Unit 6

What Are Our Connections to the Past?

Theories of the First People in North America

In this lesson, you will practise the reading strategies of use what you know, decide what's important, and crack the code to discover the author’s purpose in writing a selection.


People often want to know about their ancestors and how they arrived in North America. You might wonder who first settled here.

Historians and scientists have several theories or ideas.

  • The Bering Land Bridge: One theory suggests that during the Ice Age, ocean levels dropped and a bridge of land in the Bering Strait was exposed. Therefore, this theory suggests that humans first passed from Asia to populate the Americas.

  • Archaelogy: Archeologists study the bones, tools, settlements, etc., of ancient people to discover information about their life and activities. Some archeologists believe that hunters from Asia, called Clovis, crossed the Bering Land Bridge into North America and were the first inhabitants.

    They base this theory on fossils found as far south as Peru, supporting the idea that Clovis lived there.

    However, researchers have uncovered sites that may have belonged to an earlier culture than that of Clovis.

    Some believe one of the oldest settlements was at Wally's Beach, a dig site discovered in 1996 by an Alberta school teacher, near Cardston, Alberta. Other researchers argue there are older settlements in Peru, Brazil, Chile, Venezuala, Chile, and throughout the United States.

  • Oral Tradition: According to oral histories of Aboriginal peoples, a group made up of First Nations People, Métis, and Inuit, their ancestors were the first to populate North America.

  • Written Tradition: The oldest records of the history of North America are likely found on the Quipus from Peru. These are knotted cords where the colors of the cords, the way the cords are connected together, the spaces between the cords and knots, and the types of knots keep a record of information.

    For example, a yellow strand might represent gold, and a red strand might represent people. One strand could represent harvest stores of maize and the second strand could count potatoes and so on. Every item the Inca owned was inventoried every year.

    The Olmec civilizatio in Mexico also had ancient writing which we do not yet understand.

    Digging Deeper. To learn more about Olmec writing, go to this website. http://admin.wpf.test.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/peopleplaces/cascajalblock/

Think Like a Reader

Reading Strategies

What do effective readers do to understand what they are reading?


Review the reading strategies on page 131 of Literacy in Action 6B. Then read information in each tab to see how they are applied to history and historical reports.

Read with a Purpose

Why might you read about Aboriginal peoples and Canada's history?


Answer the previous question on your Reader's Notebook: Reading History worksheet using information you read on the websites you visited.




Document: Reader's Notebook: Reading History
Click here to download
Printer-Friendly Version

Download PDF


  1. Download the document Reader's Notebook: Reading History.
  2. IMPORTANT NOTE: When the download screen opens:
      • Click the "Open with" button.
      • Select "Adobe Reader".
      • Click "OK".
      • You will then be able to view the document Reader's Notebook: Reading History.
      • Can't view the file? View Skill Builder: Saving Dynamic PDFs.

Save

How to save a file:

  1. Have the file open and select Save As from the File menu.
  2. Name your Reader's Notebook: Reading History file in this format: jsmith_readinghistory and save the file to your Documents folder.

Crack the Code

When you come across unfamiliar words in the historical selections you will read, practise thinking of other words that have similar parts.

A good example on page 131 of Literacy in Action 6B is the unfamiliar word astrolabe that you read in the lesson Lost and Found.

Other words that have the same prefix as astrolabe are astronaut, astronomy, and astrology. If you know that astronaut is a space traveller and astronomy is the study of space, you may figure out that an astrolabe has something to with space.

Make Meaning

When reading historical reports, good readers use specific reading strategies:

  • Use what you know: Looking at the text features (title, visuals) and asking yourself: What do I know about this topic?
  • Decide What's Important: While reading, pick out the important information.
  • Summarize: Organizing the important information using a graphic organizer, such as a web or a chart.

You will practise these reading strategies as you go through the next selections.

Analyze What You've Read

When you finish reading some of the selections in this unit, take time to analyze them. Think about whose voices and points of view were not expressed and think about how you can tell if the source of information is truthful and reliable.