How did Native nations get their food? Three main ways: growing, hunting, and gathering.
Many nations were expert farmers. Their most famous crops were the Three Sisters: corn, beans, and squash, planted together in one mound! The corn grew tall, the beans climbed the corn like a ladder, and the big squash leaves shaded the ground to keep it moist. The three plants helped each other grow — brilliant!
Nations also hunted deer and buffalo, fished rivers and seas, and gathered wild foods like berries, nuts, and wild rice. Nothing was wasted, and people gave thanks for every meal.
1. What are the Three Sisters?
2. How did the three plants help each other?
3. What does 'gathering' mean?
4. Name two wild foods people gathered.
Write what each word means in your own words.
1. The tall sister was .
2. The climbed the corn like a ladder.
3. Big leaves kept the ground moist.
4. The beans used the corn as a .
5. Squash leaves gave to the soil.
6. People gave for every meal.
Write T for true or F for false in each circle.
Draw a Three Sisters mound: tall corn in the middle, beans winding up the stalk, and wide squash leaves all around the bottom.
| I learned... | Circle one |
|---|---|
| What the Three Sisters are | YES / NOT YET |
| How the plants help each other | YES / NOT YET |
| The three ways nations got food | YES / NOT YET |