Unit 1: Native American Literature

BIG IDEA: Are people basically good? Does everyone have a dark side?
Three reading requirements: 1. The World on the Turtles Back 2. Coyote & the Buffalo 3. Fox and Coyote and Whale Time Span: 3 weeks 2 days
Standards: 1.1 Understand and practice writing as a recursive process. 1.2 Use writing, speaking, and visual expression for personal understanding and growth. 2.1 Develop critical reading, listening, and viewing strategies 2.2 Use a variety of reading, listening, and viewing strategies to construct meaning beyond the literal level. 3.1 Develop the skills of close and contextual literary reading.

Day 1: Monday (January 20th) Pre-reading discussion question (Quick Write1-projector) **Quick Writes are recorded in journals and collected every Friday (2 points per entry). o Why are people so eager to understand the origin of the world? o What makes a person good or bad? Pre-reading Myths vs. Legends Mini Lesson (PowerPoint) Background Info on Native Literary Tradition and the Iroquois (PowerPoint) Pre-reading activity: Analyze photo depicting the Myth (projector) o Students make two lists 1. Words about the photo 2. Questions about the photo Read: The World on the Turtles Back in class. (Recorded and students read along while listening, on the computer/read aloud).

Day 2: Tuesday Text Book o Go over table of contents The World on the Turtles Back o Double-Entry Diary Who, What, Why Timeline Board Activity (Handout). o From the right (my right) first two tables = beginning of the story, pgs. 23 & 24, two middle tables--pgs. 25 (characteristics of the brothers) last two tables do the end of the story pgs. 27 28 o Fill out Who, What, Why, So What? (chart-10 points)

Day 3: Wednesday Quick Write2: o Is this an effective creation myth? What does it tell us about the nature of the human race? (Big Idea). o Which parts were interesting? Why? (2-3 bullet points) In groups of two: if you were to cast the movie of this myth, who would you have as the main characters? Why? (5 points). o Animated voices versus facial features o Real life Introduce Poster Project (handout). o Pick their partner (groups of 2), list of secondary Myths to choose from and sign up in order to present on Monday. o Start working if time

Day 4: Thursday Project work day Homework: Project One Quick Write (grade: worth 4 points)

Day 5: Friday Project work day HOMEWORK: work on your project. Presentations start MONDAY!!

Day 6: Monday (January 27th) Presentations! o 5 minutes max o 9 groups today

Day 7: Tuesday Finish up Presentations o 6 groups today Mini-lesson on Folk tales (handout) Silent Reading: Coyote and the Buffalo o Fill out Silent Reading Response Sheet (Handout) o If not enough time the sheet is HOMEWORK

Day 8: Wednesday Quick Write1 (3 minutes) o Folk tales often serve to teach or explain. In your view, what does "Coyote and the Buffalo" teach or explain? (computer to projector) o Consider what actions are rewarded or punished what changes occur in the characters the first and last paragraphs of the tale

What did you find most interesting about the characters in this tale? What human qualities do the characters display? o In what ways does this folk-tale help us answer the Big Idea question? Discuss the quick write in class. Begin reading Fox and Coyote and Whale Exit Ticket (handout) might move to Thursday

Day 9: Thursday

Review ideas from Fox and Coyote and Whale o Decision Tree (handout) Remember the Big Idea! Students work in groups of 2. If they finish early they can share their outcomes from the decision tree with the class; discussion about the Big Idea and Fox and Coyote and Whale

Day 10: Friday

Bring it all together o Discuss the Big Idea: Are people basically good? Does everyone have a dark side? Transition into The Man to Send Rain Clouds. o Read the Cultural connection on pg. 46 (Big Idea). o Personal Knapsacks Quick write2: What biases are we coming in with before we read this story? What ceremonies do we acquire based on our culture, heritage etc? Think about the Big Idea; how can that translate into our biases towards ceremonies? Do we judge others way of celebrating because it is different from our own? 2 Quick Writes this week (grade 4 points)

Day 11: Monday (February 3rd)

Read: The Man to Send Rain Clouds Discuss the story o Ideas of ceremony, heritage and bias o How many have been to a funeral? o With a small group (4) act out a ceremony (wedding, birthdaydebutante ball, quinceaera, Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah--, funeral) What is similar/different about your two ceremonies? Do the ceremonies show heritage? Do you see a personal bias (knapsack) against their ceremony? Usually commenting: thats just weird etc Comprehension Constructor with Connections Guide (handout) o Model using Huck Finn Example (handout) o Students work on CCw/CG individually If students get done early, look over their guide Homework: work on guide

Day 12: Tuesday

The Man to Send Rain Clouds Decision Tree o Groups of 2 (remember the Big Idea). Introduce class to Simon Ortiz o Quote he said

o Background info/Free verse poetry Read My Fathers Song out loud Quick Write 1: Why do you think Ortiz remembers that particular incident so well?

What do the baby mice mean to the poet? What does his father mean to him? Ortiz never quotes what his father said or sang-what do you think it was?

If time (or homework), free verse poetry planner (handout)

Day 13: Wednesday

Introduce paper prompt and rubric (handouts) Fix-it-up Strategies (handout) o Bookmark (handout) o Model the strategies Thesis Generator Essay due a week from TODAY (Wednesday Feb 12)! Peer editing on MONDAY (Feb 10)!

Day 14: Thursday

Review MLA format (handout & PowerPoint). T-shirt example for citations

Day 15: Friday

Essay Work Day

Day 16: Monday (February 10th)

o o

PEER EDITING ESSAYS Fill out sheet Groups of three

Day 17: Tuesday

Essay work day