NWH C1 P1 CHAPTER 1: The First Americans and the Land They Found I. INTRODUCTION A. History is the record of what has happened to humanity. It is the true story of what mankind has done with the time God has given him and how God has sovereignly intervened with (involved himself with) and guided it. B. Geography is the study of the earth, including the continents, oceans, rivers, mountains, plains, and other Figure 1: The Western Hemisphere, or western half of the world, where the "New World" countries and regions reside. (Add Copyright) features of the earth. DISCUSSION QUESTION: What is the difference between history and geography? Why is it important to study both? C. In this class we will be learning about the New World or Western Hemisphere, which includes North and South America. This is called the New World because it was settled much later by the first Native Americans and then by colonists from the Old World and its human history is younger. D. The Western Hemisphere is the half of the world where most of the New World lands are. This includes North America, South America, and the Islands of the Caribbean Sea E. The Old World or Eastern Hemisphere is the part of the world where history began and where history has lasted for the oldest and longest time. That is why we call it the Old world. MAP ACTIVITY: Look at your Old World/New World map in your notebook. Find the continents in the New World section? Do you notice anything?
NWH C1 P2
Continents & Oceans Map Mnemonics: NWH C1 P3 Directions: Practice reading and saying these mnemonics, a device to help you remember something, while looking at our chapter map and touching the places we are talking about. Eventually try to say and remember the mnemonics while only looking at the map without looking at the words. CONTINENTS: 1. Never Stop Eating Apples, Apples, Apples, Apples! Never North America, Stop South America, Eating Europe, Apples Africa, Apples Asia, Apples Australia, Apples Antarctica. OCEANS: 2. I Ate Some Apple Pie! I Indian Ocean, Ate Atlantic Ocean, Some Southern Ocean, Apple Arctic Ocean, Pie Pacific Ocean CARDINAL DIRECTIONS: 3. Never Eat Slimy Worms! Never North, Eat East, Slimy South, Worms West (Other Variations: Naughty Elephants Spray Water, Never Eat Shredded Wheat, Never Eat Soggy Waffles, Never Ever Smoke Weed)
NWH C1 P4 II. (1.1) THE GREATEST MIGRATION IN HISTORY A. Thousands of years ago, some humans began one of the greatest migrations in history. A migration is the movement of a group of people or animals from one part of the world to another. People from Asia eventually came to North America and South America. These first Native Americans (sometimes called Indians ) became probably the first people to discover and live in the New World. MAPPING ACTIVITY: 1. Label the six continents and five oceans pictured. 2. Look at the maps in your notebook and talk with your partner about how people could get from Asia to the Americas. Write and sketch your ideas below. B. How the first people got to the Americas is surprising! They walked from Asia! In the far north of Asia, the lands of modern day country of Russia and the U.S. state of Alaska are separated by only about 50 miles.
NWH C1 P5 C. This narrow body of water that links the Arctic Ocean to the Pacific s Bering Sea is called the Bering Strait. A strait is a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water. Many think that at one time the Bering Strait was dry land which made a land bridge that people could cross over. Also, the water between the two lands regularly freezes with ice. People could also have possibly crossed the ice or used boats. Some animals may also have crossed the land bridge to the Americas. MAPPING ACTIVITY: 1. Working with a partner, use the maps in your notebook, textbook, or classroom to label the following. 1. North America 2. South America 3. Asia 4. Australia 5. The Pacific Ocean 6. The Atlantic Ocean 7. The Arctic Ocean 8. Russia 9. China 10. The United States 11. Alaska 12. The Bering Strait 2. Now draw a clear line/arrow leading from China to the United States, crossing the Bering Strait.
NWH C1 P6 D. Many scientists also believe that the earth at one time was made up of one supercontinent named Pangaea. Either over a long time because of the natural processes of the earth called plate tectonics or in a short time because of the flood of Noah, the continents moved away from each other to the positions they are today. Many animals may have gotten to the Americans that way as well. E. The idea of Pangea is why many of the continents look like they could fit together like a giant puzzle. This is even more true when you look at the underwater continental shelf, the parts of the continents that we can t see because of the ocean. F. Today South America has the widest variety of animals on any continent. It has every type of climate and habitat, which means the setting in which certain types of plants and animals thrive. South America is known for its large, lush rainforests. COMPREHENSION CHECK 1A: DIRECTIONS: Use your notes and textbook if necessary to answer the following questions. 1. The movement of a group of people or animals from one part of the world to another is called a (n)? Migration 2. What narrow body of water links the Arctic Ocean to the Bering Sea? The Bering Strait 3. A is a setting in which certain types of plants and animals thrive. Habitat 4. Which continents make up the Old World? Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, Antarctica 5. Which continents make up the New World? North America, South America 6. What are the five oceans? Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Southern Ocean, Indian Ocean
PANGEA PUZZLE ACTIVITY: NWH C1 P7 DIRECTIONS: Can you see how the continents fit together? Cut and paste your continent puzzle pieces and see if you can find a way they fit together. Start with North and South America and Africa. Remember that the continents had to go from where they started to where they are today. Also use the fossils and rock types to match where the continents might have connected.
III. (1.2) THE LAND THE AMERICANS SETTLED NWH C1 P8 A. TWO VAST CONTINENTS 1. North and South America are two huge continents. By spreading out, the Native Americans of different family and language groups filled up the entire space from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the southern tip of South America and from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Atlantic Ocean in the East. Each tribe created its own unique culture or way of life. Their lifestyle of hunting, fishing, farming, or raising animals was shaped a lot by the land they lived in. B. NORTH AMERICA: LAND OF PLENTY MAPPING ACTIVITY: Label North & South America as well as the Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, and Southern Oceans 1. North America is the third largest continent and covers over 9 million square miles and extends 5,000 miles from north to south. It is connected to South America by a narrow strip of land called the Isthmus of Panama. This is the narrowest part of the Americas and only 30 miles wide at one point. 2. North America has high Rocky Mountains in the west, low Appalachian Mountains in the east, and great plains that lie between. Alaska s Mt. McKinley, recently changed to its Native American name Denali is the highest peak in north America with an altitude of 20,320 feet above sea level.
NWH C1 P9 3. The plains area is very flat and they slope down the lowland areas of the Hudson Bay, the world s largest bay, and the Gulf of Mexico, the world s largest gulf. The Mississippi River is North America s largest river with hundreds of miles of waterway. 4. Greenland is the world s largest island, lying northeast of the continent. It is about 1/3 rd the size of Australia and is almost completely covered by ice. 5. Farther south one travels in North America the warmer the weather is. Mexico is south of the Rio Grande river and has mountains, canyons, a high central plateau, and two large peninsulas, Baja California, and the Yucatan Peninsula. Mexico also has deserts, tropical rain forests, and cold mountains. The most famous Indians to live in Mexico were the Aztecs. C. CENTRAL AMERICA: A NARROW BRIDGE 1. Central America is actually a part of North America. It is a narrow bridge of land that connects North America to South America and divides the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea from the Pacific Ocean. 2. The weather is cool high in the mountains and the area often has volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The coastal areas are hot and steamy jungles. The Maya Indians were an advanced early civilization that lived here. D. WEST INDIES: ISLANDS OF THE CARIBBEAN 1. Some Indians moved to the West Indies, a 2,000 mile long chain of mountainous islands in the Caribbean Sea. There are thousands of Islands here, including the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The weather is very pleasant and many islands have tropical forests.
NORTH AMERICA MAPPING ACTIVITY: Label the following as you discuss them in your notes. Color as directed. 1. United States (Red) 2. Canada (Blue) 3. Pacific Ocean 4. Atlantic Ocean 5. Arctic Ocean 6. Isthmus of Panama 7. Rocky Mountains 8. Appalachian Mountains 9. Alaska (Red) 10. Mount Denali 11. Hudson Bay 12. Gulf of Mexico 13. Mississippi River 14. Greenland 15. Mexico (Orange) 16. Rio Grande 17. Baja California 18. Yucatan Peninsula 19. Central America (Green) 20. Caribbean (Purple) 21. Bahamas 22. Cuba 23. Jamaica 24. Puerto Rico NWH C1 P10
NWH C1 P11 2. Christopher Columbus landed in the West Indies in 1492 and claimed them for Spain. He called this land the Indies because he thought it was part of the Indies islands in Asia. He also called the Native Americans Indians because he thought they lived there as well. His discovery led to a lasting connection between the Old World and the New World. E. SOUTH AMERICA: LAND OF THE AMAZON 1. South America is the fourth largest continent. There are many high mountains, such as the Andes Mountains in the west, low mountains in the east, and plains in the middle. The climate is much warmer than North America because the equator, where the sun s rays are the strongest, passes over South America. Most of the land lies in the tropics. The great Amazon River, runs from the Andes Mountains in the west to the Atlantic Ocean in the east and is the second longest river in the world and also the largest river in the world for amount of water in it. South America s Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on earth. COMPREHENSION CHECK 1B: DIRECTIONS: Use your notes and textbook if necessary to answer the following questions. 1. A? is a people s unique way of life. Culture 2. Name three important Indian groups that lived south of what is now the United States. Aztec, Maya, Inca 3.? America is the narrow bridge of land that connects North America to South America Isthmus of Panama 4. Why Did Columbus call the Native Americans Indians? Columbus thought he had found Asia and that the people there were part of the Asian Indies Islands (Modern Indonesia near India) so he called them wrongly Indians. The name has stuck every since. 5. Name one important mountain range and one important river in South America. Andes Mountains, Amazon River 6.
SOUTH AMERICA MAPPING ACTIVITY: Label the following as you discuss them in your notes. Color as directed. 1. Pacific Ocean 2. Atlantic Ocean 3. Central America (Red) 4. Isthmus of Panama 5. Andes Mountains 6. Amazon River (Blue) 7. Equator 8. Atacama Desert (Yellow) 9. Tierra del Fuego 10. Strait of Magellan 11. Cape Horn NWH C1 P12 BONUS: Label these countries 12. Brazil (Green) 13. Columbia (Purple) 14. Peru (Orange) 15. Argentina (Brown) 16. Venezuela (Grey)
NWH C1 P13 2. Many tribes settled in the Andes, including the Incas, the most famous South American Indians who made a great empire. Some even settled in Tierra del Fuego, the southern tip of South America. Much of the tip is separated by the Strait of Magellan. The Southernmost point in the Americas is Cape Horn on Hornos Island. IV. (1.3) HOW THE NATIVE AMERICANS LIVED Figure 2: Different Native American groups inhabited every piece of the Americans. This map depicts different cultural regions for Native Americans in North America. A. The Native Americans made lives for themselves all across the new world, from the frozen north, to the deserts, to the mountains, to the plains, to the forests, using the resources God provided. B. EDUCATION: 1. Most native Americans did not go to school. Girls were taught to be good housekeepers, food gatherers, and mothers. Boys were taught to be brave warriors as well as how to hunt animals using weapons like the bow and arrow and tomahawk (a type of light ax). The bravery of boys was tested at about thirteen or fourteen when they were finally considered an adult. 2. Some Indians, such as the Maya and Aztecs did have schools where priests taught mathematics, history, astronomy, language, and religion.
C. FOOD, CLOTHING, AND SHELTER NWH C1 P14 1. Because Indians were excellent hunters, meat was their main food. They ate deer, buffalo, antelope, turkeys, rabbits and guinea pigs, as well as fish and clams. 2. They also gathered many edible plants like berries, nuts, roots, and seeds. Many tribes also raised crops like maize (corn), beans, and squash. 3. There were no horses, cattle, hogs, chickens, or metal tools in the Americas until the Europeans introduced these things in the 1500s. 4. The Indians taught the Europeans to make snowshoes, toboggans (sleds), canoes, and to grow crops like corn, peanuts, potatoes, squash, tomatoes, and peppers. Figure 3: Maize (or corn) was an important Native American crop. 5. Indians used the skins of animals for clothing. This included deerskins, buffalo hides, and rabbit furs which were made into shirts, leggings, robes, sandals, and moccasins. Sometimes they even used tree bark and woven grasses for clothing. Figure 4: Tipis or Tepees are one well known kind of Native American home. houses, and other kinds of homes. 6. Indians lived in different kinds of homes. Some lived in tepees which were made by sewing together animal hides and stretching them around a frame of poles. Others lived in wigwams, dome shaped buildings covered with leaves and bark, lodges, hogans (circular homes made with logs and mud, adobe/mud huts, stone
D. RECREATION: NWH C1 P15 1. Indians enjoyed playing games and competing in sports. They ran footraces, tested their skill in archery, and played different kinds of ball games. In winter months people rode toboggans and probably had snowball fights. Guessing games were also very popular. E. RELIGION: 1. Many Indians believed in a Great Spirit who ruled over many other gods or spirits. Like most peoples they worshipped idols and did not believe in the one true God. Certain groups like the Aztecs, Mayas, and Incas built impressive civilizations but their false religions and fallen natures caused them to turn to great wickedness. F. NATIVE AMERICANS TODAY: 1. Most Native Americans are proud to be descendants of the first settlers of the New World as well as citizens of their countries. Many have served in the armed forces or in positions of government. Jim Thorpe was a great American athlete and Will Rogers was a famous American storyteller. Figure 5: Jim Thorpe, a famous Native American athlete.
NWH C1 P16 COMPREHENSION CHECK 1C: DIRECTIONS: Use your notes and textbook if necessary to answer the following questions. 1. What kind of animals did the American Indians hunt and eat? Deer, Buffalo, antelope, turkeys, rabbits, guinea pigs, fish, and clams. 2. Name four kinds of shelters the Indians made. Tepees, wigwams, lodges, hogans, mud or adobe huts, stone houses 3. What was life like for a Native American girl or boy? They did not go to school. Girls were taught how to be good housekeepers, food gatherers, and mothers. Boys were trained to be warriors as well as how to fish and hunt for food. They were tested for strength and bravery at 13 or 14 when they became an adult. 4. Why do you think many are proud to be Native Americans? Because they are descendants of the first settlers who came to America 5. Name one famous Native American. Jim Thorpe, Will Rogers, Others