History Pockets: Native Americans, Grades 1-3

The teacher’s helper is precisely what this item means to me. This workbook helped me plan engaging lessons for my kiddos in elementary school. I could enhance the lessons to fit the standards my students must master for their grade level. The contents of this book gave me wonderful ideas on how to make my classroom more student-centered.

My daughter is 10, and loves crafts, but dislikes History. This was a great solution for our homeschool. We didn't do every single activity, because a few are too young for her or some are too time consuming. In general, there are some vocabulary words, cut outs, fact sheets, creative writing opportunities, and some fun crafts that are related to each tribe.If you choose to buy these books, you will need to also buy:- 12 x 18 construction paper to make the pockets- A stapler for making the pockets (we used clear duct tape for durability purposes)- A handheld paper hole puncher, and string for the binding (we used plastic gift wrap string for durability purposes)- Glue (we used liquid glue for durability purposes)- And colored pencils or markers to color the graphics, if you so desire.- ScissorsUpdate: We abandoned the construction paper pockets and now use a binder and sheet protectors. This has saved us time and it keeps everything neater.

These have been a great addition to our homeschool curriculum!!! My oldest has autism and does not do well with any form or screen time. So tablet/computer school is just not for our family! He loves history but has a hard time staying engaged! Not with these books! These give him the hands on experience to create relevant projects to what they're learning. Likewise my other son who loves crafting but hates history has had no trouble engaging in history thanks to these books! I'm truly grateful to evan moore!

A very good hands-on approach to Native American history, but we modified it a lot for our use because we wanted more depth. This could be open and go, if you just wanted a brief overview of 6 tribes of the Americas with some simple hands on activities for young elementary aged children. We used the History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations before this and my children found it to be too much cutting, pasting and coloring for them, so this time we went through each tribe and took a pick and choose approach, rather than a do it all approach. This worked very well and we had a lot of fun, but I wish that they had included a list of recommended books to go with each tribe. We skipped the Maidu completely, because our local library didn't have any books on that tribe, and added the Cherokee since they live nearby to us. This book included a little more writing than Ancient Civilizations, which I liked as my children are a little older and ready for this type of learning activity. For the Inuit, one activity was to tell/write a story the way that they did in the long winters, and for every tribe they wrote definitions to 3 words. Other activities included making a Navaho style necklace and a Seminole style headress.And we supplemented it with many other books, to make it a month long unit study. Our top contender for supplementing was  Draw Write Now Book 3 by Marie Hablitzel  : which aligns with the Iroquios and Lakota Sioux, and with a change in tribe name you can us the page on Haida for the Tlingit and change the Hopi to Navajo. (Not that these are the same tribes, but the pictures and words are generic enough since the people had enough in common in terms of geography)We also supplemented with some non-fiction on each tribe none of which stood out as a favorite for the kids, and some good legends, stories and other fiction- either read alouds or picture books, such as:Inuit:Kamik: An Inuit Puppy Story by UluadluakIce Bear and Little Fox by LondonBuilding an Igloo by SteltzerNorthwest:Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest by McDermottEagle Boy by VaughanFrog Girl by LewisThe Boy Who Lived with Seals by MartinI Heard the Owl Call my Name by CravenSouthwest:Magic of Spider Woman by DuncanHow the Stars Fell Into the Sky by OughtonThe Chief's Blanket by ChaninArrow to the Sun by McDermottPlains:The Buffalo Jump by RoopMoonstick: The Seasons of the Sioux by BuntingLegend of the Indian Paintbrush by De Paola (Reading Rainbow DVD)Northeast:Rabbit's Snow Dance by Bruchac (and others by this author)The Sun's Daughter by ShermanGhost Hawk by CooperBirchbark House by ErdrichThe Naked Bear by BierhorstSoutheast:Dancing with the Indians by MedearisThe Wonderful Sky Boat by CurrySouthern Indian Myths and Legends by BrownI haven't used A kid's guide to native American history by Dennis, but that might go well with this History Pocket as well.

I LOVE this for my 2nd grader! This adds in to the American history intro we are doing this year for him. The curriculum that I use for him does not include many creative crafts, which is not good when you have a a tactile/visual learner. So I supplement a lot and this is an excellent choice for us. We are studying Native Americans right alongside the Pilgrims and this ties in just perfectly. Even my kindergartener likes to do these with big brother. Also it makes a great keepsake and record of learning. It can be spread out all year long and you have a great "book" at the end of the year.

There is a lot of coloring in this, but that works well for us. I have a homeschooled child who is very non verbal in his learning. So these activities, fact sheets and pockets are awesome for us. We have a lot of fun doing them and they are easy to fit right in with other curriculum or books on the same subject. We've previously used Ancient Civilizations with great results and were just as happy with Native Americans.

Love these! My younger son is having so much fun doing these and my older so is doing them with us because it’s fun. Great addition to our homeschool

I think this is best for a portfolio and art. It's not bad but...twice in the Seminole section it referred to the chickees (Seminole Indian huts) being built with a platform "3 feet (9 meters)" off the ground. Three feet does not equal nine meters. In the glossary, it also confused the children by giving an inaccurate definition for hominy that was actually a description of another dish mentioned in the text, a softer, pudding like-dish. Since there was a recipe for hominy, this is really confusing to the students. Also, it is tagged as being for first to third grade but the reading level is fourth to sixth. It would be better to omit the grade level marking altogether IMO.