The Cherokee Indians and the Trail of Tears

A WebQuest for 4th Grade Social StudiesDesigned by

Sharon Burnsidesburnside@brenau.edu

IntroductionIntroduction task Process Lesson/ Assig

nmentEvaluation Credits

You have recently completed the book Only the Names Remain: The Cherokee and the Trail of Tears by Bealer and Rodanas. The book depicted the life of the Cherokee before the influence of white man through their journey from Georgia to Kansas on the trail of tears. Due to President Andrew Jackson and the colonists forcibly removing the Cherokee from their homeland in 1838, one in four Cherokee died on the trail and with them much of their traditional Cherokee way of life. Through the learning experiences provided on this webquest you will attain a deeper understanding of the Cherokee culture and their plight.

Task: A Time Travel Mission! You have been asked by the United States Government to be

the first kid to travel through time! Your mission; to travel to 1838 to document first hand the Cherokee plight on the Trail of Tears. Before you depart however, you must prove you have adequate knowledge of the event to use on your trip. To prepare you will read Only The Names Remain: The Cherokees and The Trail of Tears by Bealer and Rodanas and successfully complete webquest activities.

Process to Participate in Web Quest• Step 1: Read Only the Names Remain: The

Cherokee and the Trail of Tears by Bealer and Rodanas.

• Step 2: Click on links for each activity and follow instructions to receive full credit. Do not stray from recommended links.

• Step 3: Reflect on the designated chapters as you complete each activity. Complete graphic organizers as directed and record activities in Trail of Tears journal. Staple graphic organizers into journal.

It’s All In a Name!• Review Chapter 1: Cherokee Names•The Cherokee were given names that reflected their talents, roles they held in their tribes, personalities, and/or physical appearances. Go to one the appropriate links below and select a name that you will use on your journey. • Male Cherokee Names or Female Cherokee Names• Record your Cherokee name in your time travel log and explain why you selected that name.

Home Is Where the Heart Is!•Review Chapter 2: Before White Man•Click on the following link and explore the types of housing the Cherokee Indians built in the 1800’s. Wattle and Daub houses•Click on the graphic organizer link, print up the worksheet, and compare Cherokee housing of the past with modern day homes.Venn Diagram to Compare Housing Types . After you print the diagram click “back” to returnhere.

Before the Conflict•ReviewChapters Three and Four•As mentioned in the book, the Cherokee learned quite a few things from the White Men before there were any conflicts.•Click on the following links and discover more about what the Cherokee learned from the settlers. White man influences Cherokee History• Click on the Star Organizer link and print up the graphic organizer. Write “White Man Influences” in the center star and then four things the Cherokee learned from the settlers. After you print the organizer click on the “back” link to return here. Star Organizer

Listening, Watching, Learning… Storytelling

•Review Chapters 5-7. In these chapters you learned that storytelling was the primary way the Cherokee shared their history, legends, and faith.

•Click on the following link. Read about the storytelling tradition and watch a Cherokee storyteller share a traditional legend. Story Telling

•In your Time Travel Preparation Log reflect on the story and the experience of watching the story being told. Answer the following questions in paragraph form. What was the story about? How did the storyteller use her voice and motions to tell the story? What did you learn from the story?

Tsalagi; The Cherokee Language•Review Chapter 7- In this Chapter you learned about Sequoyah, the man who invented Tsalagi, the written Cherokee Language.•Read a brief biography on Sequoyah and his creating of the “Talking Leaves” by clicking on the following link. Biographical link •In your log define Tsalagi and briefly explainwhy white men referred to it as “Talking Leaves.”

Without a Home; Without Hope•Review Chapter 8: Hope and Despair. The Cherokee were forced to leave their homeland with very little time to prepare for a long and dangerous. The lack of preparation resulted in many deaths and a lack of hope for an entire race of people. This sense of despair is evident in Cherokee music and art.• Listen to parts of traditional Cherokee music and view a Trail of Tears inspired piece of art. Trail of Tears Song Sample Cherokee Flutes Trail of Tears Art•In your journal write a paragraph about how the songs and art make you feel. What emotions do the artists communicate?

The Legend of the Cherokee Rose

•The Georgia State Flower is the Camille Rose, also known as the Cherokee Rose. Click on the link to learn the Legend surrounding this flower. Legend of the Cherokee Rose

•In your journal draw a picture of the Cherokee Rose and write a one paragraph summary of the flower’s legend.

All in the Name of Gold•Review chapters 9 &10. Consider how the plight of the Cherokee was largely due to the settlers desire to mine gold.

•Interact with the maps on the following links. In your log compare the size of the Cherokee Territories before and after the gold rush and the Trail of Tears. Interactive map Comparison Maps

On the Trail of Tears…

You have read about the journey and traced the trail. Now click on the following link and scroll to the poem entitled The Trail of Tears by Brian Childes. Consider the great suffering of an entire tribe on our soil. By remembering we prevent repetition of the same mistakes. The Trail of Tears Poem

On the Trail of Tears…

Another Time, Another Place… It Could Have Been Me!

•You have read a book about the Trail of Tears, learned about the Cherokee culture, and experienced Cherokee art. Now close your eyes and imagine that you are one of the Cherokee forced on the Trail. •Write three journal entries from the perspective of a Cherokee before, during and after the Trail of Tears. Imagine you have survived and briefly describe your experience.

EvaluationProject Description Did not include

significant elements of activity- 0 points

Missing some significant elements of project- 1 point

Included nearly all requirements of the project- 2 points

Fully met all requirements of project- 3 points

Selected a name and recorded rationale.

Completed Venn Diagram Comparison.

Completed Star Diagram.

Wrote reflection on storytelling.

Defined Tsalagi .

Reflected on art forms.

Drew flower and wrote summary.

Compared maps.

Journal entry 1

Journal entry 2

Journal entry 3

Credits and References• Male Cherokee Names or Female Cherokee Names• Wattle and Daub houses• White man influences Cherokee History• White man influences Cherokee History• Story Telling• Cherokee Biographical link • Trail of Tears Song Sample Cherokee Flutes

Trail of Tears Art• Legend of the Cherokee Rose• Interactive map Comparison Maps• The Trail of Tears Poem• Enchanted Learning

Comparison of Cherokee Waddle and Daub Houses to Your House

Compare Your Home to the Cherokee Homes

Back

Identify Four Things the Cherokee Learned from the White Man.

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