Native americans the wampan
Passage Activities:

Words: 201-300

Skills: Summary

Grades: 4th 5th

Topics: History

Genres: Informational Prose

Lexile Range: 740L - 1050L

Lexile Measure: —

CCSS: Reading: Informational Text

Themes: —

Native Americans: The Wampanoag Tribe

by RV Staff Writer A. A.

The Wampanoag tribe was the tribe that were a part of the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims. Students will read this passage and answer questions on the content.

900L

Reading Comprehension Passage

Native Americans: The Wampanoag Tribe

by RV Staff Writer A. A.

The Wampanoag tribe of Native Americans is famous as the group that helped the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony. They participated in the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims in 1621. 

The Wampanoags traditionally lived in what is now Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The tribe was made up of many groups, each living in separate areas. Wampanoag leaders were called sachem, and sachems could be men or women. Women owned the land in the Wampanoag tribe. 

The tribe lived mostly in one area, fishing, hunting and growing  food. The principle crops were corn, squash and beans, called the “three sisters.”  

When the Europeans arrived in the early 17th century, the Wampanoags were exposed to diseases they had never had before. Many became ill and died. The Europeans also took tribal members as slaves, selling them in European ports.  

The Pilgrims arrived in 1620. The Wampanoag helped the Pilgrims through their first hard years, selling them land and giving them food. One Wampanoag in particular, a man named Squanto, helped the Pilgrims learn to farm corn and fish in the area.  

The Puritans, a different group of English settlers, arrived in the Massachusetts area around 1630. Their relationship with the Wampanoag was not as friendly. The Puritans and other English settlers often took the Wampanoags’ land without paying for it. By 1675, the tension was so great that the Wampanoags and the English went to war. The war was called King Philip’s War, after a Wampanoag sachem named Metacomet who had taken the English name of Philip.

By the time the war was over in 1676, only 400 Wampanoags were left in Massachusetts. The rest had been killed in the war or taken as slaves.

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Reading Comprehension Questions

1) What did the Wampanoag do to help the Pilgrims that led to the first Thanksgiving?  


  


2) What did the arrival of Europeans do to the Wampanoag?





3) What was a cause of King Philip’s War?


 
4) What crops were included in "the three sisters"?




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Vocabulary List

Vocabulary List

Each of the vocabulary words below are used in the reading passage. As you read the passage, pay attention to context clues that suggest the word’s meaning.

  1. tribe
  2. traditionally
  3. principle
  4. exposed
  5. ill
  6. tension
  7. slaves

Context Clues

Context Clues

Using context clues from the sentences in the passage, underline the correct meaning of the word in boldface.

1) The Wampanoag tribe of Native Americans is famous as the group that helped the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony.

a. group or family      b. team      c. workers      d. neighbors

2) The Wampanoags traditionally lived in what is now Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

a. usually      b. always      c. hardly      d. never

3) The principle crops were corn, squash and beans, called the “three sisters.”

a. favorite      b. worst      c. smallest      d. basic

4) When the Europeans arrived in the early 17th century, the Wampanoags were exposed to diseases they had never had before.

a. introduced       b. hidden      c. sacrificed      d. given

5) Many became ill and died.

a. worried      b. mute      c. blind      d. sick

6) By 1675, the tension was so great that the Wampanoags and the English went to war.

a. excitement    b. stress      c. competition      d. confusion

7) The rest had been killed in the war or taken as slaves.

a. animals      b. officers     c. servants      d. money