Read Kansas! Middle School - M-8 Impact of Indian Removal

This middle school lesson focuses on the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and its impact on eastern tribes that were forced to relocate to Kansas. The lesson uses five primary source documents to analyze the impact of relocation on the Indians. The students are asked to interpret the evidence presented in historical letters. The lesson is written for three class sessions but can be adjusted to meet individual classroom needs.

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Kansas History Standards:

Benchmark 1, Indicator 4: The student analyzes the impact of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 on the way of life for emigrant Indian tribes relocated to Kansas (e.g., loss of land and customary resources, disease and starvation, assimilation, inter-tribal conflict).
Benchmark 7, Indicator 3: The student uses at least three primary sources to interpret the impact of a person or event from Kansas history to develop an historical narrative.

Reading Standards:

Benchmark 2, Indicator 5: The student adjusts reading rate to support comprehension when reading narrative, expository, technical, and persuasive texts.

Writing Standards:

Benchmark 2, Indicator 10: The student arranges information within each paragraph in a logical and effective sequence to meet the informational needs of the reader (typically 5-8 sentences). (Organization: prewriting, drafting, revising: N, E, T, P)

Kansas College and Career Ready Standards:

RH.6-8.1 The student cites specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
RH.6-8.2 The student determines the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provides an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.