Geography affects culture. Indian tribes had their own histories, cultures, systems of government and law, and understandings of how to live in the world.
Historians use a variety of methods, tools, and techniques to find out about the past.
Pre-Columbian Indians had cultures worthy of respect. This unit, like all those in this curriculum, is rooted in the belief that schools and curriculum should be learner centered. I provide a framework that is developmentally appropriate, offers interdisciplinary opportunities, and allows for the interrelatedness of content and skills. Methodology that emphasizes cooperative learning and the pursuit of individual interest provides students with the opportunity for in-depth study and research. Students should realize that the people and the happenings in America prior to the 1500s were important and are relevant to both subsequent units of instruction and to ongoing changes in American society today.