Storytelling is a defining component of Native American culture and a primary language learning skill at the elementary level. Choose grade-appropriate stories about the Cherokee and the Trail of Tears to read aloud to students of all age groups. Then ask them to retell the story in writing as they remember it. As a whole group, or in small groups if possible, ask the students to read their versions aloud. Discuss how history is based on recall and emphasize the importance of clear observation and listening when talking about what you see and hear.
Discuss community boundaries to be sure students understand the basic concepts of family, neighborhood and town or city. Use Google Maps to show satellite images of the area that the Cherokee called home before traveling on the Trail of Tears. Switch to "map" view to show the modern cities and towns as they exist today. Print satellite-view pictures and draw a line to show where the Cherokee had to walk to make room for the modern cities and towns. Using the facts of the times as they are recorded, ask the students for alternative solutions to moving the Cherokee.
The purpose of these activities will be to expose students to the physical reality of distance measurements as they are expressed on a map and then utilize that understanding to gain comprehension of how far the Cherokee had to walk. These activities may take several class sessions to complete.
First, introduce or review basic units of measure up to one mile. As a group activity, measure visual distances including the school hallway, the distance across the recess yard and the length of the school.
Then, using printed maps, introduce concepts of scale and ask students to measure map distances from the school to known landmarks as far out as one mile. If possible, take a walking field trip to the landmark.
Finally, using Google Maps in satellite view, review the Trail of Tears journey. Highlight the length of the trip by relating to the one-mile known landmarks in your school community. Ask students to observe how many mountains and rivers had to be crossed to make the trip.
Using age-appropriate resources including the computer, the school library and the students' own imaginations, ask the children to answer the following questions. "Where did the Cherokee find food?" "How did the Cherokee stay dry and warm?" "How did the Cherokee make their clothes?" "How did the Cherokee communicate long distances?" "What does nature provide that would help me if I had to walk 1,000 miles without going inside?"