| Objectives | Students will be able to: (1) describe the Taino way of life (housing, food, customs); (2) name Taino words still used today (hammock, canoe, hurricane); (3) create a Taino village diorama. |
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| Materials | Taino artefact pictures (replicas), map of Taino settlement, clay, popsicle sticks, paper. |
| Key vocabulary | Taino, bohio, cacique, cassava, petroglyph |
| Engage (starter) | (10 min) Show a map of the Caribbean. Ask: Who lived here before Columbus? Let’s discover the Tainos. |
| Develop (main) | (35 min) 1. Discuss Taino origins (South America, settled islands). 2. Describe village life: bohio (house), cacique (chief), fishing, farming cassava. 3. Show pictures of petroglyphs. 4. In groups, build a Taino village diorama: huts from clay/paper, canoe, stick figures. 5. Label parts with Taino words. 6. Write a diary entry: “A day in a Taino village.” |
| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Diorama showcase; each group explains one feature. |
| Assessment | Diorama includes bohio, canoe, and a food source; diary entry uses Taino terms. |
| Teacher notes | Connect to modern Caribbean culture: many words, foods (bammy) are Taino in origin. |
| Objectives | Students will be able to: (1) explain Taino religious beliefs (zemis, spirits); (2) describe Taino games (batey); (3) draw a zemi and explain its purpose. |
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| Materials | Zemi images, ball game (batey) picture, clay or playdough, markers. |
| Key vocabulary | zemi, shaman, batey, ceremony, petroglyph |
| Engage (starter) | (10 min) Show an image of a zemi (three-pointed stone). Ask: What could this be? It was sacred to the Tainos. |
| Develop (main) | (35 min) 1. Discuss Taino spirituality: zemis represented spirits, shamans communicated with them. 2. The batey ball game: played in a plaza, used a rubber ball. 3. Children sculpt a simple zemi from clay (three points with a face). 4. Draw a petroglyph design on paper. 5. Write a caption: “This zemi was used for ____.” |
| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Zemi gallery: children explain their zemi’s imagined purpose. |
| Assessment | Zemi model has key features; caption shows understanding. |
| Teacher notes | Visit a museum or show online Taino artefacts if possible. |
| Objectives | Students will be able to: (1) distinguish Kalinagos from Tainos; (2) describe Kalinago society (warriors, canoes); (3) compare Taino and Kalinago using a Venn diagram. |
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| Materials | Kalinago warrior picture, canoe model, Venn diagram template, map of Lesser Antilles. |
| Key vocabulary | Kalinago, Carib, warrior, canoe, migration |
| Engage (starter) | (10 min) Show a picture of a Kalinago warrior. Ask: How are they different from the Taino you learned about? They lived further south. |
| Develop (main) | (35 min) 1. Explain Kalinagos lived mainly in Lesser Antilles, were skilled sailors and warriors. 2. Describe their canoes (piraguas), village life, and that they also farmed. 3. Compare Taino and Kalinago using a Venn diagram (both farmed, both had chiefs, but Kalinagos more warlike). 4. Map where they lived. 5. Write a short paragraph: “If I were a Kalinago child, my day would be...” |
| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Share paragraphs. Class discussion: why do we study these peoples? |
| Assessment | Venn diagram includes at least 3 similarities and differences; paragraph uses factual details. |
| Teacher notes | Avoid labelling Kalinagos as “cannibals” in a sensational way; explain it was part of ritual belief if needed, with context. |
| Objectives | Students will be able to: (1) explain Columbus’s arrival in 1492; (2) describe the Spanish colonisation; (3) write a “before and after” diary for a Taino. |
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| Materials | Map of Columbus’s voyage, timeline, picture of Spanish settlement, diary template. |
| Key vocabulary | Columbus, exploration, colonisation, encounter, impact |
| Engage (starter) | (10 min) Hold up a ship picture. “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” What happened when he arrived? |
| Develop (main) | (35 min) 1. Tell the story: Columbus landed in The Bahamas, then Hispaniola, then Jamaica. 2. Spanish settled and established towns (Sevilla la Nueva). 3. Discuss impact on Tainos: forced labour, disease, decline. 4. Create a two-part diary: “Before the Spanish came, I...” and “After the Spanish came, I...” from a Taino child’s perspective. 5. Share in pairs. |
| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Select diaries read aloud; discuss empathy and perspective. |
| Assessment | Diary entries show understanding of life before and after; use historical facts. |
| Teacher notes | Handle this sensitively; emphasise the strength and resilience of Indigenous peoples. |
| Objectives | Students will be able to: (1) complete a timeline of early Caribbean history; (2) answer review questions; (3) create a “First Peoples” mini-book. |
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| Materials | Timeline strips, quiz, mini-book templates, art supplies. |
| Key vocabulary | review all |
| Engage (starter) | (10 min) Mix-up timeline: put events in order as a class (Taino settlement, Kalinago arrival, Columbus, Spanish). |
| Develop (main) | (35 min) 1. Complete a quiz: multiple choice and short answer. 2. Make a mini-book: cover “The First People of the Caribbean”, page on Taino, page on Kalinago, page on Columbus. 3. Illustrate each page. 4. Partner read the mini-book. 5. Self-correct quiz together. |
| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Mini-book showcase; quiz review. |
| Assessment | Mini-book includes accurate info; quiz corrected. |
| Teacher notes | Keep mini-books for revision; next week focus on African presence. |