INTEGRATED LITERACY

ASSIGNMENTSarah McGowan SST 309-01

GLCE: 3 – H3.0.4

Draw upon traditional stories of American Indians

(e.g., Anishinaabeg-Ojibway (Chippewa), Odawa

(Ottawa), Potawatomi; Menominee; Huron Indians)

who lived in Michigan in order to make generalizations

about their beliefs.

Magazine: The Mitten (September 2001 Issue)

PDF Version

An excellent resource

to use at the beginning

of the unit when

introducing The Three

Fires and discussing

Native American Life.

Map: “Three Fires” Territory

A visual to show students the territory

belonging to the different Native

American Tribes in Michigan in 1760.

View Online

Books:

The story of a young Ojibwa girl,

Omakayas, living on an island in

Lake Superior around 1847.

A story by a Potawatomi author about the

adventures of native trickster Coyote in

modern-day New York City.

Traditional Stories:

More legends of The Three Fires can be found on

the Detroit Historical Society Website.

Poetry:

Poems from traditional

Chippewa songs

published by Frances

Densmore in 1917.

Students could use these

two poems to draw

conclusions about some

of the beliefs of the

Chippewa tribe

Song and Dance:Traditional Three Fires Pow Wow

Three Fires Pow Wow in Riverside Park, Grand Rapids, MI.

This traditional song and dance could inspire a classroom pow wow!

Artifacts:

Snowshoes and Wampum Belt.

Birch bark baskets with quill work.

Websites:

The Three Fires Tribes of Michigan Webquest

◦ An online activity that allows students to explore

different aspects of Native American culture in Michigan

American Indian Facts for Kids

◦ An abundance of facts about the different

Native American Tribes from Michigan.

Lesson Plans:

Exploring Native American Tribes

- This lesson plan utilizes the mitten

magazine issue to introduce students to the

lives and beliefs of The Three Fires.

Before 1701 — The People of the Three Fires

- A comprehensive unit on the three fires from detroithistorical.org

APA Citations- Michigan History. (2001, September 1). The Three Fires. The Mitten.

- De Montano, M., & Coffin, T. (1998). Coyote in love with a star. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of the American Indian.

- Erdrich, L. (1999). The birchbark house. New York: HyperionBooks for Children.

- The Three Fires Tribes of Michigan Webquest. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014.

- Lewis, O. (n.d.). The American Indian Facts for Kids Pages. Retrieved November 1, 2014.

- Hock, D. (2013, June 18). Three Fires Pow Wow [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg4MTs0rWV8

- McGrath, K. (2008, November 9). Lesson Plan #4247. Exploring Native American Tribes. Retrieved November 1, 2014.

- Densmore, F. (1917). Poems from Sioux and Chippewa songs. Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://library.si.edu/digital-

library/book/poemsfromsioux00dens

- Loon Lake Elementary School. (n.d.). The Three Fires. Retrieved November 1, 2014, from

http://www.wlcsd.org/Loonlake.cfm?subpage=1249240

- Detroit Historical Society. (2011). Section 1: Before 1701 — The People of the Three Fires. Retrieved November 2, 2014.

- Detroit Historical Society | Where the past is present. (n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2014