Ask any adult American the following question: “Who discovered America?” Most will answer, “Christopher Columbus, of course.” That’s what they learned in school. But is it true? That’s the question we’re asking in social studies class. Over the past week, we learned how the First Americans (called Native Americans or American Indians) got to the Americas. Scientists theorize that they arrived in North America by walking or migrating over a land bridge that once connected Alaska and Asia. This land bridge is now covered by a piece of water called the Bering Strait, so you cannot walk across it anymore. Other scientists think the First Americans arrived by boat. Both groups base their theory on artifacts, objects from long ago that give clues to the past.
The first Americans were hunters, but they eventually learned about agriculture. Once they learned how to farm, civilizations, villages, and mounds appeared across the continent. The Mound Builders created huge domes of earth to bury their valuable items. These Mounds can still be found in parts of the country today. We created our own Mounds and “buried” artifacts about our classmates so that others could learn about our interests and personalities. You can see our Mounds (and our “Origami Me” projects”) in the hallway outside our class.
We’ll be taking a social studies quiz on Wednesday, September 23rd. You can find the study guide to the right in the “file library.”
The first Americans were hunters, but they eventually learned about agriculture. Once they learned how to farm, civilizations, villages, and mounds appeared across the continent. The Mound Builders created huge domes of earth to bury their valuable items. These Mounds can still be found in parts of the country today. We created our own Mounds and “buried” artifacts about our classmates so that others could learn about our interests and personalities. You can see our Mounds (and our “Origami Me” projects”) in the hallway outside our class.
We’ll be taking a social studies quiz on Wednesday, September 23rd. You can find the study guide to the right in the “file library.”
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