Mrs. Kelley’s 4th grade class participated in a in-depth interrogated unit on Virgina Indians. The purpose of the unit was to have the students understand the process required by the Nottaway Indians living in Virginia to obtain state recognition. Working collaboratively in small groups the students located, evaluated, and selected a variety of resources they felt best to recreate the tasks required to meet the five criteria required by the state. As a fictious tribe the groups completed the research and created documents that simulated those completed by the Nottaway tribe. (The Nottaway tribe recently received state recognition after a long struggle.) Technology was used in both completing the research and producing the products. The lesson culminated with a mock presentation by the tribe to the Virginia Council on Indians (VCI) at which the required documents were submitted for approval. Special guests included Mrs.Lynette Alston, the Chief of the Nottaway Tribe as well as personell from Central Office, school administration, and parents. The completed projects, including the presentation, are uploaded to this blog. The students are also communicating on a regular basis by email with the granddaughter of Chief Alston sharing their experiences in and outside of school.