What do we know about the first Americans? What were their beliefs, customs and traditions? How were these different from our own? How were they the same?

We have been studying the Native Americans of North America. The Senecas are part of the Iroquois Nation, and they are located in the area of the United States known as the Eastern Woodlands. INDIAN CAPTIVE is a book about Mary Jemison, a young girl who was captured by the Senecas. You will read about her life with this group of Native Americans and learn how her life changed. Can you imagine how your life would be different if you were suddenly living with Native Americans?

Your goal is to learn more about the Senecas and the Iroquois Nation in order to gain a better understanding of their culture and how Mary Jemison adapted to it. To do so, you will visit a variety of Internet sites and use other resources. As a group you will explore these resources and connect them to the ideas presented in the book.

Your task is to become familiar with the Iroquois Nation and life with the Senecas.

1.You will work as a cooperative group to become well acquainted with different areas of their daily lives:

• food
• clothing
• shelter
• customs and traditions
• the geographical area in which they lived
• their legends or story-telling
• roles for women, men and children

2. To obtain information, you will use the book INDIAN CAPTIVE and the Internet sites listed under Resources.

3. You will use the information you acquired to write a diary entry for a day in the life of a Seneca child. Your group is responsible for writing four diary entries:

• a day in Spring
• a day in Summer
• a day in Fall
• a day in Winter

4. Each person's entry will be compiled into a mini-book entitled, A Year in the Life of a Seneca Child.

Getting started:

• Your group needs to decide how to share the work. (Please keep in mind that you will be assessed on how well you work with your group.)
• Check out the rubric under the assessment section so that you clearly understand what is expected of you.
• Begin your on-line research.
• Discuss how each new piece of information relates to what you are learning as you read the book INDIAN CAPTIVE and to what you have already read about this group of Native Americans.
• Organize your information around each of the seasons of the year.
• Each group member will choose a season and write a diary entry as a day in the life of Seneca child during that time of year. You may use illustrations as well as words to express your thoughts.
• Combine each diary entry into a mini-book and share it with the class.

You will be using a variety of resources in your quest for information. Some are listed below, especially the on-line resources you will need. As this WebQuest is posted on the Internet, you can share it with your family at home.

Happy Exploring...

1. Internet Resources
   1. Legend :Godasiyo the Woman Chief
   2. Legend :SeekYour Father
   3. Indian Cultures
   4. Seneca Nation of Indians : The Canandaigua Treaty of 1794
   5. Carnegie Musuem of Natural History: North-South-East-West
   6. Native American Shelters

    

2. Classroom Resources
   1. INDIAN CAPTIVE
   2. The Native American legends we have read so far in class

I want you to have fun while exploring each site! My advice to you is to be sure each person in the group knows the season for which he/she is responsible. As you find information you wish to use, take notes or print information and identify the source. This will be helpful to you later when you begin writing your diary entry.

As you use the Internet Resources, here are some helpful hints to make your search easier:

• The words that are colored and underlined are your links. Click on them and they will take you to the web site.
• For each legend, the link will take you to a page with the title CREATION/MIGRATION/ORIGIN STORIES. Look for "Ancient One" written in the box. Scroll down until you see the title of the legend you wish to read. It will have (Seneca) next to the title.
• When you search the Carnegie Museum of Natural History site, visit both the East and the North to learn more about the Iroquois Nation.

The following VT Standards will be assessed during this WebQuest:

6.25 a,b Students understand the sources and characteristics of the national identity of the culture under study, and understand how competing identities may cause confrontations

3.10 Teamwork: Students perform effectively on teams that set and achieve goals, conduct investigations, solve problems, and create solutions.

1.19 Informational Sources: Students use organizational systems to obtain information from various sources (including libraries and the Internet).

Standard	Getting Started	Almost There	Got It!	Wow!
6.25 a,b National Identity	The diary entry was either not appropriate for the season of the year or reflected only a few of the areas of study.	The diary entry was appropriate to the season of the year and reflected some of the areas of study.	The diary entry was appropriate to the season of the year and reflected each of the following areas of the Seneca culture: food, clothing, shelter,customs, geographical area, legends, and roles.	In addition, the diary entry reflected a comparison of life as a Seneca to life as settler.
3.10 Teamwork	The group was only able to solve problems with adult support.	Sometimes the group solved problems independently and had some success creating solutions to conflicts.	All members of the group worked together cooperatively to solve any problems that occurred.	The group was able to work cooperatively and avoid problems at all times.
1.19 Informational Sources	The group had difficulty getting the necessary information to complete the task.	The group found some of the information necessary to complete the task.	The group found all the information necessary to complete the task.	In addition, the group used resources other than the WebQuest to include additional information : Library/Media Center Milton Public Library Encyclopedia (text or electronic)

Congratulations! You have successfully completed this WebQuest and should now be prepared to share the mini-book with the class. You have learned some interesting information about the lives of the Senecas in order to help you gain a better understanding of their beliefs and their way of life. I hope you have a new appreciation for the Native American culture and traditions and continue to read and research this group of people to deepen your understanding.