1. Focus and Review

     We have been reading My Side of the Mountain.  In the book, Sam Gribley lives off of the land for one year.  How many of you think that this is possible?  Do you think that the plants that are found in our area of the country could support life for a whole year with no supplements?  Think about your ancestors.  How did the Cherokee survive here?

2. Objectives

     2.1 Use technology tools to collect, analyze, and display data. (SI)

• The students will use the Library of Congress web site and other Internet sites to locate information on medicinal herbs and plants of the Cherokee.
• The students will use the Library of Congress web site and other Internet sites to locate and save information on Cherokee history.
• The students will create two multimedia presentations on Cherokee medicinal herbs and plants and Cherokee history using Power point and Windows media player.

3. Teacher Input

After reading My Side of the Mountain:
Discuss the way Sam used plants that he found in order to survive in the wild in New York State.
A Cherokee Elder will be invited to come in and share traditional uses of Native Plants.

4. Guided Practice

   The students will share remedies that they are familiar with, using plants from the Cherokee area.  The class will view an example Power Point presentation from a previous class and discuss the elements of a good Power Point presentation.

5. Independent Practice

Search the LOC for resources on various native plants and digital photography of the plants, if available.  After the students have searched the LOC, they will be permitted to search other Internet and primary sources to locate the information they need.  Students will create a Power Point presentation on the plants to present to the class.
Below are listed a couple of print books that are available for student use in creating their presentation.

• Densmore, Frances. How Indians Use Wild Plants For Food, Medicine and Crafts.  Dover Publications, INC: New York  1974.
• Busch, Phyllis S.  Illustrated by Anne Ophelia Dowden. Wildflowers and the Stories Behind Their Names. Charles Scribner's Sons: New York  1977.

The students will present their Power Point presentations to the class.
As a science project, the class will plant a small traditional herb garden in the spring, using traditional Cherokee methods.  The Cultural Summer School class will take care of the garden during the summer months.  In the fall of the year, when the students come back, they will be allowed to continue tending the garden until harvest time.

Heather Payne / AAM Unit Plan / Index