Who Were the First Americans? (Grades 4 to 6)

Who Were the First Americans? (Grades 4 to 6)

Who Were the First Americans? (Grades 4 to 6)
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 4 to 6
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	9.02

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		census, nomadic, highly, distinct, fifteenth, theory, cultural, settled, general, loss, series, traveled, corridor, sheets, alive, however
	content words:		Native Americans, North American, Bering Strait, Pacific Northwest, Northwest Coastal Area, Plains Area, Plateau Area, Eastern Woodlands Area, Northern Area, Southwestern Area

Print Who Were the First Americans? (Grades 4 to 6)
edHelper.com subscriber options:

	Print Who Were the First Americans? (Grades 4 to 6) (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)
	Quickly print reading comprehension
	Print a proofreading activity

Feedback on Who Were the First Americans? (Grades 4 to 6)

Leave your feedback on Who Were the First Americans? (Grades 4 to 6) (use this link if you found an error in the story)

Who Were the First Americans?
By Jennifer Kenny

¹     Native Americans were the people who lived on the North American continent thousands of years before the European settlers started their voyages in the fifteenth century. Most scientists agree that the Native Americans traveled to this land from Asia through the Bering Strait during several series of migrations or movements. They followed an open corridor to this land and then moved east and south from the Alaskan area. These migrations are believed to have begun more than 10,000 years ago, although some scholars will argue that it could have been as far back as 25,000 years ago!

²     Some Native Americans alive today believe that these ancestors were always here on the North American continent and that they did not come from another continent. They offer stories that have been passed down through generations in their families to support their theory.

³     However they got here, these first Americans had a lot of work to do to survive. They had to adapt to a changing climate as well as new environments and terrains. They began as hunters of large animals, which became extinct and then they moved to smaller game. Many of them gradually became farmers and artisans. They really knew how to use their natural resources.

Paragraphs 4 to 6:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable

Copyright © 2008 edHelper