First graders have been studying the Plains Native Americans in addition to researching their own individual Native American tribe.  The people of the plains were nomads, meaning they do not stay in one place for very long.  They traveled with the buffalo because they depended on the buffalo for almost everything.  They used the buffalo for food, clothing, and shelter.  Because they traveled with the buffalo, the plains Native Americans lived in tipi, which were easy to put up and take down.  First graders have learned that it takes 8-10 large buffalo hides to make one tipi.  The men in the Plains tribes were skillful hunters and they did not want to waste any part of the animal they killed.  They would use the meat for food, bones for tools, and the skin for clothing.

First grade students have also learned how Native Americans of the Great Plains did not have a written language.  Instead, two means of communication they employed included a system of sign language and a system of pictographs, or picture writing.  This type of writing was used on rocks, robes, animal hide, and even tipis.  First grade students planned out and created their own pictograph stories.  They enjoyed reading their stories and exploring this form of communication.