We know, as teachers, that students need to move. Too long in their desk, and you can feel their attention waning. Even if we know classroom movement is important, planning an interactive lesson or gallery walk takes time we usually don’t have.
Cue the Great Plains Lesson for Kids (complete with a gallery walk) to save you time and get those students moving. This lesson will be a welcome addition to your Native American History unit, and it also happens to be completely free!
What is a Gallery Walk activity?
A gallery walk is a versatile teaching strategy that gets your students out of their chairs! You prepare for class by hanging posters, images, quotes, or questions around the room.
During the Great Plains Lesson for Kids—or any gallery walk— students move around the classroom and visit each station as though they were walking through a gallery (like at a museum).
What students do at each station will depend on your lesson goals. Perhaps you are introducing a new unit, like Native American Regions. Rather than give a regular lecture with slides, tape the same information on your classroom walls! Students can fill in guided notes while you watch them learn from every side of the room.
Why students (and teachers) love Gallery Walks
The moment students walk into your classroom, they’ll notice “new” things on the walls. You may hear some eager voices asking, “What’s that?” or “What are we doing today?” Without saying anything, you will have piqued their interest in your Great Plains lesson for kids!
A gallery walk will allow your students to get out of their seats and be in charge of what they are learning. Instead of listening to the teacher talk, they explore the classroom and the new ideas you are presenting.
On the teacher side, you get to watch them ‘discover’ history. You can use this gallery walk time to have conversations with individuals or small groups and check for understanding. You don’t have to do a song and dance to keep students thinking about the lesson. And this Great Plains Lesson for Kids already has your gallery walk planned and formatted for you to be successful. Everybody wins here!
Free Great Plains Gallery Walk Lesson
Materials
- Projector/Computer
- Great Plains Photos (Google Slides Presentation)
- Great Plains & Lakota (Sioux) Student Worksheet- one for each student
- Great Plains Gallery Walk Posters- printed and hung up around the room
- Tablets/Computers with headphones for early finishers
Objective: I can identify natural resources and landforms in the Great Plains region. I can explain key details about the culture and history of the Lakota Tribe.
Steps
Before the Lesson: Print and hang up the Great Plains Gallery Walk Posters #1-10. Make copies of the student worksheet (one for each student). If you expect to have early finishers, set up a computer station with headphones and provide the Early Finishers Activity Sheet (Linked in Great Plains Lesson Directions).
During the Lesson:
- Today students will learn about the Great Plains Region and the Lakota Tribe who lives there. Show students the Great Plain Photos (Google Slides).
- Discuss: What is a natural resource? What is a landform? Analyze the photos. Ask students what landforms or natural resources they see.
- Discuss: What Great Plains animals have they seen before? How could these animals be a resource to the Native Americans who lived on the Great Plains?
- Pass out the student worksheet. Ask students to do the following:
- Find a station/poster in the room. Read the information, then fill in the student worksheet. If they are at poster 1, they should answer the question in box 1 of their worksheet.
- Once they have completed a box on their worksheet, move on to another station/poster.
- Continue until they have completed all of the worksheet.
- If they finish early, go to the computer station with headphones. Choose an ‘Early Finisher Activity.’
- Collect worksheets and discuss:
- What did you learn about the Great Plains and Lakota tribe?
- How did living on the plains affect the culture of the Lakota tribe?
- Use a 3-2-1 Exit Ticket to check for understanding:
- 3 Things I Learned about the Great Plains Region and Lakota tribe
- 2 Details about the Region Where I Live (Landform/Natural Resources)
- 1 Question I Still Have
Alternative/Remote Option: Share the Great Plains Lesson with your students via Google Classroom. Students can fill in the worksheet digitally using text boxes and then submit.
Tips to Help Your Gallery Walk Lesson Be Successful!
You’re excited to get your students moving around the room. You also want to make sure they are actually learning! Here are three things to think about before you teach this Great Plains Lesson for Kids.
Consider your numbers
How many students do you have? This Great Plains Lesson for Kids includes 10 informative posters about the Great Plains Region and the Lakota tribe. Once you’ve printed and taped up these sheets around your classroom, you’ll want to think about how your students will move through the classroom.
Students should be spread out when they begin the gallery walk. (10+ students all trying to look at one printed 8.5×11 piece of paper on the wall = a recipe for disaster!)
Try counting your students off (1-10), then have them begin at that corresponding poster. You can have them rotate to the next number once they finish reading and adding to their worksheet. The counting-off also helps mix the class up and prevent the gallery walk from becoming a social hour!
Another less structured method could be to set a rule, such as, “No more than 3 students at a poster.” When students complete one station, they should find another poster with two or fewer students working there.
Consider your time
Depending on your class length, it may be helpful to give them a set amount of time at each station (such as 3-5 minutes). When the timer goes off, have them all rotate. If you go this route, it’s helpful to project your countdown timer on the board so they can stay on task. This timer method helps keep things orderly and prevents log jams!
On the other hand, you may have students who finish activities quickly and would get bored waiting for the timer. You could have those students work at their speedy pace, then offer some ‘early finisher’ opportunities. You’ll find four of these resources in the Great Plains Lesson for Kids. (These links will require a computer to watch/listen.)
Consider your expectations
We’ve all been there. You said “go” a little too quickly, realizing with horror that your directions weren’t clear enough. Classroom chaos ensued, and now you’re scrambling. By setting clear expectations before you begin the gallery walk, you and the students can have a positive experience.
Directly state what you need to see and hear during the activity. You may want to clarify volume standards, such as “quiet inside voices.” The movement in a gallery walk is fantastic, but you want students to know you still expect them to work!
You know your students best! If you are comfortable with students moving around the room in any order, fabulous! But for anyone nervous about trying a gallery walk, timers and counting students off can help your experience be a success! Whatever method you use, clarify your expectations to students before you say “Go!”
Download your FREE Great Plains Gallery Walk Lesson
It’s finally time to get those students out of their chairs and learning about the Great Plains Region and the Lakota tribe!
Need more help teaching about Native American History?
Check out some other lessons and materials to keep your students learning about Native American History!
- 3-Week Native American History Unit: This all-inclusive unit provides interactive lesson plans about Indigenous groups from eight cultural regions: Eastern Woodlands, Great Plains, Southwest, Pacific Northwest, Plateau, Great Basin, California, and Southeast.
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