A walk of betrayal: The Trail of Tears

By Mary Towles

In this lesson plan for fourth and fifth grades, students will read various resources and watch videos about the Cherokee. They will trace the history of the Cherokee, discuss the outcomes of the impact of the white man, and determine how that intrusion led the Cherokee to the Trail of Tears. The students will examine the survival of the Cherokee and explore their accomplishments into the 21st century.

Page contents

1. Learning outcomes
2. Teacher planning
   1. Time required for lesson
   2. Materials/Resources
   3. Technology resources
3. Pre-activities
4. Activities
   1. Day one
   2. Day two
   3. Day three
   4. Day four
   5. Day five
5. Assessment
6. Supplemental information
   1. Critical vocabulary
   2. Comments

Related pages

• Crafting North Carolina: A Hands on Exploration of North Carolina's Hand-made Heritage: North Carolina's geography, history, and resources brought to life through the crafts of the state.
• Museum of the Cherokee Indian: Official site of the museum of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina.
• Junaluska Memorial and Museum: Named an interpretive site along the Trail of Tears, the Junaluska Memorial and Museum "highlights the unique place Graham County has in the history of the Cherokee."

Learn more

• Learn more about American Indians, Cherokee, North Carolina, and Trail of Tears.

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Learning outcomes

The student will become familiar with Cherokee history and legends. The student will also begin to understand the reality of the background of the Cherokee before the Trail of Tears as well as:

• the willingness of the Cherokee to compromise with the white man to keep their land
• the promises made to the Cherokee by the white man
• the betrayal by the white man and the reason for the betrayal
• the ultimate durability and adaptability of the Cherokee to their new way of life and their determination for survival

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

One week

Materials/Resources

• Large chart paper
• Markers
• North Carolina social studies book
• book: Cherokee Legends & Trail of Tears by Thomas B. Underwood
• video: Cherokee: The Principal People
• a video about contemporary Cherokee such as Indian, a Person, Myself
• Map of Trail of Tears
• Self-drying clay
• Paper
• Colored pencils
• Paint
• brushes

Technology resources

• Computers with internet and media player accessibility
• Projector and screen to display videos

Pre-activities

The students will rotate in a carousel to make a list of what they think they know about the history of the Cherokee people. Use chart paper on various wall stations around the room with labels such as typical clothes, types of homes, food, time in history, Trail of Tears, etc. The students will discuss the answers that have been recorded. The students will discuss the teacher prompt, “Is there ever a time when it is all right for one group to move another group of people out of their homes and off of their land?”

Activities

Day one

1. Students will read the section about the Cherokee in their social studies book and discuss the customs, traditions, and government of the Cherokee people.
2. Students will determine whether their opinions of what early Cherokee clothes, food, etc. were accurate.
3. The students will discuss that the Cherokee believed in respect for the land, respect for other people, and teamwork to accomplishment a goal as do Americans today.
4. Students will list ways that people can show respect and work together to achieve a common purpose.
5. Assignment: Students will return to carousel chart paper and either confirm, revise, or add any information on the chart.
6. Assignment: Students will start a journal in which they reflect what was read and discussed and their opinions about the day’s lesson.
7. Conclusion: An informal assessment will be made by the teacher by asking the following questions at the end of the lesson:
   • What did you learn from today’s discussions?
   • What is a clan and what is its importance?
   • Why is respect and teamwork important?
   • How can people show respect to each other?
8. The teacher will inform the students that the next day they will view a film that recalls early Cherokee history and legends.

Day two

1. Students will watch the first part of the video Cherokee: Principal People. After students have watched the video, they will discuss the film — the history and legends that are recalled and how that information fits with their general knowledge and information.
2. The teacher will read aloud “Why the Possum’s Tail is Bare” from Cherokee Legends & Trail of Tears by Thomas B. Underwood.
3. The teacher will discuss the purpose and importance of legends in a culture’s history. The teacher will give examples of other nature-based legends such as why the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, how the moon got into the sky, why there is rain, etc.
4. The students will discuss legends they have heard.
5. Assignment: The students will create and illustrate their own legend based on nature. Students will share stories.
6. Assignment: Students will continue to reflect in their journal.
7. Conclusion: The teacher will conduct an informal assessment by asking the following questions:
   • What did you learn today?
   • Why are legends important to the history of a people?
   • Why do you think it is important to learn about legends of other people?
8. The teacher will inform the students that they will watch another part of the video on the next day, which will recall the demands of the white man for the Cherokee to change their belief system and life traditions in order to keep their land.

Day three

1. Students will watch the second part of the video Cherokee: Principal People. After the students have watched the video, they will discuss the film: the white settlers wanting to take over the Cherokee land, the concessions the Cherokee had to make in order to keep their land, and the Indian Removal Act.
2. The teacher will initiate discussion about what was learned on Day One regarding the Cherokee belief in respect and teamwork and whether or not that belief could have been a large part of their willingness to make concessions.
3. The teacher will initiate discussion regarding the question that was brought up in the pre-activity: Is it ever all right for one group of people to move another group out of their homes and off of their land?
4. Assignment: Students will write a paragraph responding to teacher prompt: How do think you would feel if someone with more power wanted your home? What do you think you would do if that person said you could stay if you changed they way you dressed, changed your family traditions and changed your religious beliefs?
5. Assignment: Students will continue to reflect in journal.
6. Conclusion: The teacher will conduct an informal assessment by asking the following questions:
   • What did you learn today?
   • Do you think it’s right for someone to make a person change their customs, traditions, and belief system?
   • Do you think it’s right to make someone give you his or her property just because you want it?
   • Do you think there could have been another way for the United States government to work with the Cherokee regarding their land?
7. The teacher will inform the students that they will watch the next part of the video that contains a speech by Andrew Jackson and information on The Trail of Tears.

Day four

1. The students will watch the next part of the video Cherokee: The Principal People and then discuss Andrew Jackson’s speech regarding the removal of the Cherokee. They will also discuss one of the real reasons for the removal of the Cherokee — the discovery of gold on Cherokee land.
2. The teacher will read aloud accounts of the Trail of Tears and recount the hardships that were endured — lack of fresh food, lack of water, inadequate clothing for the winter harshness, and the brutality of the people in charge of their removal.
3. The students will trace the route of the Trail of Tears on a map.
4. Assignment: Students will create and illustrate a map of the Trail of Tears.
5. Assignment: Students will write a letter to President Jackson trying to persuade him to allow the Cherokee stay on their land.
6. Assignment: Students will continue to reflect in journal.
7. Conclusion: The teacher will conduct an informal assessment by asking the following questions:
   • What did you learned today?
   • The Cherokee were offered — and then forced to travel from their home to — land west of the Mississippi River. Do you think that what they were offered was a fair and reasonable trade for their home and land?
   • What steps could have been taken to ensure that the Cherokee people made the long journey in safety and good health?
8. The teacher will inform the class that they will view one more film about the Cherokee people, which shows that despite their hardships and struggles over the centuries, the Cherokee retained their strength and determination to survive and keep their language and traditions alive as they have moved forward to the 21st century.

Day five

1. The students will watch a video on the modern Cherokee and discuss their adaptability as being a reason for their survival.
2. The students will discuss Cherokee life as it is today and how the people are still linked to their past and traditions in their everyday life.
3. Assignment: Students will create a piece of pottery that reflects the old and new Cherokee.
4. Assignment: Students will return to the carousel and add or change any information that was originally written.
5. Assignment: Students will continue to reflect in their journals.
6. Conclusion: The teacher will conduct an informal assessment of the students by asking the following questions:
   • What have you learned about the Cherokee in this lesson?
   • What have you learned about the Cherokee over the past week?
7. The teacher will conclude the lesson with a general discussion of the events that were covered during the past week.

Assessment

Students will be assessed informally on their understanding of the presented information. Students will be assessed on their reflections in their journals, their persuasive letter to Andrew Jackson, and their maps of the Trail of Tears. Students will receive extra credit for a report on an event or person from the Cherokee tribe.

Supplemental information

There is a wealth of information about the Cherokee and their history contained in tribal-approved books and tribal-approved websites. Since students will be drawn into the mystery and tragedy of the presented information, they should be encouraged to research more by themselves.

Critical vocabulary

• principal
• clan
• confederation
• tradition
• custom
• treaty
• betrayal
• adaptability
• determination
• compromise

Comments

This lesson plan was developed for the allotted time I have for social studies — approximately 30 minutes each day. I became interested in this particular aspect of the Indian Removal Act and Trail of Tears while taking LEARN NC’s Native Americans in North Carolina online professional development course. I had signed up for the class because I knew little about the Cherokee, and I learned so much more than I ever expected.