Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes Activity Plan
Overview
This activity was produced in conjunction with The Library of Congress and the TPS at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
This activity will allow learners to
- investigate and explain how different groups of people were treated in the past, and the ways in which that treatment changed over time
- identify injustice in multiple forms
- identify ways in which groups become marginalized
This lesson leads students through several major events in the history of the Cheyenne & Arapaho tribes, and asks that they use primary source documents to describe the ways in which the treatment and perception of the tribes changed over time in southern Colorado.
Crossroads of History
Activity Plan Template
Non-classroom setting
| Program Title | Instructional Level | Target Audience | |||
| TPS Western Region Location | Middle School | 8th grade |
| Resources Used(Details on what research you conducted, citations for sources used to create activities, etc.)Social Justice Standards Diversity 10 DI.6-8.10 I can explain how the way groups of people are treated today, and the way they have been treated in the past, shapes their group identity and culture. Justice 12 JU.6-8.12 I can recognize and describe unfairness and injustice in many forms including attitudes, speech, behaviors, practices and laws. | |
| Library of Congress Teacher Resources Additional sources:Byram, Timothy & Betty Lupinacci (ed.). “Litigating Memory: The Legal Case Behind the Moiwana and Sand Creek Massacres.” In Custodia Legis, Law Librarians of Congress, Library of Congress, 11 August 2015, https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2015/08/litigating-memory-the-legal-case-behind-the-moiwana-and-sand-creek-massacres/.Geological Survey, U.S, and United States Indian Claims Commission. Indian Land Areas Judicially Established. Reston, Va.: The Survey, 1978. Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/80695449/.Jenks, Daniel A., Artist. Bents Fort. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/2004661632/.Kelman, Ari. A Misplaced Massacre: Struggling Over the Memory of Sand Creek. Harvard University Press, 2013.Lavender, David. Bent’s Fort. University of Nebraska Press, 1954. “Language and Culture.” Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes, 2021. https://cheyenneandarapaho-nsn.gov.National Park Service. Bent’s Trading Post at Big Timbers. U.S. Department of the Interior, https://www.nps.gov/safe/learn/historyculture/upload/Bents-Trading-Post-at-Big-Timbers-508.pdf National Park Service. Why a Massacre? U.S. Department of the Interior, https://www.nps.gov/safe/learn/historyculture/upload/Why-a-Massacre-508.pdf. Royce, Charles C, and Cyrus Thomas. Indian land cessions in the United States. 1899. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/13023487/. “Sand Creek Massacre.” National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, https://www.nps.gov/sand/index.htm. |
| Introductory Text/ Program justification(Describe the marginalized people whose stories and history within your community you will be teaching about through these activities, and why their stories must be shared at this point in history.) | The Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes faced, like many other tribes, numerous injustices at the hands of the United States government. Following friendly relationships with white settlers, government agents, and military members at Bent’s Fort, and during peace discussions with the US government, over 150 members–mostly women and children–of the tribe were killed at the Sand Creek Massacre in November 1864. Following the tragic events of the Sand Creek Massacre, the government mandated reparations. However, those reparations still remain undefined and unpaid. In 2007, the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic site was founded and can be visited today. The Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes live in Oklahoma.This lesson/activity will be an introduction to the history of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes and will focus on the government’s actions in removing the tribes from their ancestral land and connecting this story to the larger story of Indian Removal.Objective: We will analyze the ways in which treatment and perceptions of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes changed over time by discussing maps and brief readings. |
| Materials needed:(What supplies do you need to do this activity with your learners?) | -Students will need access to printouts of primary sources, access on computers with links to the primary sources, or a visual display of the primary sources. |
| Technology:(What technology will you need to complete this activity?) | -Internet access or pre-printed materials-Computer(All of these are required in preparation for the activity, not for the activity itself) |
| Consumables & Copies:(What materials do you need to provide for learners to use during this activity that can not be reused during another cohort?) | -Printouts of primary source maps-Printouts of NPS pamphlets-Discussion question sheets -Discussion sentence starters |
| LOC Primary Source links(Attach links here to documents, videos, any materials from your LOC research that you will be sharing with learners during this program.) | https://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?hlaw:3:./temp/~ammem_KgF9:: https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3701em.gct00002/?sp=9 https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3701e.ct008649/?r=-0.16,-0.112,1.382,0.842,0https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsc.04810/ |
| Entry Activity/Task | https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3701e.ct008649/?r=-0.16,-0.112,1.382,0.842,0https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsc.04810/ In groups of 2-3, students will review the two documents provided (linked above) and will be asked to locate Bent’s Fort from the illustration on the map. They will then be asked to determine which tribe has claimed the land, and then to develop 1-3 questions using both of the documents. In a traveling expert activity, each group will choose 1 member to visit 2 other groups and exchange 1 question. The traveling expert will then return to their own group and report on the questions generated by the other groups. Teacher will record questions in a central location during the traveling expert activity to reference later.1-2 minute lecture explaining the purpose of the map. This map was created in 1978 to show the areas where tribes have proven historic tribal occupancy. This was well after treaties and relocation have taken place, but do show areas that tribes claim were historical–before 1978–homelands.Take time to review the questions and see if any student-generated questions have been answered through the lecture. |
| Focused Activity/Task | Students will read (either independently or in groups), the pamphlet entitled “Bent’s Trading Post at Big Timbers,” and then participate in a guided discussion.Discussion questions: 1)Based on this pamphlet, how were the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes treated and/or perceived at Bent’s Fort?2)Make a prediction about what might happen to this perception or treatment as a)the US Army occupied the old fort, b)as the cholera epidemic affects the Cheyenne tribe, and c)as Bent’s New Fort closes. Why do you think so? (Teacher should circulate and listen to group discussions).Take time to highlight some positives from the discussion i.e. “I heard ____ use one of our sentence stems.” “I noticed that ____ referenced one of our documents.”Debrief the discussion by sharing some content information overheard, or address misconceptions, soliciting suggestions and thoughts from students.Introduce second map (https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3701em.gct00002/?sp=9&r=0.509,0.287,0.4,0.306,0) Students will compare and contrast the area of the Cheyenne & Arapaho tribes on the two maps (area 477 on second map). As needed, use the following discussion questions: -Which area of land is larger? Which is smaller? What can we infer about the treatment and perception of the tribes at the hands of white settlers and the US Army based on these maps? |
| Conclusion Activity/Task(Descriptions and details of what activities you will provide for your learners to present to them the primary source materials from the LOC.) | Students will read (either independently or in groups), the pamphlet entitled “Why a Massacre?”Thumbs up/thumbs down check for understanding. Take time to answer any questions students might have.Exit ticket question/discussion: In what ways did the treatment and perception of the Cheyenne & Arapaho tribes change over time? -Based on these documents, what are the implications for the Cheyenne & Arapaho tribes between these documents and our current time? In other words, make a prediction for what might have happened to the Cheyenne & Arapaho tribes after these events. |
| Assessment of Student Learning (How will you determine if your learners have completed the activity? How will you determine if your learners have used the primary sources from LOC to understand the history of the marginalized people that are your activity focus?) | The assessment of this activity will primarily take place based on the discussions that students have throughout the lesson/activity. Follow-up questions may be added or scaffolded to help students attain the desired understandings from this lesson. The conclusion activity/task of writing or narrating a brief overview of the broad history of the Cheyenne & Arapaho tribes from Bent’s Fort to the peace talks with the US government will provide the final assessment. Student responses should include loss of land, access to |
| Student Learning Accommodations & Modifications (How will you adapt your activity plans for learners who are differently abled? Will you provide alternate paths to activity completion? Aid or peer support?) | All elements of this lesson can involve a greater or lesser extent of teacher guidance or aid. A teacher may read the written materials aloud, allow for or translate as needed. Activity is mainly based on the sharing of ideas between peers in discussion, and teacher can scaffold questions and provide sentence stems to students as needed. |
| Multicultural Considerations(What specific considerations should be made for any other community program leader who might teach this activity in the future? Are there specific facts that should be noted while researching? Specific books that should be included? Please note your recommendations here.) |
Discussion starters
In the document, I noticed that ______________. This made me think that ______________.
When I look at the document, I wonder ______________.
Based on the document, _____________.
The document suggests that __________ because _________.
One implication of the document is _________________. I think this because ___________.
Adapted from template by Creator: Morgen Larsen for NCCE.org
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