Assessment
Lesson One:
Students will be tested on their grasp of the problem during a mock interview for the position of Indian Agent, for which they are applying. The interview will be conducted by a volunteer who is coached for the role by the teacher, ahead of time. The teacher observes the interview from the sidelines. Students also observe as each student rotates into the applicant's chair, facing the interviewer across the desk. They are at the front of the classroom. Each student has a minimum of 1.5 minutes in the interview. Students are graded according to how well they can answer a series of verbal questions related to the predicament (balancing the needs of Comanches and settlers, who are mostly of Scotch-Irish descent), as outlined in their letter notifying them of their scheduled interview.
Their degree of preparation will be clearly demonstrated in the interview, as the interviewer will be allowed follow up questions.
Seeing the many sides of the issue is critical: students who are well prepared will not become very partisan or blaming of one side or the other.
Students will demonstrate that they are familiar with the history and nature of the difficult relations of the Comanches with the Texans, based on their readings of primary sources.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the differences between the "Quaker" approach, and that of "other popular approaches," as mentioned "by Dr. Eleazar Thomas (by way of Pastor Oscar Penn Fitzgerald)" in the prompt.
Students will show they understand all sides of the issues, and in doing so demonstrate they would make a good Indian agent who will protect the rights of both Comanches and settlers.
Students will be able to respond to with solutions to problems which are based on their readings of primary source documents linked to the resources pages.
Their responses will demonstrate that they can offer suggestions that could make the reservation idea work for both sides, based on approaches described in the resources.
An adequate performance will answer the questions with basic facts, and perhaps have some difficulty with some follow up questions.
A good performance will offer responses with reasonable ease, and reply to follow up questions with moderate elaboration.
A superior performance will offer responses with ease and demonstrate an ability to elaborate on follow up questions.
Lesson Two:
Ideally, something similar to the following evaluation rubrics can be arrived at by brainstorming or in classroom discussion with the students.(These Adequate-Good-Excellent rubrics are offered as a suggestion, a starting point.)
Adequate Performance. The student will demonstrate or explain:
1. Why gambling is permitted on reservations (legal/historical)?
2. What defines who is an American Indian (BIA definition)?
3. What is an American Indian reservation (legal/historical)?
4. What are the rights, powers, duties of the reservation/tribe?
5. What is the relationship between the tribe, state and U.S. government?
6. Responds barely adequately to follow-up questions by the congresswoman, and needs some prompting.
Good Performance. All of the above, plus:
1. Demonstrates the ability to cite and explain several related legal and historical events.
2. Cites several controversies and issues related to the definition of a reservation and an American Indian.
3. Is able to discuss rights/powers/duties of the tribes/reservations by citing significant events and laws.
4. Explains the difference between federal/state/tribes by giving examples of issues, events and laws.
5. Responds clearly to follow-up questions by the congresswoman, but may need a little prompting.
Excellent Performance. All of the above, plus:
1. Gives a very polished presentation which is engaging and which flows smoothly.
2. Responds thoroughly and relevantly to follow-up questions by the congresswoman without prompting.
Learning Context/ Introduction
"Reservation Controversies Then and Now" covers historic issues dealing with American Indian Reservations in the 1870s and also in the present. It is divided into two sections with separate "scenarios" for the students.
This is a two part learning experience using Problem Based Learning (PBL), in which the student is confronted or faced with two different, but related real world problems which have no preconceived right or wrong answers.
Using various teaching/learning strategies, which include brainstorming, role playing, and oral presentations, the students access primary sources and other background sources to arrive at a recommendation, based on the information. The teacher, librarian, and other support staff act as guides or advisors through most of the process.
Authors
By Brett Silva and Peter Milbury
Objectives
Lesson One: The student will be able to:
• Use primary sources effectively to gain an understanding of the history of government relations, policies, and
experiences with American Indian peoples.
• Become effective users of primary sources at the Library of Congress, using the American Memory collection,
Thomas legislative information, with other Internet and print resources.
Lesson Two: The students will be able to:
• Outline current issues related to U.S. policy and law regarding gaming casinos on American Indian reservations.
• Express the complexity and differences between U.S. and individual states in their relationship with American
Indian reservations.
• State how U.S. policy and law has developed since the beginnings of reservation policy in the latter 19th century,
with respect to key historical events.
• Define the following:
1. An American Indian
2. An American Indian reservation
3. An American Indian tribe/nation.
• Explain the rights and restrictions of American Indian reservations.
Procedure
The procedure for this learning experience consists of the following parts:
Part I: The First Scenario: The Indian Agent Appointment Interview
Part II: The Second Scenario: The Indian Reservation Gaming Issue
The First Scenario: The Indian Agent Appointment Interview
Students will find on their desk a online primary sources to find information.
Students will then try to define exactly what it is that they are to do.
They will answer the three main PBL questions:
1. What do we know?
2. What do we need to know?
3. How do we find needed information?
Students then assign information retrieval to selected students who will then share what they find with the group.
On the second day, class starts with sharing of found information. Other students then ask follow-up questions to gain a better idea of what is there.
This continues for three or four days until students are ready for the interview. On the day of the interview, an actor who plays the interviewer comes into class and role plays the official. Students take turns interviewing and answering questions. An alternative is to have students write a letter to the official, foregoing the interview.
The Second Scenario: The Indian Reservation Gaming Issue
The student "plays" the role of a new staff intern to a freshman congresswoman from California, Molly Barger. Barger's first assignment to the new intern is to research background on the issue of gaming (casinos) on American Indian reservations. Letters on both sides of the issue have been arriving in the mail, and Barger needs to know how to provide an informed and knowledgeable response to the controversy. The student (intern) will have access to a number of powerful letter, which includes general instructions and research deadline.
The teacher can then act as one of the congresswoman's senior staff members, and can help the students get organized toward the research by brainstorming with the three PBL questions:
1. What do we know about the problem?
2. What do we need to know?
3. Where can we go to find the answers?
The memo itself lists a number of hints about the informational resources, and the Resources section of this unit include a number of links to online resources.
Acting as the senior staff member, the teacher should suggest that the student intern keep a daily progress log, and should also check their progress (i.e., ask class who has found some interesting or helpful information or resources, etc.).
If possible, the student performance (meeting with the congresswoman) should be simulated as realistically as possible with a volunteer (parent, teacher, or college student, etc.) acting the role of the congresswoman.
Resources/Materials
Daniel J. Boorstin.
The Americans: The Colonial Experience. (New York: Random House 1958)
(See: "How the Quakers Misjudged the Indians," Chapter 9. A chapter on the Quakers, Indians and Scotch-Irish in Pennsylvania in the 1700s.)
Lyman Hardeman.
Texas Timeline: Key Events in early Texas. (Lone Star Junction, college Station, TX, 1998.) 1998.
Note: Includes accounts of the Council House Massacre and Buffalo Hump's Great Raid through Texas in retaliation would be helpful to review. This is covered somewhat online in story of the Battle of Plum Creek and Comanche History (see Part Two), which also discusses the story of Cynthia Ann Parker (mother of the great Comanche Chief, Quanah Parker).
Thomas James.
Three Years Among the Indians and Mexicans (Waterloo, IL: Printed at the office of the "War Eagle," 1846). Dean Rudy, Mountain Men and the Fur Trade: Library of Fur Trade Historical Source Documents, Diaries, Narratives, and Letters of the Mountain Men.
"Thomas James (1782-1847) published this book in 1846. It tells about his adventures on the Upper Missouri in 1809 with the Missouri Fur Company, and his later adventures as one of the first American traders in Santa Fe and with the Comanche Indians. His book is an important historical source for both of these events."
Note: If you use a keyword search of the pages, his spelling of Comanche is "camanche"
Alan LeMay.
The Searchers. (New York: Harper, 1954) See especially The Searchers, the John Ford (dir.) film classic starring John Wayne. Based on the novel by Alan LeMay.
Larry McMurtry.
Dead Man's Walk: A Novel by Larry McMurtry. (New York: Simon & Schuster, c1995).
Note: See either film or book. Shows the impotence of Texans with regard to the Comanche before the Civil War. Rather depressing story, but shows the impact of the Texas Rangers.
Charles Cornelius Coffin Painter.
The Condition of Affairs in Indian Territory and California. A report by Prof. C.C. Painter, agent of the Indian rights association. (Philadelphia, Indian rights association, 1888.) Online. Library of Congress American Memory. 1998.
Note: Although Painter's report was written after the period of our scenario for Reservation Controversies, the author's observations are helpful in establishing historical context and continuity. Painter was an agent of the Indian Rights Association, headquartered in Philadelphia. The document (1888) reports his findings at the Seger Colony and Cheyenne, Arapahoe, Anadarko, Iowa, Comanche, Wichita, and Ponca agencies and reservations in the Indian Territory, and also visits some Indian settlements and reservations in California. (See pages 34-41 for his observations of the Comanches.)
Noah Smithwick.
The Evolution of a State, or Recollections of Old Texas Days, (Austin: Gammel Book Company, 1900).
Online. Lone Star Junction, Southwestern Classics On-line. 1998.
Note: See
• Chapter XIII (Camping with Comanches; Comanche language; Social and domestic customs; Indian song;)
• Chapter XIV, which includes some excellent observations on the potential for peaceful coexistence with the
Comanches
• Chapter XV (Stone House Fight; Second attempt to treat with Comanches; Narrow escapes)
• Chapter XV, which contains stories of conflicts with the Comanches
• Chapter XIX has some graphic accounts of battles and hostages, and reflections on failed treaties;
• Chapter XXVI describes episodes of a wagon train's contacts with hostile Comanches as it headed toward New
Mexico and Arizona. Collectively, these accounts give a broad view of the settlers toward the Comanches, over
a period of time. “From the time he first arrived in Texas in 1827 at the age of nineteen, Noah Smithwick was
involved many of the events in the evolution of Texas. For the next thirty-four years before leaving for California
just prior to the Civil War, he became closely acquainted with many well-known Texans, several Comanche
chiefs, and a large and varied assortment of early Texas pioneers.”
Needed is a primary source document of Indian accounts of dealing with Texans, which would be helpful. Probably something surrounding the Comanche Chief Quanah Parker.
Needed is the account of a kidnapped woman, Sarah Plummer (?) who was kidnapped along with the famous Cynthia Ann Parker (mother of the great Comanche Chief, Quanah Parker). Very powerful stories that shaped many Texan's views of Comanches.
Duration
Approximately three weeks, covering both scenarios.
Source
Reproduced from the Library of Congress web site for teachers. Original lesson plan created as part of the Library of Congress American Memory Fellows Program.
