Native American Atrocities: Then and Now

It cannot be emphasized enough that Native American people were subjected to horrific treatment upon the arrival of European explorers and conquistadors in the 1500s. The Spanish instituted the encomienda system where conquistadors controlled large sections of the land and took on the roles of feudal lords. Natives were forced to work the land or in the mines.

While we have primary sources detailing massacres, instances of natives being worked to death, and other atrocities the number one killer of natives during the exploration and early colonization period was disease. It is the number one cause of the severe population decrease of natives during those years.

And just when we thought it was over it would seem there are new conquistadors in the guise of reality television producers.

If I didn’t already have a good reason not to watch their crap, I have one now.

Blending Styles and Intelligences

When we acknowledge that students have multiple ways of learning and ways of showing that they understand, we move away from working to match and fit students into the exisiting curriculum toward creating new curriculum to meet students’ strengths (Silver, Strong, & Perini, 2000). I could not agree more, and it is the very reason why the lesson I relate here provides various ways to meet the strengths of all students, but also provides opportunities for students to stretch beyond their comfort zones.

The following lesson provides many opportunities for students to to access content through reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and visually representing what they are learning. A large number of my students have had great success by manipulating the content through various learning styles, preferences, and modes such as reading, writing, and speaking.

While this lesson involves Native American regions other content such as exploration or the 13 colonies can be easily inserted into the format. The standard this lesson was based on focuses mainly on regional resources and how those resources provided food, shelter, and clothing for tribes such as the Chinook and Haida.

Since my students are nine and ten years old and are experiencing a formally sequenced American History course for the first time I generally begin a new topic by utilizing the textbook. For this particular lesson I started with general statements about the region as well as the tribes students would encounter and presented them as an anticipation guide for students to predict true or false. Laura Robb states in her book Teaching Reading in Middle Schoolthat taking the time to engage students in strategy lessons that prepare them to read a text can develop a strong base of prior knowledge that deepens students’ comprehension of books and other texts, which in turn helps them to construct new understanding (2000). Anticipation guides provide opportunities for students to become more attuned to their individual opinions about a variety of issues brought forward during reading and thus, are more apt to make personal connections to those issues as they read (Vacca and Vacca, 2004).

After students had had a chance to share with a partner their responses to the true and false statements we listened to a compact disc recording of the text while students followed along. I stopped the disc following each section of text and students discussed what the text had uncovered. I used questions to check for understanding and pointed out particular text features such as maps and pictures.

After reading the text I asked students to revisit the anticipation guide and review their answers. I encouraged students to volunteer their prior answers and identify answers that needed to be updated based on the text information. Following a short discussion I presented a concept organizing web on the board for students to copy in their notebooks. In the middle of the diagram was the title Northwest American Indians. Three legs extended from the middle circle. One leg was labeled food, another was labeled clothing, and the third leg was labeled shelter.

I asked students to revisit the text and working with their tablemates they should be able to fill in the organizer with the resources discussed in the text and how it was used. I encouraged students to draw sketches, as well, indicating the type of shelter, foods, and clothing the tribes of the Northwest used.

Once I observed students were close to being finished I called time and I asked each group to volunteer information they had found. I completed the diagram on the board per the information students gave me, and asked students to verify the information on their diagrams with the diagram on the board.

The following day I felt students had enough practice with the content to go it alone with various assignments I had structured for students to rotate through. Task rotations allow students with different learning styles to acquire the content and skills in the ways that best meet their needs and strengths as learners (Silver, Strong, and Perini, 2000). Assignments included creating flashcards for the lesson vocabulary including definitions and illustrations, writing an informative paragraph about the Northwest region, analyzing a diagram of two types of tribal canoes from the Northwest region, viewing a Powerpoint presentation I put together showing many images from the Northwest region, and creating a totem pole based on pictures and designs I have collected and maintain in a folder.

Students rotate through the various activities. Some are low maintenance on my part so that I am available for other students as they are involved in more complex tasks such as organizing the canoe diagrams or writing the informative paragraph. Low ability writers are given more support with various modifications such as a paragraph frame.

This type of two-day lesson format is common in my classroom. I attempt to hit various learning styles and preferences as well as include many activities that are based on reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visually representing content. This type of lesson framework provides a comfortable atmosphere as students complete activities that match their learning styles and preferences while they are also safely prodded to go beyond their comfort zone.

NT learners are given an opportunity to think through the material on their own as they prefer to structure material while they craft their paragraphs (Silver, Strong, and Perini, 2000). ST learners prefer assignments that are logical and useful so they attack the flashcard activity with zeal because they realize they can use the cards to study with (Silver, Strong, and Perini, 2000). SF learners are comfortable because group activities give them social moments. The very content of the lesson gives SF learners information that directly influences the Native American’s lives rather than impersonal facts or theories per Silver, Strong, and Perini (2000). NF learners are imaginative and look for new ways to express themselves. What better way to do this than by creating your own totem pole!

This particular lesson provides all sorts of opportunities to satisfy many of the intelligences. Verbal-linguistic students have opportunities to read, write, speak, and listen to content as well as each other. Logical-mathematical students can use their deductive skills while locating and recalling information from the text. Spatial students are satisfied through the diagram activity, the power point, and the creation of the totem pole while Bodily-Kinesthetic students give their hand-eye coordination a workout to make sure the totem pole has the right proportions. The group work provides students an opportunity to experience the interpersonal style by creating the paragraph and the internalization of vocabulary during the creation of the flashcards helps students experience the interpersonal style. The Naturalist style is satisfied through the content which is heavily infused with images and descriptions of the Northwest region. By using a CD of Northwest Indian tribal music or chants I affirm and encourage the music intelligence.

This lesson is one of five that I utilize regarding Native American regions. They are all similar with the exception of the region. The last time I gave my benchmark assessment for the unit which covers all five Native American regions required by state standards 40 out of 50 students earned an 85 or higher on multiple-choice test even though the test is not the best tool for assessment for some students. I believe by including activities that hit upon all learning styles and preferences, by making sure students have opportunities to read, write, speak, listen, view, and visually represent content, and by including research-based reading strategies such as the anticipation guide I am helping all students to succeed.

References:
*Robb, Laura. (2000). Teaching reading in middle school. NY: Scholastic Professional Books.
*Silver, H.F., Strong, R.W., & Perini, M.J. (2000). So each may learn: Integrating
learning styles and multiple intelligences. Alexandria, VA: Association For Supervision and Curriculum Development.
*Vacca, R.T. and Vacca, J. (2004). Content area reading. (8th ed.) Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Image Credit: From this worthy blogger

Related Post: Get Out of the Box

Testing Concerns Begin in August

Although the all important test will not be administered until April my colleagues and I are already concerned. Can nine year old students or any students for that matter really retain all of the needed information for the next nine months? Apparently politicos and educrats believe they can, and it is up to me to make sure students do.

It’s not easy.

Of course, if it’s nearing the end of August then EHT’s students are taking a look at Native Americans in North America prior to the 1500s. The Georgia Standard students are required to master (SS4H1) reads as follows: (a.) Locate where the American Indians settled with emphasis on the Artic (Inuit), Northwest (Kwakiutl), Plateau (Nez Perce), Southwest (Hopi), Plains (Pawnee), and Southwestern (Seminole) regions and (b.) Describe how American Indians used their environment to obtain food, clothing, and shelter.

What this means is students have to know how six different regions are alike and different as well as how the climate, physical features, and resources assisted natives in meeting their basic needs. It is very easy for students to become confused over which area is which and which tribes belong to which region.

I can choose many different ways to assess students, however the state uses a multiple-choice format the questions are somewhat limited. Luckily the state provides a website of banked questions for students to use in practicing for the test. These questions are also great indicators for educators so they know how the questions will be presented for students.

Additionally I assess students in many different ways. I give them opportunities to work on a project that involves one Native American region; I present the information in chart form, web form, outline notes, and bullet lists. Each student creates a matrix chart where they fill-in the information once the content is presented. They must use their own notes to do this. We also use images…many images. You can’t know what the Plains looked like if you haven’t been there. Many of my students have never been taken more than five miles from their homes. Students need visuals.

The image I used for last week’s Wordless post is presented here. Last week’s participants were great photo analyzers. Some commented that the photo might be Polynesia…I can see why….and a couple noticed the difference between the modern clothing some were wearing and the regalia the folks in the foreground were sporting. Jenny was the first one to mention Washington State, Jumpback mentioned the Great Northwest, and finally Alasandra brought up cedar bark clothing. Great job…gold stars all around.

The image shows members of the Kwakiutl tribe dressed in clothing made from cedar bark. Why did they wear cedar bark clothing? Well, it was what their environment provided----many, many cedar trees. I use that particular image in my power point presentation I show students as I introduce the Northwest region while students are taking notes. The notes are included in the presentation and the images help clarify what we are discussing. I like the image of the Kwakiutl because my standard mentions that tribe in particular plus the many trees are shown, a body of water is shown, and cedar bark clothing is shown. A grand slam if you ask me.
After we complete the unit on Native American regions I will periodically spiral back to review with students. One way I do this is through images. Such as this one:
I’ll pop it up on the television screen and ask, “On your paper I want you to jot down everything you can tell me about who lived in this environment before 1500 and how the environment helped them meet their basic needs.” I say go and give students a few minutes. When I call time I might ask students to share their jottings with their the other students they sit with. Where they right in identifying the region? Did they remember everything they could? Did a fellow student have something on their list that they didn’t? I allow students to change their answers and add to them if necessary before moving on to the next image.

As a class opener I might write two lists up on the board describing a particular region and as students come in the room I ask them to read through the lists and try to visualize what the region would look like. After everyone is in place and has had a chance to read through the lists I pop an image on the screen that matches one of the lists. “Which list describes the image?” I ask. I might pass out small slips of paper and ask students to provide the answer on the slip. Then I take them up and assess if students are remembering the content or not. I wouldn’t grade something like this, but I am mining for data. Data that will tell me which direction I need to go in and with which students.

For example, if a large number of kids continually get these mini-assessments wrong then they need remediation in the content area. I might give them extra time with little books that discuss the region, a Kids Discover magazine on particular regions, or I might send them to the classroom computers to review the power point presentations I used with each lesson…some one-on-one doesn’t hurt either.

We play games where student teams must identify regions based on image and/or a list of descriptors. We draw maps and label the regions to the point they should be able to do it in their sleep. I want them to get to the point they see the information in their mind’s eye.

It’s not easy, but it is a “must do.”

13 Things About the National Powwow

The National Powwow was recently held in Washington D.C. at the Verizon Center arena from August 10th through August 12th. The images from this fantastic yearly event are rich with the culture I try to teach my students. The facts and images I share here are mainly from the National Museum of the American Indian and from an online article at the USINFO website.

1. The word “powwow” comes from a Narragansett word pauwau, which referred to curing ceremonies in times long past. Once the English language reached North America the word came to be known as an Indian gathering or as a verb meaning “to confer in council”. In Indian Country, it came to mean a “secular event featuring a group singing and social dancing by men, women, and children.”

2. During the powwow, Native people pay homage to past, present, and future generations of Native Americans from all tribes through music, dance, giveaways, namings, and other ceremonies. In the past a single community would have their own celebrations and would not include other tribes. The National Powwow includes many tribes and creates a physical and spiritual circle where they are all free to share traditions, languages, songs, dances, foods, jokes, and blessings.

3. The most important thing to remember about the National Powwow is it symbolizes cultural survival and perseverance to celebrate and maintain Native identity into the 21st century.

4. The earliest powwow that was intertribal was the Ponca Powwow, which began in 1879 in Indian Territory, according to Dennis Zotigh (Kiowa), the NMAI National Powwow cultural advisor. “Indian Territory was truly intertribal,” Zotigh says. “Sixty-seven tribes were removed from their original homelands and placed in what was to become the state of Oklahoma. At the Ponca Powwow, many tribal members traveled more than 100 miles to participate in the intertribal singing and dancing.”

5. Many of the activities performed at the National Powwow have their origins at the ceremonial war dances of the Great Plains. The basis of the Powwow is taken from ceremonies performed by the Osage, Ponca, Kaw, Omaha, and Pawnee tribes. Many of the head staff positions in the powwow arena stem from ceremonial offices held by warriors. A powwow’s head singer, emcee, arena director, and head man dancer, for instance, are direct descendants of official positions in the Inlonshka and other ceremonies.

6. Several formal and religious observances take place during the Grand Entry that marks the beginning of the afternoon and evening sessions. You can see a list of Powwow events here. The Flag Song is the Native equivalent to the National Anthem, and is dedicated to the men and women who have served in the armed forces.

7. Attendees should never refer to “costumes” when speaking of Native dress. This is derogatory to many and implies garishness. It is acceptable to use the words “regalia” or “outfits”. A dancers outfit should never be touched without permission, though they are tempting. Many items---eagle feathers, dance sheilds, and clothing---hold personal, historic, and religious significance, and are cared for in a sacred manner.

8. Photography is allowed during a Powwow, but you should always ask for permission before simply snapping away. However, certain events prohibit photography, audio, and video recording such as prayers, Honor Songs, and Memorial Songs. If you attend a Powwow the emcee will always announce those parts of the program. What happens if an eagle feather is dropped in the area? A Pick-up Dance will be performed, in which one or more veterans are selected to pick up the fallen feather. An Eagle Bone Whistle Song and a special prayer are offered. No pictures would be taken during this time.

9. The front seats are always reserved for dancers and elders. Blankets and shawls are usually placed over them to reserve them. Never walk through the area.

10. Always move around the perimeter. Do not crowd the drum. Please allow sufficient space for drum judges, singers, and family members. Powwow organizers never allow any smoking, drinking, or drugs on the premises.

11. Rituals and dances associated with warrior honor societies are still performed, however today they honor American Indians soldiers serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, as well as legendary warriors from the past. As in all other American Indian dances, performers must pay close attention to the drums because they are required to conclude the dance exactly on the last beat.

12. Many of the dances performed at the Powwow are faithful to early dances, but many have been modernized. The Green Dance was performed across America’s Great Plains during the late 1800s before declining in popularity. Recently it has become more popular. It is performed by male dancers with yarn fringes that represent prarie grass and is thought to be part of a complex healing ceremony.

13. So, why do members of the participating tribes go to so much trouble. In this article two tribal members said, “I want to show people that there’s more to us than what they have seen in the movies,” said Wylie Bearstail (Hidatsa/Arikara), a grass dancer. Rylan Baker (Hidatsa/Cree), who specializes in the Men’s Fancy Dance, agreed: “I hope that [spectators] will get a different perspective on Native Americans. We’re not savages; we’re just like anyone else.”



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Dragging Things Out

I guess we are the only family in the United States actually smoking a turkey today. You’d think we’re tired of turkey after Thanksgiving, but Hubby Dear received a dandy bird from a client and well…..we have to eat, you know. We usually drag holidays out as long as we can.

Sometimes dragging something out is great and other times well….sometimes things can go on too long. Cinderella over at World of Royalty linked to two newspaper stories regarding the American Mohegan tribe and a request to meet with monarch of Britan dating back to the 1730s. Read the whole story story here and here.

This is most interesting. Everytime I visit Cinderella I find something wonderful.