Reservations Lesson Plan: Power, Authority, and Governance

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8

*Click to open and customize your own copy of the Reservations Lesson Plan. 

This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Reservations, and supports the standard of analyzing the evolving relationship between state and tribal governments. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Display this image from the movie (timestamp 5:41):

Ask students:

  • Who do you think might have created this sign?
  • What does it make you think?

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

  • Read aloud the description on the Reservations topic page.
  • Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding.
  • Have students read one of the four Related Reading articles. Partner them with someone who read a different article to share what they learned with each other.

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Students take the Reservations Quiz, applying essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: EXTEND and DEEPEN

Students express what they learned about reservations while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.

  • Make-a-Movie: Create a video diary of someone during the Trail of Tears. In your movie, answer these questions: What is happening? What are you feeling?  
  • Make-a-Map: Make a timeline that sequences the major treaties between the US and Native American nations. 
  • Creative Coding: Code a museum exhibit with artifacts that represent the impact of specific treaties on Native American nations. 

More to Explore

Related BrainPOP Topics: Deepen understanding of Native American experiences with these topics: Native American Traditions, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, Tecumseh, and Trail of Tears. 

Teacher Support Resources:

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments

Related:

    Filed as:  3-5, 6-8, BrainPOP, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.3, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.4