Second grade has been studying all about Native Americans who lived in the Woodlands, the Plains, the Southwest and the Northwest of America. Each area was explored with regard to how the Native Americans were affected by their area’s individual characteristics and environments. The children enjoyed learning through reading, social studies, research, math, science, digital and oral presentations, language arts skills, writing, videos and geography throughout these studies.

Students were given a “menu” to learn through. This means there were “appetizers” and “main courses” for them to choose from. All learned the same material in a variety of ways. They loved the flexibility of choice. For instance, in the Woodland area, children chose two of three “desserts.” An example is that the children may choose making a wampum belt or a false face or thunderbird design pouch.

Some of the highlights were scientifically exploring and making the homes of Native Americans in these various areas. The children had to work collaboratively to plan, create, and physically build their structures. Their designs were outstanding! It was also astounding to see the second graders produce their own slides through Google classroom!

Throughout the unit the children worked in assigned groups. Finally, the students created a shared poster to display their understandings of their region, which they then presented to the class. Their cooperative efforts are exemplary of how much children can learn working together.