Grade 3 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 5, Lesson 2

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
From Sea to Shining Sea

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 5, Lesson 2: The Medicine Dance (pp. 86-91)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Culture The Cheyenne used the Medicine Dance to celebrate the cycle of nature and make sure they had plenty to eat.

Pointing to a landscape scene outside the classroom, discuss how it changes during the cycle of nature, or the four seasons. Then discuss the landscape of the plains where the Cheyenne lived. Ask students how they think the plains changed from season to season and how these changes affected the Cheyenne people and the buffalo they hunted.

Lesson Outline
Use the Lesson Outline to preview the content of the lesson. You may wish to print it for your students as a guide during reading.

Check for Understanding

Have students imagine they are a reporter three hundred years ago and they attended a Medicine Dance. Have them write a newspaper article to describe the event. As they write, tell them to ask themselves these five newspaper questions: What? Where? When? How? Why?
Remind children that a symbol is something that stands for something else. Ask students to draw some symbols they think are representative of Cheyenne culture.

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