Native Americans of the Northeast Cultural Area (Grades 4 to 6)

Native Americans of the Northeast Cultural Area (Grades 4 to 6)

Native Americans of the Northeast Cultural Area (Grades 4 to 6)
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 4 to 6
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	7.38

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		ancestry, dependent, formation, somewhat, tribal, warfare, society, maintain, traditional, area, spears, negative, communal, longhouses, temperate, tended
	content words:		Eastern Woodlands, United States, Atlantic Ocean, Mississippi River, Great Lakes, Native Americans, Three Sisters, Native American, Northeast Indians, Nova Scotia

Print Native Americans of the Northeast Cultural Area (Grades 4 to 6)
edHelper.com subscriber options:

	Print Native Americans of the Northeast Cultural Area (Grades 4 to 6) (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)
	Quickly print reading comprehension
	Print a proofreading activity

Feedback on Native Americans of the Northeast Cultural Area (Grades 4 to 6)

Leave your feedback on Native Americans of the Northeast Cultural Area (Grades 4 to 6) (use this link if you found an error in the story)

Native Americans of the Northeast Cultural Area
By Jennifer Kenny

¹     The Eastern Woodlands area is the eastern part of the United States, which runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River. It includes the Great Lakes. Most scientists divide the region into the Northeast and the Southeast. The Northeast portion of the region runs from Canada to Kentucky and Virginia. It has a temperate climate. It is somewhat humid. There are widespread forests and hundreds of rivers. Much of the soil is adequate for agriculture.

²     Approximately 10,000 years ago, ancient hunter-gatherers followed game animals into the region. Around 9,000 years ago, the climate warmed and these Native Americans became dependent on deer, nuts, and wild grains. Then, 5,000 years ago, they began cultivating plants. By the year 400 AD, maize agriculture was common. Women tended to plots of corn (or maize), squash, and beans. To the Iroquois in this area, those were the three most important crops. They planted them on small earthen hills. The Iroquois called these crops "The Three Sisters."

³     The Algonquians introduced the Pilgrims to these crops. Squanto shared the traditional Native American harvesting festival with the English. The Pilgrims had the first Thanksgiving with members of the Wampanoag.

⁴     Food was plentiful. Besides farming, people here hunted animals such as rabbits, deer, squirrels, beavers, turkeys, partridges, ducks, and geese. Far in the north, they hunted moose, elk, and bears too. In areas closer to the prairie, they sometimes found buffalo as well. The Northeast Indians also used traps and deadfalls, traps that made heavy things fall on prey to hunt or kill them. They were able to fish with hooks, spears, or nets in the numerous rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds. The Indians near Nova Scotia liked to fish at night using torches. Fish came to the surface because the light attracted them. Then the men in the canoes speared the fish. They gathered wild plant foods such as berries too. Where there were maple trees, the Native Americans had maple syrup and sugar, as well to enjoy. Food in the Northeast was cooked in wooden vessels or simple black pottery.

Paragraphs 5 to 14:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable

Copyright © 2008 edHelper