LEARN NC

8.9 Lesson plan: Home to High Plains

By Kara Stewart

Provided by The North Carolina Humanities Council and UNC American Indian Center.

In this English language arts and social studies plan, students read about the Sappony Tribe. Elementary students will read a fictional story about the Sappony and will practice English language arts skills, including making inferences and determining the text’s mood and theme. This lesson can also be adapted for middle-school students. For the middle-school adaptation, students read a fictional and a nonfictional text about the Sappony and compare points of historical reference to analyze and discuss.

Learning outcomes

  • Fourth grade
    • Students will gain experience using an author’s word choice to determine the mood and theme of a text.
    • Students will make inferences and cite the text for support.
    • Students will be able to describe the Sappony Tribe, and will be able to evaluate the ways the Sappony used, modified, and adapted to their physical environment.
  • Eighth grade
    • Students will gain experience reading and comparing fiction and nonfiction.

Time required for lesson

2 - 3 class periods

Materials needed

Home to High Plains
Created by Kara Stewart.
(This document is for non-commercial, educational purposes only.)
Open as PDF (106 KB, 13 pages)

Pre-activities

Teachers should familiarize themselves with the Sappony by reading “About the Sappony” and “General History and Contemporary Community.” For more information, read the detailed Sappony history and the Sappony history timeline.

Activities

Session one

  1. Have a class discussion reviewing the concept of mood in texts. Talk with students about the emotions you feel while reading. (E.g. Some literature makes you feel sad, others joyful, others angry, some give you a lighthearted, silly feeling, etc.) Mood is also the atmosphere created by the setting and the actions of the people and characters. You can create a chart of “mood words” with student input (e.g. gloomy, cheerful, melancholy, silly, teasing, hopeful, determined, serious, warning, playful, scared, suspenseful, etc.) Review how an author’s words can help the reader determine the mood: Is there alliteration? Is there repetition? What feelings might the repetition convey?
  2. In the topic of the Sappony Tribe and share information from the resources listed. If you have a map and/or an interactive white board in your classroom, these can make the discussion more interactive. If this is the first time you’ve discussed the American Indian tribes of North Carolina and Virginia, you may spend the remainder of day one exploring and absorbing information on the Sappony. If the concept is familiar to students, you may choose to move on to session two activities.

Session two

  1. Introduce the text “Home to High Plains” and set the students’ purpose for reading: Our goal today in reading is to figure out the mood of the text. In order to do that, you will notice some literacy devices that are used in the text. First you will read the story independently, and then you and a buddy will re-read the text and then create a mood chart.
  2. Have students independently read the text. When they’re finished, pair students up and give each pair a sheet of paper to create their mood charts. Have students re-read the text with their partners. For students who need additional support, students can buddy read with the teacher or skip the independent reading step and go straight to buddy reading with another student.
  3. Have students work with their partners to create a mood chart. To create the mood chart, have students turn their sheet of paper horizontally and create two columns: One for literary devices / author word choice and the other for students’ description of the mood. (This second column should be larger than the first.)
  4. Have students complete their mood charts. In the literary devices / author word choice column, students should write phrases from the text. In the mood description column, students should write their interpretation of the mood created by the author’s words (e.g. determination, hope). Students can also illustrate the chart if they choose to.
  5. When most groups are finished filling in their mood charts, have students share their responses. Students may have picked up on a mood of determination and hope, based on the author’s repetitive use of words to convey that mood.
  6. Wrap up the session by recapping the mood of the text and the author’s words that helped create that mood. Draw a connection between the mood of the text and social studies concepts about the movement and adaptation of people.

Session three

  1. Review information on the Sappony and have a brief discussion about human movement as it relates to geography and about people’s adaptations to the environment. Briefly review concepts of mood and authors’ use of words based on the previous session.
  2. Discuss the concept of theme (the life message, central idea, message about society, human nature), and how to find the theme(s) in a text (notice repeating patterns, words, symbols, changes, or conflict in story or characters). Reiterate the purpose for the lesson (including concepts from both English language arts and social studies).
  3. Have students pair up with the same partners as the previous session and re-read the text.
  4. Have students create a theme chart (same format as the mood chart) and complete the chart after reading the text.
  5. When most groups are finished filling in their theme charts, have students share their responses. Possible themes students may pick up on include the importance of family bonds and the importance of finding a home.
  6. Wrap up the session by recapping the idea of theme in a text and how the author created and reinforced that theme. Draw a connection between the theme of the text and social studies concepts about the movement and adaptation of people.

Middle-school adaptation

For middle school, introduce students to information about the Sappony to give them background knowledge. Have students read the fiction text “Home to High Plains.” Then have them read the nonfiction Sappony timeline. Have students analyze and compare the two.

Assessment

Assess elementary students based on discussion and completion of mood chart and theme chart.

North Carolina curriculum alignment

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 4

  • Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
    • Objective 2.04: Identify and interpret elements of fiction and nonfiction and support by referencing the text to determine the:
      • plot.
      • theme.
      • main idea and supporting details.
      • author's choice of words.
      • mood.
      • author's use of figurative language.
    • Objective 2.05: Make inferences, draw conclusions, make generalizations, and support by referencing the text.

Social Studies (2003)

Grade 4

  • Goal 1: The learner will apply the five themes of geography to North Carolina and its people.
    • Objective 1.04: Evaluate ways the people of North Carolina used, modified, and adapted to the physical environment, past and present.
    • Objective 1.05: Assess human movement as it relates to the physical environment.

Grade 8

  • Goal 1: The learner will analyze important geographic, political, economic, and social aspects of life in the region prior to the Revolutionary Period.
    • Objective 1.02: Identify and describe American Indians who inhabited the regions that became Carolina and assess their impact on the colony.