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Canadian Theme Unit

Beothuks: The Red People of Canada

Beothuks: The Red People of Canada
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 3 to 5
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   5.97

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    caribou, cone-shaped, spears, tuberculosis, coastline, mainly, explorer, layer, northeast, caption, teepee, wigwam, site, southern, canoe, double
     content words:    Gander/Twillingate NF, North America, First Nations, Gaspar Cort-Real

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Beothuks: The Red People of Canada
By Mary Lynn Bushong 		  
1     Caption: photo from a Beothuk archaelogical site near Gander/Twillingate NF
 
2     Have you ever wondered why people from Europe called the natives of North America "Red Indians"? First Nations people don't have red skin, so why were they called that? The name came because of the Beothuks.
 
3     The Beothuks were a native people who lived in Newfoundland. They loved to use a red ochre paint all over themselves. It was this red which made such an impression on the explorers. The name "red Indian" carried over to refer to all other First Nations.
 
4     The Beothuk were thought to have come to Newfoundland around 50 BC. They lived on the northeast and southern coasts of the island.
 
5     The people hunted mainly seals and caribou. They also caught fish with spears and gathered the eggs of water birds.

Paragraphs 6 to 15:
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