Madelayne Perez

Unit Curriculum-5 lessons

Unit: Iroquois Confederacy
Theme: Culture and traditions
Standards
Social studies standards (http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/socstand/soc21.html)

SS.2.1-read historical narratives, myths, legends, biographies, and autobiographies to learn

about how historical figures lived, their motivations, hopes, fears, strengths, and weaknesses.

SS.2.2-study about different world cultures and civilizations focusing on their accomplishments,
contributions, values, beliefs, and traditions.

ss.2.3-know the social and economic characteristics, such as customs, traditions, child-rearing
practices, ways of making a living, education and socialization practices, gender roles, foods, and
religious and spiritual beliefs that distinguish different cultures and civilizations.

The study of New York State and United States history requires an analysis of the development
of American culture, its diversity and multicultural context, and the ways people are unified by
many values, practices, and traditions.

ELA Standards

R1.4.1 I can explain what a text says using specific details from the text

R.4.3

SL.4.1 I can engage effectively in a collaborative discussion

SL.4.4 I can engage effectively in a collaborative discussion

I can explain the main points in a historical text accurately

Objective
Students will identify important details from a text to show understanding of the idea, values
and belief of Native Americans.
Students will be able to make contributions through class discussions to show understanding of
lifestyles, values and belief of the Native Americans.
Students will explore the lifestyles, values and beliefs of the Native Americans through reading
and writing.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of Native American life by engaging effectively in
collaborative discussion.
Students will show comprehension of a text on Native American life by identifying supporting
details that support the main idea of the lifestyles, values and beliefs of the Native Americans.

Unit Essential Question: How can we develop understanding of how the events from the past
connect to our present? (DOK - Level 4 extended thinking)
Essential Questions
Lesson 1: How do we use and recognize the purposes of symbols in our everyday life?
Lesson 2: How do we recognize I notice statements and I wonder questions when reading an
informational text?
Lesson 3: What is the relationship between peace and agreement?
Lesson 4: How did the Iroquois Great Law of Peace influenced the development of the United
States democracy?
Lesson 5: How can our community school benefit from the belief and agreement of the Iroquois?
Vocabulary:
Symbol
Constitution
Vanish
Warring
Haudenousaunee Oral Tradition

Rival
Wonder
Historical Text

Transacted

peace

agreement

Journey
Notice
Reading
Closely

Suspicious
Confederacy
Constitution

Preach
Wampum
Lords

Lesson Overview
Lesson 1: Introducing symbols
Using s KWL chart the teacher will assess students prior knowledge of What are symbols? The
teacher will show different examples of symbols and will have a whole class discussion about their
meaning. As a culminating activity students will create a symbol and will engage in a whole class
discussion sharing their meaning in class.
Lesson 1 Essential Question: How do we use and recognize the purposes of symbols in our everyday
life?
Lesson 2: Discovering the I notice statements and I wonder questions from symbols and
informational text.
Using a T-chart organizer to generate prior knowledge from the students Introducing symbols
lesson the teacher will show different examples of symbols and will discuss with students what they
notice and what they wonder about the symbol. Students will watch the first part of a video on
Brainpop.com called the Iroquois Confederacy and will come up with I notice/ I wonder
statements and questions. As an assessment the teacher will note whether students notice the
symbol on Tims shirt (from the video). Students will then read a text called The Great Law of

Peace. The students will then pick one of their I wonder questions and will find details from the
text to support their answer. As a culminating activity students will receive a symbol from the
teacher and will create a chart with I notice statements and I wonder questions.
Lesson 2 Essential Question: How do we recognize I notice statements and I wonder questions
when reading an informational text?
Lesson 3: Bringing six nations Together
After showing the second part of the Iroquois confederacy video and reading the Constitution of the
Iroquois Nations part 1, students will understand how the six nations formed the confederacy.
Students will engage in collaborative learning to discuss that peace can be created and sustain
through agreement. As a culminating activity students will have to answer differentiated
worksheets about the Iroquois confederacy.
Lesson 3 Essential Question: What is the relationship between peace and agreement?
Lesson 4: Iroquois influence in the United States Democracy
Students will understand that Native American groups developed political practices including a
consensus model which influenced the development of the United States Democracy. As a
culminating activity students will perform a mini play acting as Iroquois natives.
Lesson 4 Essential Question: How did the Iroquois Great Law of Peace influenced the
development of the United States democracy?
Lesson 5: Iroquois influence on the present culture
After reading texts regarding conflict, resolution and data about school bullying students will
compare and contrast the Iroquois Confederacy with school policies and rules. As a culminating
activity students will collaborate with their peers to design a constitution that can help support
peace in their school community.
Lesson 5 Essential Question: How can our community school benefit from the belief and agreement
of the Iroquois?

Detailed Lesson
Lesson 3: Bringing six nations Together
Objective: Students will use details and examples from the Iroquois Constitution to explain what specific
passages say or mean.
Focus Skills: By using close reading, students will effectively engage in a collaborative discussion using
specific details and meaning from a text.
Standards:
Based on NYSP12 ELA CCLS

R1.4.1 I can explain what a text says using specific details from the text
R.4.3 I can explain the main points in a historical text accurately
SL.4.1 I can engage effectively in a collaborative discussion

Learning Targets
1. I can use details and examples from the Iroquois Constitution when explaining what specific
passages mean.
2. Through reading the Iroquois Constitution students will understand that peace can be created
and sustained through agreements and actions
Vocabulary
Oral Tradition: is cultural material and tradition transmitted orally from one generation to another.
Historical Text: publishes high quality articles, books, essays, documents, historical photos,
Close Reading: is the careful, sustained interpretation of a brief passage of text.
Transacted: To do, carry on, or conduct
Agreement: Harmony of opinion, action, or character; an arrangement as to a course of action.
Peace: is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violence, conflict behaviors and the
freedom from fear of violence
Agenda
Teaching Strategy
Pre-set Induction
Wholes class- modeling
Modeling and practice Close
reading
Collaborative learning
Differentiated assessment
Closing and assessment

Process
Opening Greeting Review previous lesson
Reading The Constitution of the Iroquois Nations
section 1
Close reading

Time
5 min
5 min

Whole class- discussion/ vocabulary

Differentiated worksheet
Exit ticket: sticky notes

10 min
15 min
5 min

20 min

Materials

Copy of The Constitution of the Iroquois Nations

(http://www.indigenouspeople.net/iroqcon.htm)
Vocabulary definition sheet
Chart paper with close reading chart
Differentiated handout
Exit ticket handout

Differentiated lesson
on this unit student's will read, write, listen and speak collaboratively to begin to understand the
founding and structure of the Iroquois Confederacy. The differentiated lesson worksheets are meant to
target all of the learners in my classroom. Students will work in their ability to read informational texts
and pull out the main details and meaning to support their writing.
Sheet A is meant to target all of the emerging learners in the classroom. On this sheet students will
have to answer the question How was peace accomplished in the Iroquois Confederacy? by drawing a
symbol and finding one to two supporting details from the text
Sheet B is meant to target my instructional level learners in the classroom. On this sheet students will be
asked to answer the question How was peace accomplished in the Iroquois Confederacy? by writing
three important details from the text, supporting their answer.
Sheet C is meant to target all of the advanced learners in the classroom. On this sheet students will be
asked to answer the question How was peace accomplished in the Iroquois Confederacy? by using
specific details from the text. Students will develop their explanations and will demonstrate an ability to
appropriately use topic sentences and supporting details in a paragraph.
Essential Questions: What is the relationship between peace and agreement?
How did the Great Peace Maker, Dekanawida, accomplished peace among the
nations?
What is Peace? And how did the nations made peace with each other?
How were the decisions made within the tribes?
What rights did women have within the tribes?
Process:

Remind students that in the previous lesson they did the I wonder/ I notice Chart about
symbols and their meaning. Students also watched a video about the Iroquois and how they
became a Confederacy.
Tell them: Today, in order to become experts, we are going to read sections of the actual
Iroquois Great Law of Peace.
Tell the students that this document is a historical text that was written many years after the
words were first spoken. Long ago the Iroquois shared everything orally, which means they just

say it out loud and it gets passed down to their children by telling stories. This is called an oral
tradition.
Tell the students that it would be exciting to read the words the people from the Iroquois Nation
believe were actually spoken by the Great Peacemaker.
Share the Learning targets of the lesson. Remind students of previous lessons with the same
targets. Tell them that today we will concentrate on close reading a text and pulling out
important details from the text.
Explain that close reading is the careful, sustained interpretation of a brief passage of text.
Distribute a copy of the Iroquois constitution, the Great Law of Peace section 1.
Tell the students that I will read it first with them, then they will read it on their own underlying
any words they are unfamiliar with.
As they are reading on their own ask: What is Peace?, How the Great Peace Maker
accomplished Peace? How many different groups did the Great Peace maker join together in
peace?
Explain to students the vocabulary word.
Reread the passage with students filling out the close reading chart. Model for students how
close reading works by providing examples of supporting details from the text.
Engage in whole group discussion to review the close reading answers.

Assessment:

Review the essential questions with the students

Hand out the differentiated worksheets to each learner.
Walk around students stopping on each table to explain what each student needs to do.
Pull out emerging students to discuss sheet A.

Closing assessment: Exit ticket

Hand students sticky notes and ask students to write one to two words describing their wishes
for peace.
After the students have finished writing down the information they will be asked to share what
they wrote and to place the sticky note on the chart paper that will be placed on the board.
Students will also be asked to write two paragraphs reflecting on the essential question:
What is the relationship between peace and agreement?

Name___________________________________

Date: ________________________

Worksheet A
Using your knowledge of the meaning of symbols and of the Iroquois Confederacy answers the
following: How was peace accomplished in the Iroquois Confederacy? Draw a picture and find one
to two supporting details from the text.

Name___________________________________

Date: ________________________

Worksheet B
List three examples from the text that show how was peace accomplished in the Iroquois Confederacy?

Name___________________________________

Date: ________________________

Worksheet C
Using your knowledge of the meaning of symbols and of the Iroquois Confederacy give a written
response with supporting details from the text to the following question: How was peace accomplished
in the Iroquois Confederacy?