FORT PLAIN — On a recent Tuesday morning, Harry Hoag Elementary School Fourth Grade Teacher Jade Van Gorder stood in front of the entire fourth grade class with a stalk of corn and explained its many uses. Meanwhile, the room was filled with the scent of fresh cornbread and vegetables.

Because the students are learning about the Iroquois and Algonquian tribes of New York State, Van Gorder, along with fellow teachers Amy Bartholomew, Meagan Kane and John Fureno, presented Native American Culture Day.

For the unit, students created a longhouse/Native American village model in a shoebox, learned how to make cornhusk dolls, heard about legends, and tried on snowshoes and a traditional headdress. Students were also able to sample Native American foods including cornbread and “three sisters” soup.

“This really gives the children an idea of what the Native Americans ate and how they got their food,” Fureno said. “And the students will notice that the food tastes different too because the Native Americans didn’t use additives.”

Van Gorder said the students also learned about some traditional games of chance that the Native Americans played, including one with a wooden bowl and colored pumpkin seeds.

“It was good because the students also saw and learned about other items that played a role in Native American life such as rattles, arrowheads and tap,” Van Gorder explained.