About the Activities
Pre-activity
Make a word wall about what you know about Native Americans
Teacher hints At the end of this activity, be sure to explain to children why it’s important to use the term Native Americans, rather than Indians. Use the page “Native American or Indian??” on this website, if desired.
Standards
W.4.6 With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.
W.4.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.
Activity 1: Remembering
Carousel strategy: write on papers around the room to recall events in Carlos’ life
Teacher hints When this activity is shared after it is completed, you should focus on the last station, life as an adult. The students may not have much to say about this section, and in particular may be tempted to ignore the information on page 30. This page is particularly important, because it discusses why Dr. Montezuma is actually a hero! It may be beneficial to go over that paper as a class and add more information to it.
Recommended Assessment Ensure that each student is writing, and that they have covered all the important parts of the events in Carlos’s life.
Standards
RI.4.5 Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.
Activity 2: Understanding
Compare Carlos’s life in two locations. For example, at home, with the Pima’s, with Mr. Gentile, with the preacher, as an adult, as an advocate
Teacher hints You may want to use an online Venn diagram tool, like http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/venn_diagrams/.
Recommended Assessment Have students compare their Venn Diagrams with each other. The students should ask for input from their partner. Do they have anything to add to the other person’s chart?
Standards
RI.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).
W.4.6 With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.
Activity 3: Applying
Write about Carlos’s life from the perspective of a different character.
Recommended Assessment Students may want to read their stories in the format of a Author’s Chair. Visit http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/de/pd/instr/strats/author/index.html for more information about this strategy.
Standards
RI.4.6 Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided.
W.4.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
W.4.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
L.4.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
L.4.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Activity 4: Analyzing
How does Carlos’ life compare to what we thought of Native Americans before we started?
Teacher Hints You should encourage students to dig deep with their critical thinking. This activity is only meaningful when it is done thoughtfully. You may want to provide them with a graphic organizer like the one used in the model.
Recommended Assessment Collect classroom responses and post them so all students can see them. It would be nice to combine responses for each stereotype/image so students can have a more thorough understanding of the activity.
Standards
W.4.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Activity 5: Evaluating
Is Dr. Carlos Montezuma a Native American hero?
Teacher Hints If students decide to say that he is not a Native American hero, ensure that they have sufficient justification from the text.
Recommended Assessment You can use the author’s chair strategy again, or have students turn in their paragraphs and grade them like essays.
Standards
W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
W.4.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Activity 6: Creating
Propose a new way of thinking about Native Americans.
Teacher Hints This is the culmination of the unit, and after this assignment students should be able to answer the question, “What does Dr. Montezuma teach us about Native Americans?”
Recommended Assessment Students should share their persuasive presentations with classmates or family members and investigate how persuasive they truly are. It would be valuable for students to then revise their projects to make them even more effective.
Standards
W.4.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
W.4.6 With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.
W.4.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
L.4.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Make a word wall about what you know about Native Americans
Teacher hints At the end of this activity, be sure to explain to children why it’s important to use the term Native Americans, rather than Indians. Use the page “Native American or Indian??” on this website, if desired.
Standards
W.4.6 With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.
W.4.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.
Activity 1: Remembering
Carousel strategy: write on papers around the room to recall events in Carlos’ life
Teacher hints When this activity is shared after it is completed, you should focus on the last station, life as an adult. The students may not have much to say about this section, and in particular may be tempted to ignore the information on page 30. This page is particularly important, because it discusses why Dr. Montezuma is actually a hero! It may be beneficial to go over that paper as a class and add more information to it.
Recommended Assessment Ensure that each student is writing, and that they have covered all the important parts of the events in Carlos’s life.
Standards
RI.4.5 Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.
Activity 2: Understanding
Compare Carlos’s life in two locations. For example, at home, with the Pima’s, with Mr. Gentile, with the preacher, as an adult, as an advocate
Teacher hints You may want to use an online Venn diagram tool, like http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/venn_diagrams/.
Recommended Assessment Have students compare their Venn Diagrams with each other. The students should ask for input from their partner. Do they have anything to add to the other person’s chart?
Standards
RI.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).
W.4.6 With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.
Activity 3: Applying
Write about Carlos’s life from the perspective of a different character.
Recommended Assessment Students may want to read their stories in the format of a Author’s Chair. Visit http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/de/pd/instr/strats/author/index.html for more information about this strategy.
Standards
RI.4.6 Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided.
W.4.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
W.4.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
L.4.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
L.4.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Activity 4: Analyzing
How does Carlos’ life compare to what we thought of Native Americans before we started?
Teacher Hints You should encourage students to dig deep with their critical thinking. This activity is only meaningful when it is done thoughtfully. You may want to provide them with a graphic organizer like the one used in the model.
Recommended Assessment Collect classroom responses and post them so all students can see them. It would be nice to combine responses for each stereotype/image so students can have a more thorough understanding of the activity.
Standards
W.4.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Activity 5: Evaluating
Is Dr. Carlos Montezuma a Native American hero?
Teacher Hints If students decide to say that he is not a Native American hero, ensure that they have sufficient justification from the text.
Recommended Assessment You can use the author’s chair strategy again, or have students turn in their paragraphs and grade them like essays.
Standards
W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
W.4.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Activity 6: Creating
Propose a new way of thinking about Native Americans.
Teacher Hints This is the culmination of the unit, and after this assignment students should be able to answer the question, “What does Dr. Montezuma teach us about Native Americans?”
Recommended Assessment Students should share their persuasive presentations with classmates or family members and investigate how persuasive they truly are. It would be valuable for students to then revise their projects to make them even more effective.
Standards
W.4.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
W.4.6 With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.
W.4.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
L.4.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.