Students have read and learned many things about the Iroquois.  First, they discovered the region where the Iroquois lived, the Northeast Woodlands.  The Iroquois built long, narrow buildings called longhouses.  They made of upright logs and cross poles, and covered with elm bark.  Students enjoyed creating individual diagrams of the exterior and interior of an Iroquois longhouse.  In their diagram, students were asked to include as second floor for food storage, multiple rooms partitioned with deer skin to show that many families lived together in one longhouse, and shared fires with smoke holes above for ventilation.  Working as a class, we then began building a model longhouse using sticks and bark students brought in from home.  Using the computers, students created virtual wampum belts.  Wampum, or beads used for trade, was often woven into belts.  The images created told stories from long ago.  Students also learned about moccasins, shoes the Iroquois made from deer skin.  We’ll learn more about the importance of deer when we return from Thanksgiving break.