Indiana Social Studies 5.H.1
The Standard
Identify and describe early cultures and settlements that existed in North America prior to contact with Europeans.
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students locate Indigenous communities in North America before European arrival. They describe where people lived, how they got food, and what they built, using maps, images, and short readings.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can place Cahokia near the Mississippi River and Mesa Verde in the Southwest. They can describe Cahokia’s earthen mounds and the stone dwellings at Mesa Verde, using an image or reading as evidence.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think every Indigenous community lived in a tipi or moved constantly. They may also think these peoples disappeared, rather than recognizing that Indigenous nations exist today.
How to Assess It
- On an exit ticket, have students mark Cahokia and Mesa Verde on a blank map. Ask them to write one detail about how people lived at each place.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs a blank map, two site photos, and short fact cards; have them place Cahokia and Mesa Verde and label one feature of each.
Ask, “What do a Cahokia mound and a Mesa Verde dwelling tell us about each community, and what can they not tell us?”
Play a matching game with cards for Cahokia, Mesa Verde, Mississippi River, Southwest, earthen mound, and stone dwelling; require a reason for each match.
Locate a nearby tribal nation's headquarters on its official website, then mark it on a current map to show Indigenous communities today.
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Printable 5.H.1 Worksheet
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