Native American Regions

Parents: We are beginning a 3 week unit on Native Americans. We will start by learning the different regions of the US that Native Americans lived in. We are also learning vocabulary for this unit. This weeks test will be over the vocabulary (your children have notes with the terms) and labeling the regions.

Students: Study your vocabulary! Here is a map with the regions. You can click here to go to the site we used in class to learn more about each region.

Vocabulary:

Glaciers: slow moving sheets of ice
When the Native Americans reached Alaska, glaciers blocked their path.

Migration: movement of people that takes place very slowly
The Native Americans migrated from Asia through North and South America.

Archaeologists: scientist who studies cultures of people from long ago
Archaeologists think that a land bridge existed between Asia and Alaska.

Artifacts: objects made by early people
An arrowhead is a Native American artifact.

Descendant: a person's relative who is born after they are
Native American decendants carry on a lot of the traditions from long ago.

Origin Stories: stories about the beginnings of Native American people
In one origin story, the world formed from a single grain of sand.

Ancestors: relatives that came before you
Native Americans have learned origin stories from their ancestors.

Nomads: wanderers who moved from place to place
Many Native Americans were nomads who followed their animals wherever they went.

Agriculture: farming; growing your own crops
When the Native Americans discovered agriculture, they could produce their own crops.

Tribe: group of Native Americans who share the same language and customs
There were over 80 different Native American tribes in the pacific northwest.

Pueblo: Native American homes
Some pueblos were built on the side of cliffs.

Time Line: shows events that took place during a certain period of time
Decade: 10 years
Century: 100 years
Millennium: 1,000 years