When Smoke Curled Upward from Earth Lodges
Guided tour—Pawnee Indian Museum State Historic Site, Republic
Grades—Fifth
How did the environment influence the Pawnee? Did the Pawnee live in earth lodges, year round? How did life for the Pawnee change with the arrival of other cultures? What is the legend of the Pawnee Sacred Bundle?
This guided tour challenges students to use a variety of primary sources to develop an understanding of the Pawnee. Through group work at the site, the students will investigate specific aspects of Pawnee life and present their information. From all the presentations, the students will not only develop an understanding of how the environment shaped real peoples lives but also gain empathy towards the Pawnee Nation.
The activities will take place at the archeological remains of a large Pawnee earth lodge village, along the depressions of other lodges and on the nature trail.
This tour is designed for grade specific Kansas standards and provides teachers with pre-and post-visit materials for use in their classroom.
Kansas History standards addressed:
- Benchmark 1, Indicator 1: The student explains how various American Indians adapted to their environment.
- Benchmark 1, Indicator 2: The student shows how traditional arts and customs of various American Indians are impacted by the environment.
- Benchmark 1, Indicator 4: The student examines the interaction between European explorers and American Indians.
- Benchmark 3, Indicator 8: The student explains United States land policy and its impact on American Indians.
- Benchmark 4, Indicator 1: The student uses historical timelines to trace cause and effect relationships.
- Benchmark 4, Indicator 3: The student examines multiple primary sources.
- Benchmark 4, Indicator 5: The student observes and draws conclusions.
Kansas Reading Standards:
- Benchmark 2, Indicator 5: The student adjusts reading rate to support comprehension.
- Benchmark 4, Indicator 5: The student uses information from the text to make inferences.
Common Core Reading Standards:
- RI 5.2: The student will determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.
- RI 5.4: The student will determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
- RI 5.9: The student will integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably
Download PDF with tour information for Kansas schools
Download PDF with tour information for Nebraska schools
Cost per student is $2. One adult enters free for every 10 students. Additional adults pay the student rate.
Length of tour: approximately ninety minutes.
Number of students in a group: For the best experience, we recommend no more than 25 students per tour.
Registration and scheduling: Contact the site administrator at 785-361-2255 or e-mail piv@kshs.org. Tours must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance.
Other guided tours at Pawnee Indian Museum:
