Time: 60 Minutes
Grades: 2-12
Your students will journey back in time to learn about the unique relationship between Native Americans and the bison. They will learn how the native people of the Great Plains utilized the bison in their every day life. They will see preserved bison biofacts (including pelt, skull, bones, stomach, brain, and more) and the Native American artifacts that were made from the bison.
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North American Bison Culture:
This is our most popular program that we offer!
During your Virtual Field Trip, your students will learn all about the connection between the North American Bison and the Native Americans that called the Great Plains home, during the mid 1600s and the mid 1800s. This corresponds to when the horse first arrived on the plains through when the bison were nearly exterminated.
We will begin by talking about the bison, where they lived historically, and why they are so amazing. Next, we will learn all about how the Native Americans of the Great Plains used the bison for their everyday lives. We'll discuss how the they utilized the bison for food, what they made from bison leather, what tools and weapons they made from bison bones, how they used the bison organs, and how they utilized other bison objects like horns and hooves.
During this program, your students will be able to see actual bison biofacts – including a bison pelt, skull, various bones, bladder, stomach, brains, intestine, tanned skin, rawhide, hooves, and horns! They will also be able to see Native American artifacts that were made from these objects. This includes weapons, tools, clothing, bags, artwork, and more!
Bison Culture Classroom Curriculum:
In addition to this field trip, we have created an engaging and educational set of classroom activities that dive into same time period and topic. This curriculum is not meant to be an exhaustive dissertation on the subject, but instead a series of activities that teachers can use to bring this important moment in history to life. As such, we have curated a list of educational videos and created unique classroom activities that can be plugged directly into what you're already teaching in your classroom.
The Bison Culture Classroom Curriculum was designed to meet Kindergarten through 2nd grade social studies standards, focusing heavily on 2nd grade. If your school uses the Wit and Wisdom curriculum, you'll find these activities dovetail wonderfully with what you're learning. Teachers of 3rd grade through 5th grade students will find that many of these activities can be used with their students as well.
These activities were created with guidance from Native American Cultural Centers, Wyoming Board of Education, and teachers. Like with the education trunk, this curriculum is offered free of charge to all teachers, schools, and other organizations. The file box below has the Complete Teacher Book, as well as the individual activities.
Follow Up Kahoot (Optional):
After you've gone through the Virtual Field Trip, you can use the Kahoot quiz below to test your students' knowledge and memory. You can show this quiz on your projector or smartboard and go through it as a class, or you can have the students log in on classroom devices. Unlike a normal Kahoot game, there will be no time limits on the questions. Please note, since I have the Kahoot set up to run for the entire year, the "podium" will not show up after your class is done.
Bison Culture Classroom Curriculum Files:
Bison Culture Curriculum Files
Videos for the Bison Culture Classroom Activities:
Please Note: A couple videos mentioned in the curriculum are not shot and/or uploaded yet, but will be uploaded in the next few weeks.
Video for Section 3: Hunting
Video for Section 4: Pemmican and Jerky (A new version of this video will be uploaded at a later time)
Video for Section 6: Story Telling
Videos for Section 7: Winter Counts
Video for Section 8: Parfleches