist to make sure you have completed all requirements. If you are missing any information, go back and use the resources to find the missing information and complete your Voicethread.

• Rubrics:
  • Oral Presentation Rubric
  • Poster Rubric
  • Brochure Rubric

Conclusion

Presentation: Share your displays with your class either through viewing each team's Voicethread, conducting oral presentations, or participating in a "gallery walk" around several computers.

Reflection: Based on the information that you have either researched or have learned from your classmates, which tribe would you have wanted to be a part of? Remember to give specific details on how you decided and how the tribe you selected was different from the other tribes.

Extension Activity: Many Americans think that Native Americans still dress, live, and eat like the Native American tribes the first explorers encountered. How would you help to dispel that stereotype?