Ohio's Indigenous Peoples

In this inquiry-based program, students will use real Museum artifacts and replicas to tell the stories of the four main eras of Indigenous peoples who populated Ohio before the arrival of European settlers in 1650.

This hands-on, group-based program will allow students in grades 3–5 to gain important insight into the earliest peoples who inhabited our state.

Teacher's Guide

Ohio’s Learning Standards 

Grade 3

History – Historical Thinking and Skills  

• Events in local history can be shown on timelines organized by years, decades, and centuries.
• Primary sources such as artifacts, maps, and photographs can be used to show change over time.  

Geography - Places and Regions  

• Daily life is influenced by the agriculture, industry, and natural resources in different communities.  

Geography - Human Systems  

• Systems of transportation and communication move people, products, and ideas from place to place. 

English Language Arts – Speaking and Listening 

• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail. 

Grade 4

History – Historical Thinking and Skills  

• The order of significant events in Ohio and the United States can be shown on a timeline. 
• Primary and secondary sources can be used to create historical narratives. 

History – Heritage  

• Various groups of people have lived in Ohio over time including prehistoric and historic American Indians, migrating settlers, and immigrants. Interactions among these groups have resulted in both cooperation and conflict. 

English Language Arts – Speaking and Listening 

• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.  

Grade 5

History – Early Civilizations  

• Early Indian civilizations (Maya, Inca, Aztec, Mississippian) existed in the Western Hemisphere prior to the arrival of Europeans. These civilizations had developed unique governments, social structures, religions, technologies, and agricultural practices and products. 

English Language Arts – Speaking and Listening 

• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.