Site Robbers: What’s Your View?
Objectives:
Students
will use a number of articles and fact sheets to develop opinions about
protecting and preserving archaeological sites. They will write reflective and
position papers and participate in a debate to support their views.
1.01
3.01
3.02
3.03
6.02
Materials:
A
copy of “A Point of View” and “Fact Sheet” (Intrigue of the Past website,
Lesson 5.5).
A.
Hypothetical story:
A new housing development is being constructed on land that was a farm
belonging to your great, great grandfather. Not only will the farmland be
leveled, but the old graveyard on the property will by bulldozed over. A lawyer
has come to ask your parents to sign a release giving the construction company
permission to dig up the graves and allow archaeologists to examine the burial
site for evidence of culture of the time period.
1. Would you agree to sign the release
form? What would be your reasons for agreeing or refusing?
2. How might an archaeologist respond?
3. What reasons would the housing
developer use to support the decision to bulldoze?
B. Discuss your opinions with a partner and write a brief reflection on your views.
A. Discuss personal, cultural, and spiritual value of artifacts from the past and responses when those items are lost or destroyed. Connect to Native American tribes and their reactions to archaeological activity on sites once occupied by their ancestors.
Native American Tales
Days: 5
Objectives:
ü Analyzing a number of Native American Tales by character, theme, and type (e.g., explanatory, trickster).
ü Comparing and contrasting tales across cultures, particularly Southeastern (e.g., Cherokee, Choctaw, Catawba) with Northeastern (e.g., Algonquin, Iroquois), Northwestern (e.g., Athabaskan, Eskimo), Southwestern (Navaho, Pueblo), and Plains (e.g., Shawnee, Sioux)
ü Developing and writing a creation, porquoi, or trickster tale based on the tales read
2.01
4.01
4.02
6.01
Materials:
Comparison-contrast chart of tale
traits, organized by tribal regions or by tale types
Ata, Te.(retold by Lynn Moroney).
(1989). Baby Rattlesnake. (Southwestern).
Illus. Mira Reisberg. San Francisco, CA: Children’s Book Press. RL: 2. Baby
Rattlesnake loves using its rattle to play tricks but refuses to listen to the
advice of others.
Begay, Shonto. (19920. Ma’ii and
cousin horned toad: A traditional Navajo story. (Navajo). Illus. Shonto Begay. New York: Scholastic. RL: 3. Ma’ii
the coyote is very lazy and always hungry. One day he decides to visit his
cousin Horned Toad, who is working hard in his corn field. Ma’ii tricks Horned
Toad into climbing into his mouth, but he finds that he has been tricked
instead.
Brown,
Virginia P., & Owens, Laurella. (1985). Southern Indian Myths and
Legends. Birmingham, AL: Beechwood. (Southeastern)
Browne, Vee. (Reteller). (1995). Animal
lore and legend: Owl. (Seneca, Zuni,
Picuris). Illus. Diana Magnuson. New York: Scholastic. RL: 2-3. Information
about the types of owls living in North America and tales told about them in
one Eastern Woodlands tribe and two Southwestern peoples.
Bruchac, Joseph. (1993). The first
strawberries: A Cherokee story. (Cherokee).
Illus. Anna Vojtech. New York: Dial. RL: 3. First man and first woman overcome
anger, and the creation of strawberries.
Bruchac, Joseph. (1994). The great
ball game: A Muskogee story. (Muskogee).
Illus. Susan L. Roth. New York: Dial.
RL: 3. A pourquoi tale of how the animals and birds played a game of stickball
to determine who would have dominion over the land.
Bruchac, Joseph, and London, Jonathan.
(1992). Thirteen moons on Turtle’s back: A Native American year of moons.
Illus. Thomas Locker. RL: 3. Short tales from a variety of tribes related to
each of the moons in the Native American year.
Bruchac, Joseph, and Ross, Gayle.
(1994). The girl who married the moon. Mahwah, NJ: Troll/Bridge Water.
RL: 5. Tales with female protagonists from 16 Indian tribes.
Climo, Shirley. (1988). King of the
birds. (Aesop/Chippewa).Illus.
Ruth Heller. New York: Harper Trophy. RL: 3. The birds live in chaos and decide
they must find someone to rule them, so they organize a contest to find the one
who will be king.
Cohen, Caron Lee. (Reteller). The
mud pony. (Pawnee). Illus.
Shonto Begay. RL: 3. Hero tale of a poor boy who becomes a leader of his people
with the help of a magical pony created from clay.
Cohlene, Terri. (1990). Little
Firefly: An Algonquian legend. (Algonquian).
Illus. Charles Reasoner. Mahwah, NJ: Watermill Press. RL: 4. A young girl who
is mistreated by her sisters becomes the wife of the Invisible One. The book
also includes information about the Algonquian tribes' locations and customs.
(Cinderella tale)
Cole, Judith. (1991). The moon, the
sun, and the coyote. (Southwestern).
Illus. Cecile Schoberle. RL: 4. Sun and Moon argue over who is the most
powerful, and coyote, the Moon’s favorite, becomes a test case.
Connolly, James. (Transcriber). “Why
the possum’s tail is bare: A Cherokee folk tale.” (http://elvis.neep.wisc.edu/-firmiss/mephitis-didelphis/tales/possum-tail-) (Southeastern)
Connolly, James E. (1985). Why the
possum’s tail is bare and other Native American Indian nature tales. Illus.
Andrea Adams. Owings Mills, MD: Stemmer House. RL: 3-4. Tales organized by
geographical region: Eastern Woodlands, Western Plains and Coastal. Brief
introductory explanations accompany each tale.
DePaola, Tomie. (1983). The legend
of the bluebonnet: An old tale of Texas. (Comanche). Illus. Tomie DePaola. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons. RL:
3. A young girl sacrifices her most prized possession to save her tribe.
DePaola, Tomie. (1988). The legend
of the indian paintbrush. (Plains).
Illus. Tomie DePaola. New York: Aladdin. RL: 3. A boy’s dreamvision tells him
that his life work is to paint the history of the tribe and the beauty of
nature, but he has trouble finding materials to capture the colors of the
sunset until another dream shows him the way.
Erdoes, Richard, and Ortiz, Alfonso
(Eds.). (1984). American Indian myths and legends. New York: Pantheon
Books. Tales from a wide range of tribes are organized by categories: creation
myths, tales of heavenly bodies, hero tales, love tales, tricksters, animal
stories, ghost stories, and tales of the end. Some stories are graphic and
others could be considered X-rated.
Goble, Paul. (1978). The girl who loved
wild horses. (Plains). Illus.
Paul Goble. New York: Aladdin. Caldecott
Medal. RL: 4-5. An Indian maiden loves her family but finds true freedom
and happiness among the wild horses.
Goble, Paul. (1988). Her seven
brothers. (Cheyenne). Illus.
Paul Goble. New York: Bradbury. RL: 4. A young girl goes in search of her
siblings; pourquoi tale of the Big Dipper.
Goble, Paul. (1992). Love flute.
(Plains). Illus. Paul Goble. New
York: Aladdin. Aesop Prize. RL: 4. A
shy young man is unable to express his love until the mystical Elk Men bring
him a flute to communicate his feelings.
Goble, Paul. (1988).Iktomi and the
Boulder. (Plains). Illus. Paul
Goble. New York: Orchard. RL: 3. Vain Iktomi is traveling to the next village
in all his finery. Because it's hot, he gives his best robe to a boulder, but
when rain threatens, he takes it back. The boulder follows him across the
plains and traps him underneath. Iktomi tricks animals into helping him get
free.
Goble, Paul. (19 ). Iktomi and the Ducks. (Plains). Illus. Paul Goble. New York
Haley, Gail E. (1996). Two bad
boys: A very old Cherokee tale. (Southeastern).
Illus. Gail E. Haley. New York: Dutton. RL: 4. In the beginning, there was a
family--First Hunter, Corn Woman, and Boy--but Boy gets lonely and pulls a Wild
Boy from the river. Wild Boys curiosity and sense of mischief result in the
creation of work for humankind.
Hamilton, Virginia. (1988). In the
beginning: Creation stories from around the world. Illus. Barry Moser. San
Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Newbery
Honor. RL: 5-6.
“Pea-Pod
Man”-Eskimo; “Old Man the Creator”-Blackfoot; Earth Starter the Creator”-Maidu
of CA; “Divine Woman the Creator”-Huron; “Maker and Feathered Serpent the
Creators”-Mayan.
Hollander, Cass. (1994). Why Bear
has a short tail: A traditional tale. (Iroquois).
Illus. Cathy Pavia. New York: Scholastic. RL: 1. Tale similar to that found in
the Connolly text. The story is nicely illustrated and simply written.
Insley, Bernice. “The Scent of the
Skunk: A Native American Folk Tale.” (http://elvis.neep.wisc.edu/-firmiss/mephitis-didelphis/tales/skunk-scent-)
Johnston, Tony. (1994). The tale of
Rabbit and Coyote. (Southwestern).
Illus. Tomie DePaola. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. RL: 3. Rabbit and Coyote
trade tricks. Beginning with a story much like the tar baby and ending with
explaining why we can see the outline of a rabbit in the full moon.
Lacomb, Bayou. “Why ‘Possum Has a Large
Mouth.” (http://elvis.neep.wisc.edu/-furmiss/mephitis-didelphis/tales/paooum-mouth-)
London, Jonathan. (Reteller). (1993). Fire
race: A Karuk Coyote tale about how fire came to the people. (Northwest CA). Illus. Sylvia Long. San
Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books. RL: 3. Grandfather tricks the Yellow Jacket
sisters to obtain fire for the rest of the animals who create a relay team when
the insects chase the fire-carrier.
MacGill-Callahan, Sheila. (1991). And
still the turtle watched. (Delaware).
Illus. Barry Moser. New York: Dial. RL: 4. An ancient carver creates a turtle
on a rock in the bend of the river to by the eyes of Manitou, but as the years
passed, people forgot and later vandals defaced the rock until a knowledgeable
man comes and takes the turtle to a museum.
Martin, Rafe. (1992). The
rough-face girl. (Algonquin).
Illus. David Shannon. New York; G. P. Putnam's Sons. RL: 3. A young girl is
mistreated by her two beautiful sisters, but her purity of spirit allows her to
see the Great Being and become his wife. (Cinderella tale).
McDermott,
Gerald. (1975). Arrow to the Sun. (Southwestern)
Illus. Gerald McDermott. Caldecott Honor.
New York: Viking. RL: 3.
McDermott, Gerald. (1993). Raven: A
trickster tale from the Pacific Northwest. Illus. Gerald McDermott. Caldecott Honor. Orlando, FL: Harcourt
Brace. RL: 3. Raven tricks the Sky Chief’s daughter and brings light to the
people.
McDermott, Gerald. (1994). Coyote:
A trickster tale from the American southwest. (Zuni). Illus. Geral McDermott. New York: Harcourt. RL: 3.
Midge, Tiffany. (1995). Animal Lore
and Legend: Buffalo. (Omaha, Seneca,
Apache, Kiowa, Ojibwa). Illus. Diana Magnuson. New York: Scholastic. RL: 3.
Three Native American tales about buffalo are accompanied by information about
these majestic, endangered animals.
Oughton, Jerrie. (1994). The magic
weaver of rugs: A tale of the Navajo. (Navajo). Illus. Lisa Desimini. New York: Houghton Mifflin. RL: 4.
Two women from the Navajo tribe set out to save their people and meet Spider
Woman who teaches them how to weave.
Pollock, Penny. (1996). The turkey
girl: A Zuni Cinderella. (Zuni).
Illus. Ed. Young. Boston: Little, Brown. RL: 3. Pourquoi tale about keeping
one's word. (Cinderella tale).
Ross, Gayle. (1994). How Rabbit
tricked Otter and other Cherokee stories. (Cherokee). Illus. Murv Jacob. New York: HarperCollins. RL: 4.
Fifteen tales about trickster Rabbit.
Ross, Gayle. (1995). How Turtle's
back was cracked: A traditional Cherokee tale. (Cherokee). Illus. Murv Jacob. New York: Dial. RL: 3. A pourquoi
tale similar to Brer Rabbit and the Briar Patch.
Rucki, Ani. (1992). Turkey’s gift
to the people. (Navajo). Illus.
Ani Rucki. Flagstaff, AZ: Northland Publishing. RL: 3. Great flood waters
threaten all the animals, so they work together to save themselves, going
two-by-two into great reeds on the hills. But the turkey couple has yet to
arrive; they make it just in time, bringing with them all the seeds necessary
to replant the earth.
SanSouci, Robert. (1978). The
legend of Scarface: A Blackfeet Indian tale. (Blackfeet). Illus. Daniel SanSouci. New York: Bantam Doubleday
Dell. RL: 3. A boy despised by others in his tribe sets out to win the hand of
the woman he loves by asking the Sun to release her from the vow she made not
to marry. The animals help him on his quest, and his honesty, loyalty, and
bravery win him the respect of Sun, Moon, and their son Morning Star. He
returns to his tribe with riches and claims his bride.
Schecter, Ellen. (1992). The
warrior maiden: A Hopi legend. (Hopi).
Illus. Laura Kelly. New York: Bantam. RL: 3. A young Hopi girl devises a plan
to protect her pueblo from Apache raiders.
Steptoe, John. (1984). The story of
jumping mouse: A Native American legend.Illus. John Steptoe. New York:
William Morrow. Caldecott Honor. RL:
4. A small mouse wishes to see the wonders of the far off land, and with the
help of a magic frog and his own unselfish spirit he manages to do it, although
in an altered form.
Tchin. (1997). Rabbit’s wish for
snow: A Native American legend. (Eastern
Woodlands ?). Illus. Carolyn Ewing. New York: Scholastic (Hello Reader L.
2). RL: 1. The tale of how rabbits lost their long tails and ended up with a
split lip and bent arms and legs.
Yolen, Jane. (1990). Sky dogs.
(Blackfeet). Illus. Barry Moser. San
Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. RL: 4. The story of how the Blackfeet
first saw and learned about horses told by an old man who was there as a boy
when it happened.
Yolen, Jane. (1986). Favorite
folktales from around the world. New York: Pantheon. RL: 4-6. “Glooscap and
the baby”-Algonquian; “How men and women got together”-Piegan; “Sedna”-Eskimo;
“Deer Hunter and White Corn Maiden”-Tewa/southwestern; “Coyote fights a lump of
pitch”-Apache; “The orphan boy and the elk dog”-Blackfoot; “The flying
head”-Iroquois; “The well-baked man”-Pima (coyote trickster); “How mosquitoes
came to be:-Tlingit; "The spirit wife”-Zuni; “Woman chooses death”-Blackfoot;
“The end of the world”-Sioux.
Young, Ed. (1993). Moon Mother: a
Native American creation tale. Illus. Ed Young. New York: HarperCollins.
RL: 3. Creation story.
Setting the Stage:
Group discussion of how humans go
about explaining unknown experiences and observations, for example an eclipse
of the sun, phases of the moon, why animals look as they do. How are
present-day explanations different from those of peoples in earlier times? What
experiences would Native Americans of the Mississippian Period try to explain
and how would they go about doing it? For example, how might they attempt to
understand the fact that unlike squirrels, foxes, and other animals, the
opossum has a furless tail?
Procedure:
A. Discuss why humans need to explain the world around them and how they go about doing it—the beginnings of myths and porquoi tales.
B. Students read “Why the Possum’s Tail is Bare”
1. Discuss the tale—what students like about it; what it shows about the various characters; possible themes of the story; what it reveals about the people that developed it
2. Draw and write a character sketch of one character: possum, rabbit, cricket
C. Students work with a partner to read and discuss another Native American tale from the southeastern tribes
D. Group share of the various southeastern tales read
1. What features are shared by these stories
2. Are there similar character types—tricksters, vain, lazy, etc.
3. Are there similar problems, events, themes
Day 2
A. Creating a comparison chart
1. Discuss which elements would be useful to construct a comparison chart for the southeastern tales (e.g., title, author, publication information, tribe/region, characters, problem, solution, theme, magical element)
2. Using chart paper, create a group chart to compare these elements
B. Paired students write down the information from the tale they read on Day 1 and add it to a group chart
C. Provide a wide selection of tales from other Native American cultures from which pairs of students can select a new one to read together and discuss
D. Once pairs have read and discussed their tale, group students by tribal region (e.g., Northeastern, Southwestern, Plains) to discuss similarities and differences among them
E. Individuals and partners begin to brainstorm (web, draw, discuss, outline) for a new tale (creation, trickster, porquoi) to be written over the next few days
Day 3
A. Whole group discussion of tales read the previous day, comparing and contrasting tale types and their representations across the tribal regions.
1. What impact does geography, animal life, climate, etc. have on the tales from each region?
2. Are there common characters across regions or do characters have common traits?
B. Pairs chart the information about the tale they read on Day 2 and then meet with others reading tales from the same region and expand the chart to include all tales read from that region (If computer availability, this could be done as a database)
C. Each regional group selects one of the tales from their region to present in some creative way (e.g., drawings, story board, Readers’ Theatre, dramatization, crafts) to the group
D. Continue drafting original tale with partner or individually; once draft is completed, conference with peer or teacher to explore content clarity and descriptive language
Day 4
A. Read aloud Rough Face Girl
1. Grand Conversation of the story: what appealed to you about the story, illustrations; what connections do you make with it
2. What does the story suggest about Native Americans and their relationship to nature
3. Does the story remind you of others that you know; why does this basic story plot (Cinderella) seem to appear across many cultures [The oldest Cinderella tale comes from China and first appeared thousands of years ago.]
B. Complete comparison charts and highlight commonalities across Native American cultures
C. Continue work on original tales
1. Finish drafts
2. Editing conferences
3. Complete final draft as homework
D. Continue work for group sharing of regional tales
Day 5
A. Group regional tales presentation
B. Whole group discussion of regional tales and what they suggest about the people and cultures that developed them
C. Students write a brief description/reflection of the Native American culture for which they have read and discussed several tales
1. What environment surrounds these people
2. How do they make their living
3. What are there spiritual beliefs
4. How do they relate to other tribes
5. What do they do to have fun
E. Collection and illustration of tales—to be compiled into class book
1. Those who care to may share their tale with the group
2. Discuss the tale types chosen and why
3. What features were included in imitation of the native tales
4. What was easy/difficult/fun about this writing activity
Summer
Technology Academy 2001
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