Curriculum Unit

Native American Folklore (3rd Grade)

Steven Thomas - November 23, 2014

CURRICULUM UNIT - STEVEN THOMAS

Table Of Contents
Content Outline-Page 3
Unit Rationale-Page 4
Unit Objective-Page 5
Lesson 1-Page 7
Lesson 2-Page 9
Lesson 3-Page 11
Lesson 4-Page 13
Lesson 5-Page 15
Unit Closure-Page 17
Overall Assessment-Page 19
Bibliography-Page 20

Content Outline
Before teachers need to teach this lesson, there are a few key concepts that educators
will need to be familiar with. The first is a basic understanding of some Native American

CURRICULUM UNIT - STEVEN THOMAS

tribes. Considering that this is Utah, I would recommend familiarity with the Ute, Paiute,
Goshute, Shoshone, and Navajo tribes as they were the tribes that lived in Utah. Educators
should also be aware of some fables that were told by these tribes as well as fables that are
told by non-Native Americans. This will be necessary for lesson 2, which involves comparing
fables. The only other knowledge that educators need to posses relates to summarizing
stories. Educators will need to be able to explain how to summarize a story, as well as help
students create fables of their own. Due to the latter element. It is a good idea that educators
have familiarity with the basic structure of fables.

Here is a list of vocabulary that students will need to know:

Fable
Native American
Ute
Paiute
Goshute
Shoshone
Navajo
Summary
Key Point

Unit Rationale
Social studies should be an important part of the curriculum. However, the modern day
reality of high-stakes testing makes it difficult to devote the time and attention to social
studies that it deserves. As such, the only way to make social studies an important part of
your curriculum is to develop lessons that delve into other concept areas. By doing this, you
can give your students multi-faceted lessons that allow them to explore social studies topics
and other academic areas of interest. That is what this curriculum unit seeks to do. It
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combines social studies standards with english and writing standards. By employing this
curriculum unit, you are maximizing your time by teaching both social studies and language
arts. Furthermore, this lesson is also important because it calls attention to the fascinating
culture of Native Americans by relating it to something that almost all students should be
familiar with. Regardless of cultural background, students will have fables that they have
heard before. Hearing that Native American tribes had similar stories will instantly make
these lessons seem much more real and relatable to students.

Unit Objective
The curriculum unit is ultimately based around the following grade 3 Social Studies
Standard: Standard 2-Objective 1.c- Investigate spiritual, artistic, architectural, and oral
traditions of Utah's Native American Indians; e.g., languages, storytelling, pottery, basketry,
weaving, beadwork, and dwellings. While that will be the guideline that permeates all five
of the lessons, each individual lesson will focus on a different language arts standards. Here
are they standards that correspond to each lesson.

Lesson 1: Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the
central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

CURRICULUM UNIT - STEVEN THOMAS

Lesson 2: Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the
central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

Lesson 3: Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the
main idea.

Lesson 4: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

Lesson 5: Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.

When the individual language arts standards are combined with the larger overarching social studies
standards, it leads to a very effective curriculum unit.

CURRICULUM UNIT - STEVEN THOMAS

Lesson 1
Standards Met:
Social Studies Standard:
Investigate spiritual, artistic, architectural, and oral traditions of Utah's Native American Indians; e.g.,
languages, storytelling, pottery, basketry, weaving, beadwork, and dwellings.

Reading Standard:
Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central
message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

Language Standard:
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Introduction:

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The overall goal of this lesson is to introduce them to Native American culture by having them listen to
a reading of a native american folk tale. They will then act it out in a pantomime. This lesson is a fun
and engaging way to introduce students to the concept of Native American culture.

Activity
Students will be a read a version of the Navajo creation myth. I will then asks students to move their
desks to the side of the room. They will then. act out the story as I read it out loud. This exercise will
be a pantomime so students will not be allowed to use their voices.

Closure:
I will close the lesson by asking them they thought of the story. I will then tell students to think about
what made that story similar or different to other fables they have heard. I will then tell students that
they will continue to explore Native Americans & fables in the future.

Assessment:
The assessment for this lesson will be informal. I will ensure that students are listening be doing sight
checks and moving around the room. This will also occur when the students are acting out the story.

CURRICULUM UNIT - STEVEN THOMAS

Lesson 2
Standards Met:
Social Studies Standard:
Investigate spiritual, artistic, architectural, and oral traditions of Utah's Native American Indians; e.g.,
languages, storytelling, pottery, basketry, weaving, beadwork, and dwellings.

Reading Standard:
Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central
message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

Language Standard:
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

Introduction:
This lesson will expand upon the previous one by having students compare a native american fable to a
n Irish one. This will make them think more analytical about fables and the culture behind them.

Activity

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Students will be a read two different stories. The first is The Irish Cinderlad. The second is Arrow To
The Sun. I twill then give students a Venn diagram sheet and ask them to compare the stories for
similarities and differences.

Closure:
I will have students turn in their Venn Diagram sheet and tell them that we will go deeper into Arrow
To The Sun next time
Assessment:
The assessment for this lesson will be the Venn Diagram sheets the students turn in.

CURRICULUM UNIT - STEVEN THOMAS

Lesson 3
Standards Met:
Social Studies Standard:
Investigate spiritual, artistic, architectural, and oral traditions of Utah's Native American Indians; e.g.,
languages, storytelling, pottery, basketry, weaving, beadwork, and dwellings.

Reading Standard:
Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main
idea.

Language Standard:
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.:

Introduction:
This lesson will expand upon the previous one by having students complete a worksheet involving
Arrow To The Sun. This activity will allow them to focus on english skills (summarizing) why also
focusing on gaining deeper knowledge about Native American culture.

Activity
Students will be given copies of Arrow To The Sun. They will then be given a worksheet to complete.
The worksheet will ask the students to identify the main point of the story, identify two characters and
their motivations,and compare it to other stories that they have read.

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Closure:
I will have students turn in their worksheets. I will then go over all the questions by calling on students
to give their answers. As a class, we will come to the correct answers.
Assessment:
The assessment for this lesson will be the worksheets that the students turn in.

Lesson 4
Standards Met:
Social Studies Standard:

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Investigate spiritual, artistic, architectural, and oral traditions of Utah's Native American Indians; e.g.,
languages, storytelling, pottery, basketry, weaving, beadwork, and dwellings.

Reading Standard:
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique,
descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

Language Standard:
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.:

Introduction:
This lesson will require students to create a short fable of their own. It will build upon the terms
students learned in the previous lesson.

Activity
Students will be given the graded copies of their Arrow To The Sun. worksheet. From here, they will
be instructed to create their own short fables that match up to the Native American fables we have read
in class. They need to have at least two characters and a clear plot where a problem is resolved. I will
model a short story that I created. I will then help students work on their stories.

Closure:
I will tell the students to take their stories home. They will have the night to work on it,
Assessment:

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The assessment for this lesson will be the stories that they turn in. They will need to meet the
requirements that are laid out in class.

Lesson 5
Standards Met:
Social Studies Standard:
Investigate spiritual, artistic, architectural, and oral traditions of Utah's Native American Indians; e.g.,
languages, storytelling, pottery, basketry, weaving, beadwork, and dwellings.

Reading Standard:
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Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique,
descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

Language Standard:
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or
speaking.

Introduction:
This lesson will require students to research wither the Navajo or the Pueblo tribes. It is a nice
culmination of the unit as these are the two tribes whose stories were discussed by the class previously.

Activity
Students will be told that they are going to begin work on a research project involving Native
Americans. They will be given a rubric and told that they will have to complete a Research project
about either the Navajo or Pueblo tribes. The project will require the students to:

Explain where the tribe lived

Summarize three traditions that the tribe had

What were the tribes dwellings like

The students will then go to the computer lab to work on the project.

Closure:
I will tell the students to take save their work. We will return next week to finish their projects.
Assessment:

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The assessment for this lesson will be the projects that they eventually turn in. They will present their
reports to the class.

Unit Closure
The units official ending will be marked in two ways. The first will be the students
presenting their reports to the class. On the same day, I will check out the Native Utah
teaching toolbox from the Utah Museum of Natural History. It is a box that I can take to my
classroom that is filled with objects made from every native Utah tribe. This will provide an
excellent visual summary of some aspects that make Native American tribes so unique.
I believe an important goal for every teacher involves providing students with things
that appeal to them individually. The box comes with the following:
Cradle Board: Goshute
Flute: All Tribes
Traditional Cattail Doll: Shoshone
Basket: Shoshone

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Bag of Corn: All Tribes

Rabbit Fur Infant Moccasins: Shoshone
Digging Stick: Shoshone
Pine Nut Basket: Paiute
Rugs (2): Navajo
Adult Moccasins: Ute
Stick/Rock Board Game: Ute
Rose Necklace: Ute
Stirring Sticks: Navajo
Clay Pot: Navajo
Stick Game: Goshute
Duck Decoy: Goshute
Waist Sash: Navajo

The numerous objects included here should hit every students unique interests.

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Overall Assessment
Every individual lesson had its own unique assessment attached to it. I believe this is
the best way to honor the uniqueness of all the individual lessons. However, I do believe that
the reports that the students deliver at the end of lesson 5 due a nice job of serving as a
summative assessment. The reason for this is the presentation pulls on what the students
have previously learned about both Native Americans and the art of writing as well.

Bibliography
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Websites:
Native Utah Toolbox | Natural History Museum of Utah. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23,
2014, from http://nhmu.utah.edu/educators/teaching-toolboxes/native-utah
Navajo Creation Story | Four Worlds. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2014, from
http://www.navajolegends.org/navajo-creation-story/
Books:
Climo, S., & Krupinski, L. (1996). The Irish Cinderlad. New York: HarperCollins.
McDermott, G. (1974). Arrow to the sun: A Pueblo Indian tale. New York: Viking Press.

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