Curriculum Connection!

This is by far going to be my favorite part of the project! I know that it sounds kind of odd, but I love being able to take something that I want to learn about and apply it to the standards. For this project, I am going to apply it to grades 3 and 8.

3rd Grade Indiana Standards:

3.1.1 Describe American Indian groups who lived in the region when European settlers arrived.

ILS: 1, 2, 3

3.1.4 Give examples of people, events, and developments that brought important changes to the local community or region.

ILS: 1-5, 7, 9

3.1.5 Develop simple timelines of events in the local communities.

ILS: 1-9

3.1.6 Read fiction and nonfiction stories to identify the qualities of leaders, such as community leaders, soldiers, presidents, teachers, and inventors.

ILS: 1-3, 5, 8

3.2.7 Use a variety of information resources* to gather information about community leaders and civic issues.

ILS: 1-4, 7

8th Grade Indiana Standards:

8.1.1 Describe major Indian groups of eastern North America, including early conflict with European settlers.

ILS: 1-3, 7

8.1.20 Explain the influence of individuals on key events and developments of the early United States.
Example: Thomas Jefferson, Robert Fulton, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, Sacajewea, Daniel Boone, Little Turtle, Tecumseh, Black Hawk, John Marshall, James Madison, Dolley Madison, Andrew Jackson, John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, James Polk, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, Horace Mann, Dorothea Dix, and Lucretia Mott.

ILS: 1-3

8.3.2 Map and locate all states of the United States, major cities, mountain ranges, and river systems of the United States.

ILS: 1-3, 5, 7

8.3.6 Map changes in national boundaries, distribution of population, and economic activities at critical stages of development in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the United States.

ILS: 1-3, 7

Curricular Activities for 3rd Grade:

3rd Grade is a great age for students to begin learning and gaining valuable knowledge about the past. Since there are five standards that relate to this topic, it can be taken in a number of directions. When working with this age group, it would be good to include a lot of hands-on activities to keep them motivated. They could explore Webquests, national historic sites, and read-alouds from children's books to educate them.

Curricular Activities for 8th Grade:

There are so many possibilities for this grade level, but here are just a few. This is where students can become really creative and create their own research projects! They can create PowerPoints, newsletters, dioramas, etc. in order to communicate their knowledge of the Trail of Tears. They can also read more information on the Cherokee and their rich heritage. This would also be a great age to take them to the Trail of Tears and let them experience for themselves.