Stage 4: Building a Page Hierarchy

UNIT

STEP 1

The Heading Ladder

HTML has six heading levels. You've used <h1> and <h2> already. Each level gets progressively smaller and represents a lower level of importance on the page.

<h1>Page Title — used ONCE per page

<h2>Major Section

<h3>Sub-section

<h4>Detail Heading

<h5>Fine detail

<h6>Smallest heading

🎯 The Golden Rule

Never skip heading levels. Always go h1 → h2 → h3 → h4 in order. Skipping levels confuses screen readers and search engines.

STEP 2

Add h3 Sub-headings for the Lakota People

Let's add a new section to your page that uses h3 to break the Lakota cultural group into sub-topics.

👉 Add this AFTER your Quick Facts </ol>: <h2>About the Lakota People</h2>

<h3>Their History</h3>
<p>The Lakota are the westernmost division of the Oceti Sakowin. They have lived on the Great Plains for centuries, known for their deep spiritual traditions and connection to Paha Sapa — the Black Hills.</p>

<h3>Today</h3>
<p>The 6 Lakota communities continue to govern their own lands, practice their language and ceremonies, and advocate for the protection of sacred sites.</p>

Look at the preview → "Their History" and "Today" appear as sub-headings under "About the Lakota People." Their smaller size tells visitors "these topics belong under that section."

STEP 3

Add h3 Sub-headings for Dakota and Nakota

Now do the same for the Dakota and Nakota peoples of eastern South Dakota.

👉 Add this AFTER your Lakota section: <h2>About the Dakota and Nakota People</h2>

<h3>Their History</h3>
<p>The Dakota and Nakota peoples are the eastern divisions of the Oceti Sakowin. They have lived along rivers and prairies of eastern South Dakota since time immemorial.</p>

<h3>Their Language</h3>
<p>Lakotiyapi — the Lakota/Dakota language — is actively being revitalized across all nine SD Tribal nations today.</p>

<h3>Today</h3>
<p>The 3 Dakota and Nakota communities govern their own lands, operate schools, health services, and cultural programs.</p>

STEP 4

Go Deeper with h4

An <h4> goes inside an <h3> section. Let's add a specific nation spotlight using h4.

👉 Add this inside your "About the Lakota People" section, after the Today <p>: <h4>Spotlight: Oglala Sioux Tribe</h4>
<p>Located on the Pine Ridge Reservation in Oglala Lakota County, the Oglala Sioux Tribe is one of the largest Tribal nations in the United States. Pine Ridge is home to a vibrant community with a strong tradition of activism, artistic expression, and cultural preservation.</p>

🌿 Tribal Sovereignty in Action

The Oglala Sioux Tribe operates its own government, courts, schools, and cultural programs. Pine Ridge is also home to the Oglala Lakota College, a Tribal college that has served the community since 1971.

STEP 5

Your Page Hierarchy

Look at your page now. You have a complete hierarchy:

h1 - "South Dakota's 9 Tribal Nations" - the main title, used once.
h2 - "Lakota Nations," "Dakota and Nakota Nations," "Quick Facts," "About..." - the major chapters of your page.
h3 - "Their History," "Today," "Their Language" - sub-topics within each chapter.
h4 - "Spotlight: Oglala Sioux Tribe" - a specific detail within a sub-topic.

This hierarchy is exactly how a real encyclopedia or textbook is organized. When your code reflects clear real-world structure, both people and machines can navigate it easily.

STEP 6

Challenge: Add Your Own h4

Research one Dakota or Nakota nation and add an h4 spotlight under the "About the Dakota and Nakota People" section. Try:

Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate - one of the Dakota nations with a strong language revitalization program
Yankton Sioux Tribe - a Nakota nation with a long history along the Missouri River

🌟 Stage 4 Complete!

You now understand HTML heading hierarchy from h1 to h6. In Stage 5, we'll add links so your page can connect to the real websites of these Tribal nations!

Code Editor

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>South Dakota's Tribal Nations</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>South Dakota's 9 Tribal Nations</h1>

<h2>Lakota Nations</h2>
    <p>There are 6 Lakota communities across South Dakota.</p>
    <ul>
        <li>Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe <ul><li>Dewey & Ziebach Counties</li></ul></li>
        <li>Crow Creek Sioux Tribe <ul><li>Buffalo County</li></ul></li>
        <li>Lower Brule Sioux Tribe <ul><li>Lyman County</li></ul></li>
        <li>Oglala Sioux Tribe <ul><li>Oglala Lakota County</li></ul></li>
        <li>Rosebud Sioux Tribe <ul><li>Todd County</li></ul></li>
        <li>Standing Rock Sioux Tribe <ul><li>Corson & Sioux Counties</li></ul></li>
    </ul>

<h2>Dakota and Nakota Nations</h2>
    <p>There are 3 Dakota and Nakota communities in eastern South Dakota.</p>
    <ul>
        <li>Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe <ul><li>Moody County</li></ul></li>
        <li>Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate <ul><li>Roberts County</li></ul></li>
        <li>Yankton Sioux Tribe <ul><li>Charles Mix County</li></ul></li>
    </ul>

<h2>Quick Facts</h2>
    <ol>
        <li>South Dakota has 9 federally recognized Tribal nations.</li>
        <li>6 nations are Lakota, and 3 are Dakota and Nakota.</li>
        <li>Together they are the Oceti Sakowin - the Seven Council Fires.</li>
        <li>Each nation is sovereign - they have their own government.</li>
    </ol>
</body>
</html>

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