Native Americans – The Sioux

At George’s request, we moved onto the Sioux tribe this week.

We read from some Evan Moor resources about the Native Americans of the Plains and then narrowed our focus to the Sioux. 

The kids colored in the History Pockets title an dictionary cards to add to our poster, while I read to them about the Sioux.

The Sioux lived in the northern plains which include parts of Minnesota and the Dakotas.  We marked off the area on our map, and learned about the buffalo that once roamed the area.  The buffalo were very important to the Sioux and other Plains Indians, and they used them for many things.

We looked at a chart of all the different things the buffalo provided from the South Dakota State Historical Society.  Vicki made a notebook page along with a picture of a buffalo from the History Pockets…

 

while George completed a chart showing which items came from the bones and horns, and which came from the hide and sinew.

George also decided he wanted to draw his own picture of a buffalo.

The Sioux lived in tipis made from buffalo hide that were taken down and made into a travois to transport their goods when they moved to follow the buffalo.

We made our own tipis out of construction paper, and used gel pens to decorate with symbols and pictures, as the Sioux would have.

George made up his own symbols.  One had a moon, sun and star all together to make a space symbol.

We read a variety of books about the Sioux together…

and then for the first time, I gave George some assigned reading to do himself.  I was surprised, but he was very agreeable to reading more on his own.

Last, but not least, George wrote about the Sioux in his research notebook.   I’m having him do this at the conclusion of each of our science, history or geography units (and any other time I think its relevant).  He actually seems to be enjoying this.  His entry for the Sioux reads:

”The Sioux (siu) is not the only tribe that eats buffalo.  The Siouxes enemys are called the Crow.  The best person in Siouxes is Sitting Bull.”

Clearly we have some grammar work to do but I’m pleased with his willingness to do it at all, and his ability to come up with just a few facts that he finds most interesting.