There was a time when the Comanche controlled an empire in North America, and the heart and soul of that empire was the horse. Scholars use the installment of the larger Native American Sacred Stories series to explore how the Spanish brought the horse to the native peoples in North America. Budding historians then learn how the Comanche made the horse wholly their own. The included extensive pictograph activity engages learners in considering how culture helps communicate values.

Concepts

native american culture, native american history, native american legends, native american tribes, horses, spanish colonialism, the columbian exchange

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Use resources to create a Socratic seminar on the outcomes of the Columbian exchange or federal policies toward Native peoples

Classroom Considerations

• Parts of the video are in Comanche with English subtitles
• Animated images of massacred horses may be disturbing to some pupils

Pros

• Easy-to-use extension activities engage learners on how written language functions in civilization
• Background information makes the lesson easy to use in the classroom

Cons

• Embedded notes in the activity reference an example that is not included in the materials

Common Core

L.9-10.2.a L.11-12.2.a