Lesson Plans and Worksheets
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- 08-22-11
Buffalo Lesson Plans
Find teacher approved Buffalo lesson plan ideas and activities
Students explore time and distance measurement. In this cross curriculum measurement and Native American culture lesson plan, students listen to the story The Buffalo Jump by Peter Roop and describe the job of a buffalo runner. Students use ten foot strings to measure how far their classmates can run in ten seconds. Students record these distances on sticky notes and make a bar graph with the notes. Students analyze their data to determine who would be a good buffalo runner.
Seventh graders examine how the Plains Indians vied with white commercial buffalo hunters for the millions of Great Plains buffalo. They create an illustrated broadside supporting the interests of either the Indians or the commercial hunters.
Students view a documentary on the different values and meaning placed on the buffalo. Examining various cultures, they link the attitudes to the treatment of the animal in the wild. They develop solutions to the conflict raised by the use of the buffalo.
Eighth graders complete a KWL chart on the Plains Indians. After watching a video, they state the difference between legends and facts about the importance of the buffalo to Native Americans. They also practice their note-taking skills while watching the video and reflec in their journals.
Learners compile and interpret data to present graphical representations of Buffalo's economy during the Great Depression. They calculate the unemployment and inflation rates, create a spreadsheet, and create a poster.
Seventh graders examine how the Plains Indians vied with white commercial buffalo hunters for the millions of Great Plains buffalo. They create an illustrated broadside supporting the interests of either the Indians or the commercial hunters.
Students discuss the significance of the buffalo in their Native American community. They interview elders and take a field trip to a buffalo pasture. They conduct research in the library about how the buffalo was used in the livelihood of the Sioux and make a list of all the parts of the buffalo that were used in ceremonies.
Fourth graders comprehend why the buffalo was an important part of Native American culture. They also comprehend that the buffalo was valuable resource that provided people of the plain with food, clothing, and tools. Students watch a video called "The Plains World" and then discuss the movie.
Students investigate the role of the buffalo soldiers. In this African American history lesson, students research the African American soldiers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Students discuss their findings and compose songs that memorialize the buffalo soldiers.
Students emerge themselves into the world of the Plain Indians by discussing what they know about them and completing research to further their knowledge. In this Native American lesson, students create a dream catcher, a poster of the uses of the buffalo, and students write a story about a fictional Indian child in the 1860's.
