The story of the first Americans is told in two volumes: Ancient Times and Native America On the Eve of Discovery. Each volume forms the basis of a major unit on Native American history, which can easily extend throughout a term or even an entire year. Selected chapters, such as those on Woodland Indians or the Maya, can also serve as basic texts for smaller units.
Ancient Times begins at the end of the Ice Age, when bands of nomadic tribesmen began migrating across the land bridge from Asia to North America. It traces the spread of human settlement across the American continents from the snowfields of Alaska to the mountains of Chile, focusing upon the types of communities that arose in a wide diversity of natural environments. Students discover why certain peoples remained nomadic hunters and gatherers until the dawn of the modern age, while others settled down in farming communities. Still others, such as the Maya of Central America, developed an intricate form of writing and built great cities with huge stone temples.
Each chapter of this comprehensive volume of Native American history and culture contains multiple projects and activities.
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