Heritage: Dwellings of the 5 Major Native American Indian Tribes of Utah

Summary

Students will create a diorama showing at least one type of dwelling used by the 5 Native American Tribes of Utah.

Materials

Students may use natural and man-made materials for the dioramas.

Background for Teachers

Students should be familiar with the geographical features and location of the 5 Native American Tribes of Utah including the climate, natural resources, products and materials available for dwelling construction. Also, students should know the hunting and gathering techniques used by the people within each tribe.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will know the types of dwellings, location of dwellings and reason for the dwellings constructed by the 5 Native American Tribes of Utah by creating a diorama.

Instructional Procedures

Review the Essential Questions
Teachers will discuss and show examples of the different types of dioramas (shoe box, cardboard frame, etc.) and the materials that can be used to construct figures in the diorama (clay, sticks, wood, rocks, dirt, miniature figures). Students should be encouraged not to purchase any materials to construct the diorama but find materials at home and outdoors.

The teacher could send a note home to parents explaining the assignment.

As a homework assignment, each student will construct a diorama showing the geographical features of a specific area and the type of dwelling used by the people living in that area.

Students will write a one page report explaining why the tribe used that particular dwelling, where they lived, and give their report orally to the class while displaying their diorama.

Dioramas should be displayed in an area that is accessible to all the students in the school. Each report should be included with the diorama.

Extensions

Students could work in cooperative groups to construct their own 'child-size' wickiup, tepee, or hogan on the playground or in the classroom.

Bibliography

McCormick, John The Utah Adventure (Gibbs-Smith, )

Alexander, Thomas G. Utah The Right Place (Gibbs-Smith, )