Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Native Americans
Native American Masks

Native Americans
Native Americans


Native American Masks
Print Native American Masks Reading Comprehension with Fourth Grade Work

Print Native American Masks Reading Comprehension with Fifth Grade Work

Print Native American Masks Reading Comprehension with Sixth Grade Work

Print Native American Masks Reading Comprehension

Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   6.44

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    clamshell, maskmaker, Maskmakers, maskmaking, popularity, potlatch, thunderbird, artistic, symbolize, realistic, exotic, shaman, traditional, northwestern, facial, tedious
     content words:    Native Americans, Native American, In Native American, Killer Whale, Northwest Coast Indians, New World, Northwestern Native American


Native American Masks
By Colleen Messina
  

1     Masks can be lots of fun. They can be scary, silly, or fancy. Even a paper bag can be made into a mask. You probably have worn masks for Halloween and had people wonder "who is that masked kid?" Native Americans liked the mystery of masks, too, and used them for many reasons.
 
2     Native American masks sometimes represented an important person in the tribe. These kinds of masks were called portrait masks. Other masks were used in ceremonies for secret societies. Native Americans had war societies and even shaman societies. Many masks were used in potlatch ceremonies. During a potlatch ceremony, the chief of one tribe gave a present to the chief of another tribe. Each chief wanted to give the best gifts and have the most exotic masks. Dancers wore these masks to tell a story during the potlatch ceremonies.
 
3     Native Americans made masks out of many materials. Many were made out of wood, but leather and even gourds were also used. Indians on the northwest coast carved masks out of red cedar, and they made three different kinds of masks. The first kind was called a simple face mask because it was made out of a single piece of wood. A mechanical mask took more work. It had strings or hinges so its eyes could open and close. The last kind of mask was the most complicated. It was called a transformation mask. It had an outer mask which opened up to show an inner mask. These heavy masks could only be worn by a strong person in the tribe.

Paragraphs 4 to 8:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable



Weekly Reading Books

          Create Weekly Reading Books

Prepare for an entire week at once!


Feedback on Native American Masks
Leave your feedback on Native American Masks   (use this link if you found an error in the story)



Native Americans
             Native Americans


More Lessons
             Art Theme Unit: Reading Comprehensions


United States
             United States


    American Government  
 
    Black History and Blacks in U.S. History  
 
    Children in History  
 
    Government Careers  
 
    Hispanic Heritage  
 
    How Can I Help?  
 
 
    Immigration  
 
    National Parks and Monuments  
 
    Native Americans  
 
    Presidents of the United States  
 
    Women's History  
 


United States History
    A Nation Divided
(1840-1861)
 
 
    A New Nation
(1776-1830)
 
 
    After the Civil War
(1865-1870)
 
 
    American Revolution  
 
    Cold War
(1947-1991)
 
 
    Colonial America (1492-1776)  
 
    Lewis and Clark
(1804-1806)
 
 
    Pearl Harbor  
 
    Spanish American War (1898)  
 
    The 1890's  
 
    The 1900's  
 
    The 1910's  
 
    The 1920's  
 
    The 1930's  
 
 
    The 1940's  
 
    The 1950's  
 
    The 1960's  
 
    The 1970's  
 
    The 1980's  
 
    The 1990's  
 
    The 2000's  
 
    The Civil War
(1861-1865)
 
 
    The Great Depression
(1929-1945)
 
 
    The United States Grows
(1865-1900)
 
 
    The War of 1812  
 
    Wild, Wild West  
 
    World War I
(1914-1918)
 
 
    World War II  
 


50 States

             Fifty States Theme Unit


Document Based Activities
      Document Based Activities



Copyright © 2018 edHelper