In addition to providing initial exposure to Native American culture, this junior high school curriculum unit is intended to help students improve their composition and thinking skills. The students' cognitive task is to recognize that groups are composed of individuals and that individual group members are different from their groups in the same way that students are different from their cultural groups. The unit aids the student in the task because it is intended for individualized study designed in part by the student. In the course of the unit, students gain practice in planning, composition, grammar, handwriting, reading, and research skills. The unit begins with a teacher sheet that provides an overview of goals and presents an outline for classroom organization. A lesson follows that preassesses student attitudes, writing skills, self-expression, and interests to determine which subsequent lessons should go into each individual study plan. The lessons focus on adaptation, belief, and belonging, and lesson topics include the migrations, economics, world view, leadership, extended family, education, and history of the Teton Sioux. Each lesson plan includes an assignment and a list of specific activities for students to complete. Activities include reading for information, creative and report writing, summarizing, and map and chart making. The unit includes many of the essays that students are required to read and the study guides that students are required to complete after the reading. (SB)