Nations Before Us: gallery walk posters

Setting up the gallery walk

  1. Print one poster per exhibit (letter or tabloid size, color if possible) and tape them around the room at eye level, spread out.
  2. Print the Gallery Walk Viewing Guide PDF for each student.
  3. Make groups of 3–4. Start each group at a different poster.
  4. Set the lesson presenter timer for 4 minutes per poster. At the signal, groups rotate clockwise.
  5. At each poster, students find every numbered detail, read the placard, and write I see / I think / I wonder.
  6. After the walk (about 20 minutes), students open Nations Before Us on devices to solve each exhibit's challenge, or discuss the "After the walk" question as a class.
Exhibit ANations Before Us · 5.H.1–5.H.6 · 5.G.5–5.G.10 · 5.E.1

Eastern Woodlands

Village in the forest, present-day Indiana

longhouseThree Sisters garden123

Look closely

  1. Longhouse: Bark-covered homes shared by several families. Wood came from the forest.
  2. Three Sisters: Corn, beans, and squash grow together: the corn is a pole for beans, and squash leaves shade the soil.
  3. Forest animals: Deer and turkey from the forest gave food, clothing, and tools.

Placard

The Eastern Woodlands stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River, including present-day Indiana. Forests provided wood, deer, and turkey. Nations included the Miami, Potawatomi, Shawnee, and the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy.

Many Woodlands people farmed the "Three Sisters": corn (maize), beans, and squash, planted together. They lived in villages of wigwams or longhouses covered in bark.

The Haudenosaunee Confederacy united five (later six) nations under the Great Law of Peace, which some historians believe influenced American ideas about government.

Exhibit BNations Before Us · 5.H.1–5.H.6 · 5.G.5–5.G.10 · 5.E.1

Great Plains

Grassland with bison and tipis

tipisbison herdhorse123

Look closely

  1. Bison: Plains nations used nearly every part: meat for food, hides for tipis and clothing, bones for tools.
  2. Tipis move: Tipis could be taken down fast so families could follow the herds.
  3. Horses: After the Spanish brought horses in the 1500s, Plains nations became expert riders.

Placard

The Great Plains are wide grasslands in the middle of North America. Nations like the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Comanche depended on the bison (buffalo). They used nearly every part: meat for food, hides for clothing and tipis, bones for tools, and sinew for thread.

After the Spanish brought horses in the 1500s, many Plains nations became expert riders and followed the herds. Tipis could be taken down and moved quickly.

Exhibit CNations Before Us · 5.H.1–5.H.6 · 5.G.5–5.G.10 · 5.E.1

Southwest

Pueblo on a desert mesa

adobe puebloirrigated corn123

Look closely

  1. Adobe: Sun-dried bricks of clay, sand, and straw. Thick walls stay cool on hot days.
  2. Ladders: Multi-story homes were reached by ladders, which could be pulled up for safety.
  3. Irrigation: With little rain, farmers dug ditches to carry water to corn, beans, and squash.

Placard

The Southwest is hot and dry, with deserts, mesas, and canyons. The Pueblo peoples (such as the Hopi and Zuni) built multi-story homes of adobe, sun-dried bricks made from clay, sand, and straw. Thick adobe walls stay cool during hot days.

With little rain, farmers used irrigation to bring water to fields of corn, beans, and squash. The Navajo (Diné) became known for sheep herding and weaving.

Exhibit DNations Before Us · 5.H.1–5.H.6 · 5.G.5–5.G.10 · 5.E.1

Pacific Northwest

Cedar village by the sea

cedar plank housetotem polesalmon123

Look closely

  1. Cedar plank houses: Huge cedar trees were split into planks for large family houses.
  2. Totem poles: Carved poles told family and clan histories.
  3. Plenty of food: Salmon, whales, and shellfish were so plentiful that many villages did not need to farm.

Placard

Along the rainy, forested Pacific coast, nations like the Tlingit, Haida, and Kwakwaka'wakw found plenty of food: salmon, whales, seals, berries, and shellfish. With so much food, many villages did not need to farm.

Huge cedar trees were carved into plank houses, canoes, and totem poles that told family and clan histories. At a potlatch, a host gave away gifts to show wealth and honor.

Exhibit ENations Before Us · 5.H.1–5.H.6 · 5.G.5–5.G.10 · 5.E.1

Arctic

Hunting camp on the ice

snow housekayakseal123

Look closely

  1. Snow house: Some groups built temporary snow houses (igloos) on hunting trips.
  2. Kayak: Hunters traveled by kayak and dog sled to hunt seals, whales, and walruses.
  3. Fur clothing: Few plants grow here, so warm clothing was made from animal furs and skins.

Placard

In the far north, the Inuit and Yupik peoples live in one of the coldest places on Earth. Few plants grow, so they hunted seals, whales, walruses, and caribou.

Hunters traveled by kayak and dog sled. Some groups built temporary snow houses (igloos) while traveling on hunting trips. Warm clothing was made from animal furs and skins.