LAI 521

LESSON TITLE: Iroquois Clothing

GRADE LEVEL: 4

ESTIMATED TIME:
60 minutes

OVERVIEW:
The major focus of this lesson is to gain basic knowledge of traditional Iroquois clothing.
Also, this lesson focuses on the wampum belt, with the purpose of understanding the
meaning of the wampum belt.

PREREQUISITE LEARNING:
Reading skills
Reading comprehension skills
Writing skills; i.e. paragraph formation
Recognizing patterns

STANDARDS/BENCHMARKS ADDRESSED:
New York State Common Core Writing Standard 1a. - Introduce a topic or text clearly, state
an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to
support the writers purpose.

CONNECTIONS TO OTHER TOPICS/DISICPLINES:
This lesson incorporates ELA and writing. This lesson also incorporates math through
patterns.

OBJECTIVES:
Students will learn to state an opinion backed up by information provided from a reference.
Students will be able to state an opinion using relevant and appropriate content. Also,
students will be able to answer fill in the blank and true/false questions. Furthermore,
students will be able to create and follow a color pattern.

MATERIALS:
Clothing and Regalia chapter from Life in a Longhouse Village by Bobbie Kalman
Uncooked macaroni (previously dyed purple and black using food coloring and rubbing alcohol
by the teacher)
String
What was wampum? from If You Lived With the Iroquois by Ellen Levine
What other ways was wampum used? from If You Lived With the Iroquois by Ellen Levine
Pen/Pencil
Paper

ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY:
The teacher will lead a class discussion about the reasons why we wear certain clothes (i.e.
LAI 521
shoes, hats, etc.)
The teacher will ask if any student has jewelry or knows anyone who wears jewelry, and if
they wear it for a specific reason.

INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN:
The teacher will distribute the reading Clothing and Regalia.
Students will read Clothing and Regalia independently.
The teacher will lead a class discussion comparing and contrasting Iroquois clothes to
modern clothing.
The teacher will lead a class discussion about what students like and dislike regarding the
Iroquois clothing, while consciously asking why the student thinks that.
The teacher will write the prompt on the board: Why I (like/dislike) Iroquois clothing.
Students will write an opinion paragraph answering the prompt by using Clothing and
Regalia as a reference guide.
Students will hand in their opinion paragraph.
The teacher will distribute the readings What was wampum? and What other ways was
wampum used?
Students will independently read the two previous readings.
Students will answer their Wampum Quiz worksheet, and may use the readings for
references.
Students will hand in their worksheet
The teacher will show an example of the wampum belt he/she has previously created using
colored macaroni.
The teacher will review what a pattern is.
Students will put colored macaroni (plain, black and purple) on string, following a color
pattern of their creation.
Students will tie the ends of the string together, forming their own wampum belt.

SUSTAINING, CONCLUDING, OR EXTENDING ACTIVITIES:

Students will have the option to wear their wampum belts and take them home at the end of
the day, or display them around the classroom.
This lesson can be extended to researching headwear worn by the Iroquois.
This lesson can be extended to researching more in depth use of the wampum belt (i.e. during
Iroquois council meetings).

EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT:

Students will be assessed on if their paragraph has a stated opinion (like or dislike).
Students will be assessed on if their paragraph has a minimum of 5 sentences.
Students will be assessed on if their paragraph has reasoning behind their stated opinion.
Students will be assessed on the content of their opinion (i.e. Not acceptable = I do not like
Iroquois clothing because it is ugly. Acceptable = I do not like Iroquois clothing because it
looks uncomfortable to play sports in.)
LAI 521
Students will be assessed on the completion of their Wampum quiz with an 80% accuracy.
Students will be assessed on if their wampum belt follows a color pattern.

REFERENCES

Kalman, B. (2001). Life in a Longhouse Village. New York, NY: Crabtree Publishing Company.


Levine, E. (1998). If You Lived With the Iroquois. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.


Lund, B. (1997). The Iroquois Indians. Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press.


New York State Common Core Social Studies Framework Grades K-8. (2014, March 1). .

Retrieved May 10, 2014, from

http://www.engageny.org/sites/default/files/resource/attachments/ss-framework-k-8.pdf