Two 45-minute class periods
When we think of ancient cultures in
the New World, the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas come to mind. Yet
here in Louisiana lies evidence of a culture that extends back
as far as 1350 BC. The prehistoric people of Poverty Point created
an earthen structure so immense that it was unrecognizable from
the ground. In the 1950’s, an aerial photograph was discovered
that pictured huge earthen ridges and mounds that were not a
product of natural geological formation.
Through the video and web activities in this lesson, students
will examine the structures and artifacts of Poverty Point in
order to understand the cultural aspects of North American prehistoric
people and the role of archeologists in preserving our past.
With the use of web site, film and text, analyze and illustrate
the roles of the people past and present that had an impact
on this historic site.
Social Studies, History
The student will:
• List the reasons the Poverty Point inhabitants chose
that site.
• Illustrate in story form the roles of people past and
present at Poverty Point.
• Describe the mound formations and their purpose.
• Analyze the role of an archaeologist, geoscientist, and
historic site manager in the preservation of our history.
United States History Standards for grades 5-12
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs/standards/worldera1.html
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs/standards/worldera2.html
Standard 1A: Describe types of evidence and methods of
investigation that anthropologist, archaeologists, and other
scholars have used to reconstruct early human evolution and
cultural development.
Standard 2B: Analyze differences between hunter-gatherer
and agrarian communities in economy, social organization, and
quality of living.
Louisiana Social Studies Content Standards
http://www.doe.state.la.us/DOE/asps/home.asp
Geography:
Physical and Cultural Systems
Students develop a spatial understanding of Earth’s surface
and the processes that shape it, the connections between people
and places, and the relationship between man and his environment.
Places and Regions
G-1B-M1: Explaining and analyzing both the physical and
human phenomena associated with specific places, including precipitation
and settlement patterns.
G-1B-M4: Describing and explaining how personal interests,
culture, and technology affect people’s perceptions and
uses of places and regions.
Environment and Safety
G-1D-M1: Analyzing and evaluating the effects of human
actions upon the physical environment.
Historical Thinking Skills
H-1C-M1: Describing the earliest human communities.
Louisiana History
H-1D-M1: Describing the contributions of people, events,
movements and ideas that have been significant in the history
of Louisiana.
United States History
Standards for Grades 5-12
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs/standards/era5-5-12.html
Standard 1A: Explain the causes of the Civil War and
evaluate the importance
of slavery as a principle cause of the conflict.
Standard 3B: Explain the economic and social problems
facing the South and
appraise their impact on different social groups.
Louisiana English Language Arts Content
Standards,
http://www.doe.state.la.us/DOE/asps/home.asp
ELA-1-M4: Interpreting texts with supportive explanations
to generate connections to real-life situations and other texts.
ELA-1-M5: Using purposes for reading (e.g., enjoying,
learning, researching, problem solving) to achieve a variety
of objectives.
ELA-2-M4: using narration, description, exposition, and
persuasion to develop various modes of writing.
ELA-4-M3: Using the features of speaking when giving
rehearsed and unrehearsed presentations.
ELA-4-M5: Listening and responding to a wide variety
of media.
ELA-5-M2: Locating and evaluating information sources.
ELA-6-M2: Identifying, comparing, and responding to a
variety of classic and contemporary literature from many genres.
ELA-7-M3: Analyzing the effects of an author’s purpose
and point of view.
ELA-7-M4: Distinguishing fact from opinion and probability,
skimming and scanning for facts, determining cause and effect,
inductive and deductive reasoning, generating inquiry, and making
connections with real-life situations across texts.
Louisiana Social Studies Content Standards
http://www.doe.state.la.us/DOE/asps/home.asp
Places and Regions
G-1B-M4: Describing and explaining how personal interests,
culture, and technology affect people’s perceptions and uses
of places and regions.
G-1C-M7: Explaining how cooperation and conflict among
people contribute to the political divisions on Earth’s surface.
Foundations of the American Political System
C-1B-M2: Identifying and describing the historical experiences
and the geographic, social, and economic factors that have helped
to shape American political culture.
Historical Thinking Skills
H-1A-M2: Demonstrating historical perspective through the
political, social, and economic context in which an event or idea
occurred.
H-1A-M3: Analyzing the impact that specific individuals,
ideas, events, and decisions had on the course of history.
United States History
H-1B-M12: describing the causes and course of the Civil
War and examining the impact of the war on the American people.
Louisiana History
H-1D-M1: describing the contributions of people, events,
movements, and ideas that have been significant in the history
of Louisiana.
H-1D-M3:
identifying and discussing the major conflicts in Louisiana’s
past.
Video:
Poverty Point Earthworks: Evolutionary Milestones of the
Americas
Web Sites:
Poverty Point Earthworks: Evolutionary Milestones of the
Americas
http://www.lpb.org/programs/povertypoint/pp_transcript.html
This Web site examines the ancient earthworks of the Poverty
Point Native Americans, a development that may have begun 6,500
years ago. Archeologists discuss where and why the mounds were
developed, the artifacts found, and the possible lifestyle of
these people.
• Pencil and paper
• Question and answer sheets for film viewing (Focus HTML PDF
and Focus Answers HTML PDF
)
For each group of 4-5 students:
• Handout with suggestions for story writing
• Xeroxed picture of artifacts of ancient peoples
Picture of Poverty Point
site
1. Prior to this lesson, bookmark the Web site used in the lesson
on each computer. View film and set it to the spot to be viewed.
2. Prepare the writing element of the lesson
by:
Making copies of the attachment, “A Day in the Afternoon
of “ HTML PDF
INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY:
1. Pass out xeroxed pictures of artifacts of ancient peoples.
Ask your students to examine the pictures and offer suggestions
on the items’ purpose, age, and location of the possible
sites. Are these people hunters and gatherers, or have they
progressed enough to establish villages? What kind of culture
do you think they may have had?
2. Following this discussion, define what an archeologist, geoscientist,
and historic site manager are and the purpose of their work.
Introduce a picture of the Poverty Point site and the names
of the archeologists and geoscientist that worked it.
Poverty Point is a very large earthwork development formed by
Louisiana Native Americas as far back as 6,500 years ago. The
site was abandoned 3,300 years ago. It wasn’t until the
1840’s, about twenty years before the civil war, an explorer
by the name of Jacob Walters was looking or lead ore and found
the first reported Native American artifacts at Poverty Point.
In the 1950’s an old aerial photograph was found that showed
man-made earthen mounds. They were so big, no one standing on
the ground could have seen that they formed a specific shape
and purpose. Today we are going to hear from four professionals
that have worked to understand the Poverty Point Site and its
history. Two of the men are archeologists. These are people
who scientifically study the life and culture of ancient peoples.
Their names are Robert Connolly, Ph.D. and Jon Gibson, Ph.D.
One professional, Robert Saucier, is a geoscientist studying
the earth, how it was formed in northern Louisiana, and how
that relates to the location of the Poverty Point mounds. The
fourth individual in this team is Dennis LaBatt, an historic
site manager. His job is to oversee the excavations and protect
the site from harm.
3. The teacher will
pass out the question forms that will be answered while watching
the film and read over them with the students. The questions
will include:
· How old are the earthforms?
· In what shape are the earthforms?
· If the ridges were straightened and laid end to end,
how long would they be?
· What possible purpose did the thirty-seven acre plaza
serve?
· What explanation is there for the deep pits found on
the western side of the plaza?
· Where did the Poverty Point people get copper and stones?
· Their houses were probably constructed from what materials?
· What did the people eat?
· What destroyed any evidence of housing?
· What did they hunt with?
· How was the food cooked?
· What animal was symbolic for the Poverty Point culture?
· What does a certain type of jewelry indicate in this
culture?
· Corresponding answers are attached.
a. FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION. Before starting the video ask
students about their community. Have them describe the streets
they live on, the style of their homes, important buildings
in their city. Tell the students to compare their community
to that of Poverty Point.
b. START the video for student viewing. As the students view
the film they will answer questions on the Focus Sheet Discover
Poverty Point. PAUSE the video at 7 minutes after the statement
“and we actually have accounts from the original European
explorers into the region.” Screen image is drawing of
a circle of hunters . Let the students report on the important
points of information they have collected in the first part
of the video. Check for recognition by asking about the age
and shape of the earthworks. How were they found? How are people
studying the earthworks and what have we learned from the research?
c. RESUME play. PAUSE following the researcher’s discussion
of people returning to the area and adding on to the mounds
with people living in the area up until about 700 AD. Have students
discuss the plaza and indicate what facility in their city serves
a similar purpose as the plaza. What were two methods of insurance
for the residents of Poverty Point? Why was geometry important
to Native Americans? In what direction do the wings of the Bird
Mound point?
d. Ask the students if they think the people of Poverty Point
had all the resources they needed. Reminding them that there
were no Wal-marts and so have the students predict how and where
the people could get materials they needed.
e. RESUME play with the segment that opens “In terms of
artifacts.” How did the materials and people come to Poverty
Point to trade? What were some of the important trade items?
PAUSE following “such that we can not recognize that evidence
today.” Have the students share the information on trade
and construction from the previous segment.
f. RESUME play and continue until the end of the video. Students
should complete all the questions on the FOCUS SHEET Discover
Poverty Point The students will discuss the data gathered from
the film. The Poverty Point Earthworks: Evolutionary Milestones
of the Americas website will be provided on the internet for
exploration and review. The students are encouraged to check
their answers and provide additional material.
1. Following the discussion, the teacher will assign
a character or allow groups to choose a character and use their
information on Poverty Point to write a story, “An Afternoon
in the Life of________________________. (More information and
insight will be shared if the teacher assigns the characters.
The list of characters can be lengthened for smaller, more numerous
groups by assigning Poverty Point girl, boy, man, and woman.)
They will choose from the following list:
Archeologist
Geoscientist
Historic Site Manager
Poverty Point child
Poverty Point adult
Farmer who once plowed and planted at
Poverty Point
Students, I want you to choose from these
characters to write a story that summarizes what you have learned
today. Put yourself in the place of one of these people and
write in first person using “I” and “we”
to describe the afternoon. The five senses of smell, taste,
sight, hearing, and touch will be included. This can be done
by describing the season, the food cooking, birds singing, children
playing, structures around you, the feel of the dirt and artifacts
as they are made or discovered. Use the information from at
least eight questions to make your writing factually correct.
This form of writing is referred to as historical fiction.
2. As the groups begin to brainstorm their stories, the
teacher will allow one group at a time to go to the computer
or computers in the classroom and examine the Poverty Point
web site that has been bookmarked. If the class has access to
a computer lab, the students could individually visit the website
in order to complete the questionnaire on the film and search
for additional information including views of maps and artifacts.
3. The teacher may assess on the written story alone, or
include a presentation of each story to the class by the students.
Language Arts: Historical fiction paragraph including
the five senses and facts on Poverty Point. Have the students
include metaphors, similes, and personification to enhance the
descriptive aspect.
Mathematics: Seventy-one metric tons of foreign flint
was found at the Poverty Point site. If a Native American raft
or canoe can carry 200 pounds of flint, how many trading trips
would 100 canoes have to make?
Technology/Social Studies: Research other early civilizations,
basics about their culture, and how long each lasted. Make parallel
time lines in order to compare and contrast civilizations and
explore the meaning of B.C. and A.D. Make a trading card with
a draw program by copying pictures from the Internet and writing
pertinent facts.
Visual Arts: Make a relief map of the Poverty Point Area.
Design jewelry from clay similar to the jewelry of these Native
Americans. Construct a village on an earthworm where it will
be safe from flooding.
• Field trip to Poverty Point
• Visit a local museum to investigate an evidence of ancient
people from the immediate area.
• Invite archaeologists, geologists, and historians to
speak to the class about
• Poverty Point Earthworks: Louisiana’s Ancient
Inhabitants
