Navajos

This past week my kiddos have been learning about the Navajos.  Since we are a Core Knowledge school we have to teach about one Native American Tribe.  We decided to teach about the Navajos.  On the Core Knowledge website, they have lesson plans already created that are wonderful!  They are always so much fun to teach and the students always love learning the concepts.  The website already had an awesome lesson plan made out for teaching about the Navajos.  I used that lesson plan but I added my own style to it.

The unit started out by teaching the students where the Navajos live and how we should call them Native Americans.  Once the students learned that the Navajos live in the 4 corners, we talked about what the 4 corners is made up of.  We talked about the weather of a desert and what a desert looked like. (I made a Smartboard lesson to go with this lesson so the students would have visuals).  Then the students drew a desert on white paper.  A sentence went on the paper to explain that the Navajos live in the desert.  Then we put glue on the desert and added sand to it.

Next we talked about how important the sheep is to the Navajos and what they use sheep for.  Then the students colored a sheep and added cotton balls for the wool.  Then we added a sentence about the sheep.

Next we talked about how the sheep's wool is used to create yarn.  The Navajos women use the yarn to make rugs.  We talked about how the Navajo men make a loom for the women to create their rug on.  Then the students each got to weave their own rug.  My students were amazing at weaving.  Usually it is difficult for my class, but this years class has some awesome weavers.

 

Then we added a sentence about the rug so parents would know why the students created a rug.

Then we talked about what the Navajos live in.  We compared the homes of the Navajos to the Wampanoag tribe since most students are familiar with tee pees.  We discussed how the Hogan has the opening to the East.  Then the students got to make their own Hogan.  They painted a bowl with brown paint and sand.  Then they added a sentence explaining what it is. 

Then we talked about the jewelry that the Navajos make.  Then the students make their own bracelet with blue beads representing the turquoise. 

Last we talked about the sand-paintings that the Navajos make.  We watched a video showing how they make them.  The students always think the paints are so cool.  Then the students get a paper plate and draw a symbol on it.  Then they trace it in glue and then cover it with sand to create their own sand-painting.

Everyday we review what we know about the Navajos.  It is always a fun way to teach the class about them and the students are always so excited to learn about them.  If you want more information on this unit, please go to the Core Knowledge website and check under lessons.  It is a kindergarten Social Studies lesson.

Thanks for stopping by!