Week Four:  I loved this week's content. For me, the Challenge to Survive series is an excellent resource to learn background knowledge and to refer to in order to have accurate information in which to build units and lessons. Victor third grade focuses on the Salish tribe that was originally living in our valley before the allotment. When the students learn this, they are very curious as to what Salish life was like at the time. Reading books one and two gave me many ideas to build on. I found much of the material a review of content I have already learned, but learned many new things as well. I would like to own these books as I can see myself referring to them often.

The books are beautiful and I love the layout. The features including pictures, charts, and the glossary all make this book original and the perfect way to teach book components and their importance to students. It is also a great way to start a discussion on primary sources. I teach both of those concepts to my third graders and was excited at how well the series lends itself to introducing them. We also work on time lines, and this series is a timeline, so another perfect thing for me! I realize these books are more easily worked with in a middle school setting, but many things can be easily adapted to share with the elementary as well.

I am looking forward to reading the other two books in the series. I'm sure I will get much information and many teaching ideas from them as well.

Week three:  This week the focus was on Treaty Law and Sovereignty. These are difficult concepts for me to wrap my head around. I appreciated the video "Treaty Law and Tribal Sovereignty" narrated by Dan Decker. Even though he is just "lecturing", I found his explanations easy to understand. He has a way of explaining these very complicated topics in a simpler way. His way of speaking definitely helped me to better understand.

Saying reservations are a "nation within a nation" is a great way to define it. I had never really thought about it that way before. This is something the kids can understand for sure. I also understood better after he explained that treaties are as good today as before. I did not realize that they are the Supreme Law of the Land, but it only makes sense. I did not realize that so many treaties were not ratified or that Congress passed an Act that did not allow more treaties after 1872.

While I understand the concepts better, I am amazed at how complicated things get, especially when some courts will abide by the treaty while others choose Congress. I can understand the constant fight over water rights, mineral rights, and easements. What a muddy area!

I now have a very basic understanding of Abrogation. I would like to learn a bit more about this, but I feel that this is where things really get messy.

We were introduced to two lessons from Mike Schmoker and modified by Tammy Elser. I loved them both and can honestly seeing myself use them in the classroom. I love the structure of the lesson on teaching with film. I often do entry/exit tickets to check for background/understanding and to help hold students accountable. I really like how the video is broken up with thinking breaks because I always have a hard time sustaining attention to videos, especially ones that introduce new content to me. I even let my mind drift during movies I enjoy. I know so many students are just like me, so this format will be extremely helpful in all areas of my teaching.

I also really appreciate the way Tammy adapted the lesson for Literacy Based Learning. I like the way she broke it up (time wise) and the visual she gave of the sandwich. I'm so visual that it really helped a lot. I am not seeing a copy of this lesson and wonder if there is any way we can get one. Both of the adobe files I opened were for the video lesson.

This week introduced a challenging topic. I am pleased to say that I now have some good background knowledge that I did not have before.

Week two: This week's focus was on Allotment. We watched a video, "The Worst Thing They Ever Done", which was actually bits and pieces taken from a longer movie, Place of Falling Waters. The clips that we watched really personalized what happened, particularly to the Salish, due to the Allotment Act. It was difficult for me to watch people talk about the effects this Act had on their families. Hearing it directly from the family members makes it seem more real to me.

Perspective came up in a number of our discussion posts this week. While we attempt to teach history from the perspectives of all people involved, it is interesting to note that even within cultures, the perspectives can be different. Not all members of one group perceive the effects the same way.

I did find myself feeling a little guilty for what my ancestors did to the Native American people. I cannot imagine coming to an area people are already living and being so selfish as to take over their land and make them leave their homeland. I know that I cannot rewrite history, but have a goal of educating my students about what truly took place. After reading the discussion posts of others, I know that the issues of white guilt and resentment are tough ones. I know I need to teach this topic honestly, but delicately. There are students of both European and Native American descent in my classroom.

I already knew a little bit about the Allotment Act and the Hellgate Treaty. Teachers from my school took a trip to Council Grove State Park several years ago, which was my first exposure to the treaty and its ultimate outcome. This video was a good reminder for me. It got me thinking about how I can teach this event, which was so life-changing for the people in the Victor area, to third grade students. I had never heard the "checkerboard" description before. I think third graders could understand this and it would help them visualize it.

We also had three lesson plans to review this week. I read them all and like how they all meet the Common Core Standards. I know when I took my Master's courses we spent a lot of time finding ways to teach reading in all subject areas. These lessons are a good way to teach the information while working on those crucial literacy skills. I especially liked the text coding in the lesson regarding Sam Resurrection's letter. It makes the student slow down and be more thoughtful, which is important when reading this letter.

I think the visual use of the slides for the Politics of Allotment is very powerful and perfect for promoting discussion. The slides and the discussion questions work well together to help show students what otherwise might be difficult for them to understand.

I liked the elementary lesson, "A Connection to Everything" the best; only because I can see myself using it with my third graders. The narrative is heartbreaking, but incredibly eye-opening. It truly shows how important "home" is. I have already done my boarding school unit this year, but I think this lesson would fit well in it. I work with two books written by Nicola I. Campbell and illustrated by Kim LaFave. The are Shi-shi-etko and Shin-chi's Canoe. The first is about a young girl who is getting ready to go to boarding school for the first time. She is encouraged to "pack her memories" of home. She knows she cannot take anything with her, but knows how important that home connection is. In the second book, it is her brother's turn to go away to boarding school. Both books show how difficult it was on the kids and the families to have them leave home and go to school. I found a trailer some students had created on You Tube. It gives a good introduction to both books. You can check it out at the following link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA48r__yswE        (created by Jake and Graham at HCVC School).

I am looking forward to using "A Connection to Everything" in conjunction with my other lessons. I figure the groundwork has been set with the two books I taught about boarding schools. I can use the connection lesson to move on to Allotment. I welcome any ideas and insights you might have. Thanks!

 

This blog has been created to be used in conjunction with a class I am taking through WMCSPD. The course is: HeartLines: Engaging Students with Tribal Materials and Common Core Skills. I am excited to be taking this class as it centers on educating students while using resources which are tribally approved. I am trying to carefully design my Indian Education for All units. This class will help me achieve my goals.  

Week One:  This week we explored two different resources: Remembering the Songs, and The Gift of the Bitterroot.

Remembering the Songs had a video in which three members of different tribes spoke of their memories regarding different songs. I found the video to be very powerful and thought provoking.

I enjoyed listening to Fernando Cellicion talk about the Zuni pueblos. This portion would fit well in my classroom as they have a section in our required text on the Anasazi. I am always somewhat uncomfortable when I teach this, as I have no idea if the article is approved tribally or not. I always discuss that with my third graders and we go over primary sources. They learn about the Kiva, which Mr. Cellicion talks about, and they are fascinated by the cliff dwellings. This could easily be tied into the video, which has beautiful footage of their pueblos in New Mexico.

The second segment, in which Paul Thompson talks about his childhood experience with the flute, was touching to me. I am impressed with how he went on to make flutes. I enjoyed hearing the song his mother used to hum, which his ancestors sang on their walk when forced from their home. It is so nice to have explanations go with the songs. You really get a better feel for the music and its importance.

I identified most with the third part on Jerome Vanderburg. I teach in the Bitterroot Valley, where the Salish originally lived before being relocated. Listening to his daughter, Lucy, talk about her parents and their relationship was very emotional for me. The pictures of her parents brought them to life in my mind. This piece could easily be used in my classroom when the students learn about Victor’s history and its Salish ancestors.

I have so many ideas for using The Gift of the Bitterroot as told by Johnny Arlee in my classroom. We study the bitterroot as our state flower. Many of the students have bitterroots growing on their property and are already curious about this native plant. The story, along with its striking illustrations (done by Antoine Sandoval), beautifully explains the importance of this flower to Indian Culture.

The songs (Heart of the Bitterroot) are both beautiful and haunting to me. I got a little confused the first time I went through the resources and thought the songs went with Remembering the Songs. I think I have it all figured out now, phew! I have listened to them many times and am still thinking of exactly how to use them in my classroom. I would like to play them for our music teacher and see if he would be interested in working with me on this. I appreciate Anna Baldwin for letting us know that there are guidelines for using the songs, as we don’t have the book in which this information is printed. It is a good reminder to me to always check with the tribe before using its stories and songs.

I had a good time going through the week one resources. I think we are off to a good start.