Middle School Unit 4 US History

Office of Native Education Branding

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Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3

Contemporary Voices Along the Lewis and Clark Trail – Chapter 4

Development and Struggles in the West: The Dawes Act

Historical Era

1870 – 1900: Assimilation

STI Unit Overview

This unit explores the continued impact of assimilation to tribal nations resulting from the General Allotment Act of 1887 (also known as the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887).

Level 1

Students engage in activities using learning strategies to build vocabulary to understand the history of allotment, are introduced to the General Allotment Act of 1887, and consider the continued impacts of allotment to tribal nations today.

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Level 2

These lessons focus learning stories that explain how American Indian tribes originated as a distinct and unique people and the importance of place as the foundation of worldview and cultural heritage.

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Level 3

Students develop skills to analyze primary documents, maps, and letters to examine the pros and cons, and implications of the Dawes Act for Native Americans. Students will complete either the Why History? or Causes of Conflict CBA.

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STI Essential Questions

  1. What are the ways in which Tribes respond to the threats and outside pressure to extinguish their cultures and independence?

Standards for Social Studies, English Language Arts, Environmental and Sustainability Education, and Social Emotional Learning

OSPI-Developed Assessments for Social Studies

Unit Developed By

Jerry Price
Updated 2017 by Paula Scott (Cherokee), Teacher
and Dr. Laura Lynn