This week we started our much anticipated Native American Study! This study is designed to teach the kids about the first peoples who lived on this land. Students learn about the different Native cultures who used the resources found in their region to make a variety of different homes, clothing, foods, tools, and art.
We do talk about the culture clash between the Native Americans and the European settlers as disputes for land and rights were settled with unbalanced technologies in a "might makes right" fashion which is NOT the value we want the first and second graders to embrace.
The kids are working in small groups and each group is named for a different tribe from one of the US regions we are studying. The station activities reflect aspects of Native American culture in a way that is crafted to keep the spirit of the skill or art form without directly copying it to avoid any chance cultural appropriation.
One station invites students to make clay animal fetishes inspired by those done in the Southwest by the Zuni tribe. The children choose an animal they admire or are inspired by as the subject of their small hand-held sculpture. They share why that particular animal is special to them, such as graceful movement, strength, speed, patience, etc. - qualities they may wish to embody themselves.
Hopi Native Americans, also from the southwest, are known for Kachina dolls which, for them, were of a religious nature and were used to teach younger members of the tribe important aspects of their faith. At our "Kachina" station, in conjunction with our Social Emotional Learning curriculum, we are having the kids make their own "teaching dolls" to instruct someone in an important value such as patience, helpfulness, sharing, and the like.
At our musical station kids have the opportunity to create a dance to a traditional Native American drum rhythm. The kids take inspiration from an animal in our region to choreograph their dance moves and perform their finished dance to the group.
We have many traditional Native American games that would have been played by many peoples across the country. The groups of kids work together to learn the game and then try it out. The games this round are largely games of chance where students toss sticks or stones to see how many land stripe or design side up to score points. The groups work together to play fairly and with good sportsmanship.
At our logical-mathematical station kids are doing the very painstaking work of weaving on bead looms. This is very tricky work and a lot of patience and steady handwork is needed to complete even a few rows on the loom. A good deal of frustration tolerance is needed for success at this station, but the pride of the kids as they complete rows of beads is evident!
Finally, at our verbal-linguistic station kids are trying their poetic hands at crafting a rewrite of a traditional Chippewa animal poem. Using the structure of the original poem, students write their own version about an indigenous animal and create a scratch art illustration to accompany their work.
We will continue at our stations until all groups have had a turn through each experience. Check out the picture below from our first day of station work!
