TITLE OF LESSON PLAN: Indian Removal Act

TITLE OF LESSON PLAN: Indian Removal Act
CREATED BY: Alissa Jean
LENGTH OF LESSON: 1 class period
GRADE LEVEL: 8
OBJECTIVES: for students to understand the effects on the people involved in the Indian
Removal Act
MATERIALS: overhead transparency of the picture “Trail of Tears”
http://reflectionzfromjudyzheart.net/TrailOFTears_PhotosAndOtherItems_info/TrailOfTe
ars-MainPhoto.jpg
PROCEDURE: Begin by asking the students what the Indian Removal Act was. They can read on page
342 of their American Journey textbook to get the answer. Read over the Indian Removal Act as a class.
HOOK: Have the students do a KWL chart on the Indian Removal Act. The students will fill in K with what
they know and W with what they want to know. They leave L, what they learn, blank until the end. Tell the
students they have guests coming today so they will have to work quickly. As the students begin to work, I
will quietly ask a few students to move over a bit to make room for the important guests that will be arriving.
Wait a few moments and then ask the students that moved along with a few others to move over more. Keep
encouraging the students to continue working. Repeat these requests as you keep reminding the students that
the space is needed for these very important guests, until all of the students in the class are working at only a
few desks with very little space and a few chairs. You can also take their supplies for the guests such as
taking nice pens and replacing them with highlighters making the students work difficult to complete.
Hopefully at some point a student will become frustrated and ask if the guests are so much more important
than themselves. At this point say yes like you mean it. Once the students are all on one side of the room ask

how they are doing. They should be frustrated and having difficulties completing the assignment. Have the
students go back to their seats to debrief.
Questions:
1. How did you feel when you were asked to move into a small space and yet keep working?
2. How did it feel to be told that someone more important needed your space?
3. Why do you think I made you do this?
4. How does this relate to the Indian Removal Act?
5. How do you the Native reacted to being off of their land?
6. Why do you think the Native Americans were moved off of their land?
Students will be divided into two groups.
• One half will represent members of the Cherokee tribe who have just walked for 15 days as
they are removed from their homeland. How do they feel? How has their life changed?
• The other half of the class will be privates in the United States Army. They have been
ordered to remove the Cherokee’s from their land. You don’t feel this is fair but it is your
job. What will you do?
As students write they will listen to Cherokee flute music and have a picture of the Trail of Tears
projected on the front of the room.
I will ask a student from each side to come up and share their experience on the Trail of Tears.
To make it more authentic I introduce the students as, “A private from the U.S. army and a Cherokee Indian
that walked on the Trail of Tears.” Students are to read in character.
EVALUATION: Students point of view essay should reflect understanding of the topic.
Writing should be between 1-2 paragraphs in length. Students can check their
understanding by finishing the KWL chart that started the lesson.
Assessment of the essay- A well written A paper should demonstrate knowledge of the
topic, empathy, and be the appropriate length.
EXTENSION (if any):
TAH GRANT REFERENCES: "A View from the Shore" workshop, given by the Florida
Humanities Council.
NCHE Habit of Mind: historical empathy
STANDARDS: SS.A.2.3.6: The student knows the major events that shaped the development of various cultures
SS.A.4.3.4: The student understands ways state and federal policy influenced various Native American tribes
SS.B.1.3.2: The student uses mental maps to organize information about people, places, and environments.