Lesson Plan - Homes of Native Nations

Learning Objective

Students will learn about a Cherokee Nation mapmaker who creates maps that accurately represent Native American nations. 

Text Structure

Description, Infographic 

Content-Area Connections

Geography 

Standards Correlations

CCSS: RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.4.3, RI.3.4, RI.3.5, RI.3.6, RI.3.7, RI.3.8, RI.3.10, L.3.4, SL.3.1

NCSS: People, Places, and Environments

TEKS: Social Studies 3.4 

1. Preparing to Read

See a Slideshow: Eight Traditional Native American Homes
Ask: How might a group’s geographical location affect the homes it builds? 

Preview Words to Know 
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

  • cartographer 
  • ancestors 


Set a Purpose for Reading 
As students read, have them think about why Aaron Carapella creates his special maps. 

2. Close-Reading Questions

1. What is the main idea of the section “Making Maps Better”?
The main idea of this section is that Aaron Carapella became a mapmaker because he wanted to create maps that give more information about where Native Americans have lived.
(RI.3.2 MAIN IDEA)

2. How does Aaron Carapella do research for his maps?
He reads books and checks the internet. He talks to Native American leaders to learn where and how their ancestors lived.
(RI.3.1 TEXT EVIDENCE)

3. What are three facts you can learn from the map?
Sample response: The map shows that Native Americans have made their homes in every region of the United States. It shows that the Inuit people of Alaska traditionally built igloos as homes. It also shows that Native American people called the Kalapuya have traditionally lived in the Northwest.
(RI.3.7 USING MAPS)

3. Skill Building

FEATURED SKILL: Parts of a Map
Use the Skill Builder “Mapping It Out” to introduce students to elements of a map. 
(RI.3.7 USING MAPS)

Text-to-Speech