EGP 335

Lesson Plan
Lesson Title: Yurok
Day Number: 2
Author: Kali Iovino
Unit: Houghton Mifflin Unit 2
Grade Level: 3rd
Background Information
Expected Duration: 70 minutes
Concepts
Yurok Tribes daily environment
Vocabulary
Yurok, Environment
Skills
Comparing
Contrasting
Collaboration
Illustration
Discussion
1.1 Integration of Learning Outcomes/Objectives
Students will be able to explain the differences between our environment, food
collection/storage and view of the environment for us in the present day and the Yurok
Tribe.
Students will be able to illustrate a mural, in groups, that shows what the Yurok
Tribes environment looked like.
1.2 Standards PA Civics, History, Economics, Geography & NCSS Themes I-X
PA Standards
Geography 7.2.3.A: Identify the physical characteristics of places and regions.
Environment 4.3.3.B: Identify local natural resources.
Humans and the Environment 4.5.3.A: Identify resources humans take from
the environment for their survival
NCSS
I: Culture and Cultural Diversity
...enable learners to analyze and explain how groups, societies,
and cultures address human needs and concerns
III: People, Places, and Environment
Encourage learners to construct, use, and refine maps and mental
maps, calculate distance, scale, area, and density, and organize information
about people, places, regions, and environments in a spatial context.
IV: Individual Development and Identity
...assist learners as they work independently and cooperatively
within groups and institutions to accomplish goals

1.3 Anticipatory Set

The students will stay at their desks and the teacher will address them with,
Yesterday we learned about the Navajo Indians. What are some of the things that we
learned about the Navajo Indians? We will go over the important things that we learned
about the Navajo Indians. The teacher will focus on the way that the Navajo Indians
respected the Earth and nature around them. Today we are going to talk about another
group of Indians that lived in California and had a very similar respect for nature. This
indian tribe is called the Yurok.
1.4 Procedures
The Yurok live in California. There is still a small tribe of Yurok that live there but
we are going to focus on the Yurok that lived there hundreds of years ago.
We are going to talk about the environment that the Yurok lived in. First let's
think about the environment that we live in right now. What are some characteristics that
describe our environment? Learn the descriptions towards living in the suburbs, lots of
people, and buildings. After reading in the textbook about where the Yurok lived, what
can you tell me about their environment? Is it different than ours?
Change the slide and complete the comparing and contrasting chart about our
environment and the Yuroks environment. Fill out the compare and contrast chart on the
interactive whiteboard
The Yurok also got their food in a very different way than us. How do you think
that they got their food? From a grocery store? They used the natural resources that
they had around them. They would hunt for deer and other animals as well as, fish for
salmon in the river. They also collected acorns, berries and seeds. Do you think that
they used fishing rods like us to get their fish? What do you think they would have
used? The teacher would then ask the class about how their family gets their food. This
would be a blank slide in which we would list what the students said on the interactive
whiteboard. Do some people collect food in the same way that the Yurok collect food?
How do they do that? Next we are going to talk about how they would store their food.
But first, where do you store your food at home? Can anyone from your community
come into your house and eat your food? The Yuroks stored their food in large huts.
These huts were only for food storage and at any point anyone from the Yurok tribe
could eat the food stored there. Do you think that this is a good or bad idea?
Yesterday we talked about the Navajo Indians. Was there anything in particular
that the Navajos felt was sacred to them? (Land was sacred to them). The land was also
very sacred to the Yurok Indians. They felt as though if they were going to change the
environment around them they should do so in a way that would help the environment.
There are two ways in particular that the textbook talks about the Yurok changing their
environment does anyone remember what those two ways are? The textbook says that
they would build dams to catch fish but they would only catch enough to feed
themselves and they would let the rest go downriver, the Yurok would also need to clear
out trees and bushes to build more homes for the members of their tribe but they
understood that when they did that it would give forest pants some sunlight so they
would be able to grow. Now that we have learned about how much the Yurok held nature

sacred do you as a class think that we hold nature sacred? Many times when we interact
with nature do we do activities that enhance nature or hurt it? What are some activities
that we can do to help the environment and community that we live in? As a class? As
Individuals?
Move to the next slide. Now that we have learned so much about the Yurok tribe
I would like you to go back to your home tables! In your groups you will be creating a
mural that illustrates what you have learned about the Yurok Tribe. Ask different
students to read the slide that says what the project must include. You will have 20
minutes to complete this mural with your table groups and you can use the different
resources that are in our classroom.
1.5 Differentiation
For Students with ADHD: When we have times that we are sitting on the rug and
they cannot focused they are able to go get a yoga ball to sit and balance on while
listening to the teacher and their fellow students.
For Students who have trouble drawing or holding a pencil/marker/crayon: When
the class groups create a mural, students will be given finger paints that they can use to
illustrate the mural. Other students in their group can use the paints as well if they ask
the student kindly and respectfully.
1.6 Closure
The students will keep their murals on top of their desks and they will do a picture
walk to each groups mural to see what the other groups put on their mural. We will all
come back together on the rug. Your murals were amazing! I loved seeing the detail that
many of you included in them! After learning more about the Yurok do you have more
respect for the environment that we live in? Why? Do you think that you would enjoy
living like a Yurok indian for a day? Thank you for a wonderful day today and tomorrow
we are going to learn even more about the Yurok indians!
1.7 Formative/Summative Assessment of Students (P-12)
Formative
Questions that are asked throughout the lesson.
While the students are working on the mural the teacher will be walking around
making sure that all students are participating and that the groups are realistically
depicting how the Yurok lived their life.
1.8 Materials/Equipment/Resources
Materials
Interactive Whiteboard
Powerpoint
Mural
Large pieces of paper
crayons
markers
colored pencils
old magazines

Equipment

scissors
glue

Resources

I only used the textbook

1.9 Technology
interactive whiteboard
computer
2.1 Reflection on Planning

I found this lesson to be much harder to plan than the other lesson. I had a harder time
coming up with fun and different activities for the students to participate in. There was also only
2 pages in the textbook that address the Yurok daily life and the vocabulary words that were
highlighted by the textbook only addressed the second half of the chapter so again, I was not
sure where to really focus on. The chapter had many small section headings so once I picked
which ones to focus on it became easier to make the powerpoint and think of an end activity. I
thought a mural would be a great group activity for third grade because it requires collaboration
and showing what you learned in a different way than normal. Now that I am finished with the
lesson I am really happy with how it turned out.