Full Circle > Getting Started >
Quick Pick
Ready-to-use resources as plug-ins in place of a unit in research skills
Chickasaw Removal
The lesson involves extended expository reading by students. It could take younger students longer to work through the passages which are an 11th grade reading selection (Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level) than it would for them to search for information on the Internet. Unless the objective is to give them practice reading out loud, searching the Internet may be a more enjoyable reading exercise. Therefore, in this case the Reference Material in the lesson is recommended only for the teacher.
Have students search online for information they can use to answer discussion items found near the end of the lesson. The query INDIAN REMOVAL ACT returns a wealth of information, including this reference page from the Library of Congress: Primary Documents in American History that includes readings for younger students at the bottom.
As a Snippet Sleuth activity, have the students identify related vocabulary that provides clues in the top returns about the Act (which could be used in subsequent queries). For example, shown below is one result of a Google query for INDIAN REMOVAL ACT with other possible keywords shown in bold:
| Google Results |
| Indian Treaties and the Removal Act of 1830 - 1830–1860 ...https://history.state.gov/milestones/.../indian-treatie...Office of the Historian The U.S. Government used treaties as one means to displace Indians from their tribal lands, a mechanism that was strengthened with the Removal Act of 1830. |
Just from one snippet, we learn that the Act was enacted in 1830 to displace Indians from tribal lands by the means of treaties. By including some of the vocabulary words found here or in the lesson, other queries can provide additional information useful for the projects in the lesson.
Students should be encouraged to choose other snippets to collect basic information on THE TRAIL OF TEARS, ANDREW JACKSON, CONTROVERSY, WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI, and so on. Reading assignments could be divided up and students could jigsaw using the parts they researched to inform and learn from other students.
Summary of Changes
| Original Lesson: Chickasaw Removal | Adapted Lesson |
|---|---|
| GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT: (Elementary Students) Social Studies | |
| OVERVIEW: United States History Creating the United States: The Foundation, Formation, and Transformation of the American Nation, 1754-1877 Oklahoma Content Standard 2, Item C | |
| OBJECTIVES: 1) Students will practice reading out loud. 2) Students will interact with the reading by answering discussion questions. 3) Students will draft and discuss a “packing list” of items to take west and take a knowledge quiz. | 1) Students will practice querying to locate relevant and appropriate information. 2) Students will interact by sharing they findings. 3) Students will draft and discuss a “packing list” of items to take west and take a knowledge quiz. |
| RESOURCES/MATERIALS: See the Lesson Web page | |
| Chickasaw Removal (reading text omitted) | In place of having students read the high school level material provided, have them search online for information they can use for one or more of the discussion questions found near the end of the lesson.
The query INDIAN REMOVAL ACT returns sites that contain both pictures, video and text, which students may find more interesting and accessible. Snippet Sleuth: have students identify related vocabulary that provides clues in the top returns about the Act (which could be used in subsequent queries). |
ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES: 1. Teacher reads background material and has learners discuss it. 2. Students read the remaining material and the teacher stops them to lead them in discussion. 3. Teacher leads the students in drafting "what to take on the journey" lists. 4. Students test their knowledge with a quiz. | 1. Teacher introduces the assignment and has learners search for online references. 2. Students locate reference materials to share in small groups. The discussion questions serve as guidelines for the information to be found. 3. Based on what they find, students draft "what to take on the journey" lists. 4. If desired: Students test their knowledge with a quiz. |
