Elders’ StoriesPublished on Lessons of Our Land (http://www.lessonsofourland.org)

Grades: K - 2nd Grade Lesson: 2Unit: 1: American Indian traditional land valuesSubject: History/Social StudiesAchievement Goal: Listen to, understand, and visually interpret an origin story from a tribal elder(or book).Time: Two class periods

Lesson Description:Students listen to a tribal elder’s stories and respond by creating illustrations of events in the stories.

Teacher Background:Oral traditions are an important method of remembering tribal stories. Elders have learned these storiessince they were very young. They pass these stories on to the next generation in times of telling andsharing. Thus, the storyteller is a very important person who communicates ancient cultural beliefs andconfirms one’s connectedness to the earth and to past and future generations of Indian people.

This lesson is a follow-up to Lesson One in this series. If students have not worked through Lesson One,incorporate stories from the Lesson Resources section. Teacher Preparation Resources:

Invite a tribal elder to come tell an origin story to the class.If an elder is not available, or in addition to the elder's story, gather stories from the LessonResources section (or if you did Lesson 1 of this unit, use the same books from that lesson as ithas the same list of resources as this lesson).Prepare drawing materials for students.

Student Activity:

1. Invite a tribal elder to the classroom to tell an origin story from his/her culture.2. If the elder agrees to being recorded, set up a video or tape recorder and have the tribal elder

tell his or her story.3. Ask the students to listen carefully, as one should when elders speak.4. Ask the students to ask the elder storyteller questions about the origin story.5. After the visit, replay the recorded story for the class.6. Stop the recording periodically and discuss key points with the students.7. Ask the students to repeat the story briefly in their own words.8. Develop questions from the stories they have heard to discuss with students. For example:

Summarize the story you have read or heard. What happens during the story? (Askstudents to repeat the story in its general sequence.)Where does the story take place? List all the places the storyteller mentions.Whose experiences does the narrator talk about? What roles do animals, plants, land,and water play in the stories?List the all the things that were made or created during the story.What, if anything, was destroyed during the story?Does the storyteller mention any names or places more than once during the story?Who or what seems most important in this story?What is the moral of the story? What lessons does it teach?What questions do you have about this story?

9. Ask students to draw a picture illustrating their thoughts on how things looked as the events inthe story took place.

10. Display the drawings and lead a class discussion about them, asking questions such as: What parts of the stories do your drawings show?What looks most important in these drawings? Why do certain figures, shapes, and colorsstand out?

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Elders’ StoriesPublished on Lessons of Our Land (http://www.lessonsofourland.org)

What seems most important in the stories? Are there certain animals, plants, things, orplaces that seem important to the storyteller(s)?

Evaluation:

1. Evaluate the ability of the students to listen carefully and grasp the essential parts of stories bytheir responses to questions and their participation in discussions.

2. Assess the students’ ability to visualize narrative events by their drawings and explanations.

Lesson Resources:

Native American Lore Index Page Indian Legends webpage Bruchac, Joseph and Thomas Locker. The Earth Under Sky Bear’s Feet: Native American Poemsof The Land. New York: Philomel Books, 1995.Caduto, Michael J. and Joseph Bruchac. Keepers of the Earth: Native American Stories andEnvironmental Activities for Children. Golden, Colorado: Fulcrum, 1989.Garcia, Emmett. Coyote and the Sky: How the Sun, Moon, and Stars Began. Albuquerque:University of New Mexico Press, 2006. Goble, Paul. The Great Race of the Birds and Animals. New York: Bradbury Press, 1985.Goble, Paul. Remaking the Earth: A Creation Story from the Great Plains of North America. NewYork: Orchard Books, 1996.Kootenai Culture Committee, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Ktunaxa Legends. Pablo,Montana: Salish Kootenai College Press, 1997.Montileaux, Donald F. Tatanka and the Lakota People. Pierre: South Dakota State HistoricalSociety, 2006.Whitethorne, Baje. Father's Boots: Azhé'é Bikénidoots'osii. Flagstaff, Arizona: Salina Bookshelf,Inc., 2001.Yamane, Linda. When the World Ended, How Hummingbird Got Fire, How People Were Made:Rumsien Ohlone Stories. Sonoma, CA: Oyate, 1995.

Source URL: http://www.lessonsofourland.org/lessons/elders%E2%80%99-stories

Links:[1] http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/loreindx.html[2] http://www.indianlegend.com/default.htm[3] http://www.lessonsofourland.org/grade-level/k-2nd-grade[4] http://www.lessonsofourland.org/flag/unflag/recently_viewed/313?destination=printpdf/313&token=lozLZnVRK58weBz0TONIBgbc4li8UvLF_0MxtJQGwLc[5] http://www.lessonsofourland.org/flag/flag/lessons/313?destination=printpdf/313&token=lozLZnVRK58weBz0TONIBgbc4li8UvLF_0MxtJQGwLc[6] http://www.lessonsofourland.org/subjects/historysocial-studies[7] http://www.lessonsofourland.org/states/general[8] http://www.lessonsofourland.org/units/1-american-indian-traditional-land-values

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