Materials:

• 7 colored sheets of construction paper labeled "safe zone"
• 4 - 6 highway cones (optional - teacher provided)

Objectives:

• Students will learn the importance of the rabbit to the ancient Washoe people.
• Students will simulate 2 different rabbit hunts. The first hunt will involve only 2 hunters working independently, while the second simulation will represent a cooperative effort at hunting rabbit.
• Students will learn the importance of cooperative food gathering.

Background:

With the coming of fall, and cooler temperatures, the supply of fish and edible plants began to decline, and the Washoe learned to adapt to their changing environment.

At this time the importance of rabbits increased for the Washoe. The rabbits had grown fat by early fall and now had their thick winter coats. The rabbit skin blankets that would be made would help to keep the Washoe warm through the winter and the rabbit meat would provide energy and sustenance.

For this lesson, students simulate an actual rabbit drive. The activity is taught outdoors and will probably generate a great deal of excitement. It is strongly suggested you teach this lesson the last 45 minutes of the day.

Before You Begin This Lesson:

• Scout out a suitable outdoor site for the activity. You will need a space roughly 100 x 50 feet.
• Because this activity involves physical exertion and contact between students, you may want to set some behavioral "ground rules" before heading outside. In the event of inclement weather, the lesson can be delayed or taught in the multipurpose room.
• If your school has 4 to 6 highway cones, they can be used to help designate boundaries for the rabbit hunt.

Activity:

1. Begin by reviewing the previous lesson where students learned how, as the season moved from spring into summer, the ancient Washoe changed from primarily fishing as a food source to the gathering of edible plants.

2. Explain that as fall approached, the supply of edible plants began to diminish. The Washoe adapted to this change by relying more on the hunting of animals.

Read the following narrative to your class:

Early fall was the best time of the year to hunt rabbits. Both the white-tailed jackrabbit and the cottontail were hunted. Rabbits were very fat this time of year, and had already grown winter coats.

Rabbit hunting required the cooperation and participation of the entire Tribe. Everyone, including women, children, and elders participated in the rabbit drives. Rabbits were driven into nets where they were captured and killed with clubs or arrows. The nets were woven of plant fibers, with most families owning one at least one net. Some of the larger communal nets were three feet high and as long as a football field (300 feet).

One member of the Tribe was in charge of the rabbit drive. He was known as the Rabbit Boss. He helped organize and position people to insure a successful drive. The people would stretch their nets into a wide semicircle as they walked slowly towards another group holding longer nets. The rabbits would then be completely surrounded by the longer nets. Once caught in the nets, the rabbits were killed. Rabbits were so plentiful in the fall, that thousands of them could be captured in the drives.

The rabbits were divided up among the Tribe, cleaned and skinned. The fur skins were used for blankets. It might take 100 rabbits to make one blanket. The meat was roasted or boiled for a celebration feast. Any remaining meat was dried and/or pounded into meal for use during winter months.

3. Ask students why they think the Washoe didn't simply go out and hunt rabbit "one-on-one", using bow and arrow. (Because it simply wasn't productive enough. Successful rabbit drives might harvest hundreds of rabbits in a relatively short of time).

4. Explain that for today, the class will simulate a rabbit hunt. First, they will find out what happens when only two students "hunt" for rabbits working individually rather than cooperatively . Next, the class will simulate a Washoe rabbit drive where some class members will act out the role of rabbits, while others will hold hands to simulate the Washoe rabbit nets.

Explaining Round 1

5. Draw the following sketch on the board to help explain how the first round is played. In the first round, only 2 students will hunt rabbits instead of a group rabbit drive.

The rabbits ("R") will try to run towards the Safe Zone without being tagged ("killed") by one of the two hunters. If a rabbit is tagged, that person must immediately sit down on the ground, crosslegged, and not move for the remainder of the round. The Safe Spots ("S"), represented by 5 sheets of colored construction paper, show places where rabbits can hide from the hunters. Only one rabbit can stand on a safe spot at any one time! Once a rabbit successfully reaches the Safe Zone, they are to sit down.

The first round ends when all the rabbits have reached the safe zone, been tagged, or are standing on safe spots.

6. Take a moment to check for understanding on this first round of the simulation.

Explaining Round 2

7. The second round of the simulation represents a Washoe Rabbit drive. Students will simulate nets to trap and kill the rabbits.

8. Draw the following sketch on the board to help explain how the second round is played.

For the second round, 3 student Chasers ("C") try to herd the rabbits ("R") towards the long Washoe net. Twelve students holding hands will represent the net. These students will try to herd the rabbits into the net. The safe spots have been removed. The rabbits must always move away from the callers. Once a rabbit touches any part of the net, they must immediately sit down on the ground, crosslegged, and not move for the remainder of this final round. Once a rabbit successfully reaches the Safe Zone, they are to sit down.

The second round ends when all rabbits have reached the safe zone or have been caught in the net.

To determine the number of students to play the part of the rabbits, simply subtract 15 from the number of students in class the day of the lesson.

This will insure the same number of rabbits for both rounds in order to make a fairer comparison between the rounds.

9. Spend a few moments asking students how the first round differs from the second round. (In the first round, there are no nets or chasers. Also, there no safe spots in the first round.) How are the two rounds the same? (Both rounds have rabbits moving towards the safe zone. Also, both rounds take place in the same space.)

10. Ask in which round students predict more rabbits will be caught. Why?

11. Once you feel students understand the basics of the two simulations, take the class outdoors.

1st Round Set up

12. Upon reaching the site, set up for the first round of the simulation.

a. Establish the general boundaries for the hunt.

b. Set up for the first round by choosing 2 student hunters to stand along the edge of the safe zone.

c. Choose your student "rabbits" (the number of rabbits should be 15 students less than the total in class that day). They should be positioned along the line opposite from the safe zone.

(Left over students sit alongside the field and watch the events - they may act as monitors).

d. Randomly place the 5 colored "safe spots" between the rabbits and hunters.

e. Explain that because rabbits are quite a bit faster than humans, students playing the role of rabbits can run, while the hunters must walk during the first round of the simulation.

f. On your signal, begin the "hunt". The rabbits are trying to cross into the safe zone while the hunters are trying to tag the rabbits.

13. This first round should go fairly quickly. At the end of the round, count up the number of "rabbits" tagged.

2nd Round Set up

14. Remind students that the second round attempts a simulated rabbit drive. The set up for this simulation is as follows:

a. Remove the safe spots.

b. Assign 3 students as chasers. Position them behind the line at the end of the field, opposite from the safe zone (see diagram on preceding page).

c. Choose your student "rabbits" (the number of rabbits should be 15 students less than the total in class that day). They should be positioned along the side opposite from the safe zone, just in front of the chasers.

d. The balance of the class becomes the net holders. They should line up along the opposite side as the callers and form a chain by holding hands. (If your calculated properly, there should be 12 net holders.)

e. Remind students that the rabbits must always move in the opposite direction of the callers, and sit down immediately if they touch the net.

f. On your signal, begin. The net holders should begin slowly walking towards the callers who are trying to heard the rabbits into the net.

14. Be sure to count up how many rabbits were caught during this second round.

Closure:

1. Once the excitement wanes, have students quietly gather around you for the closing discussion.

2. Lead a discussion to point out differences between the two rounds. Ask the hunters in the first round how they felt trying to chase down the fleeing rabbits.

3. Ask why the second round was more productive than the first.

4. Explain that the Washoe had learned long ago how to most effectively gather rabbits. The rabbit drive was simply another example of the Washoe adapting to the natural environment around them.

Evaluation:

The smoothness of running the rabbit drive will demonstrate good listening skills and the ability to follow directions. Students' responses in the discussion will indicate their ability to grasp the concept of cooperation as an environmental application.