Native American Pre-Test Warm Up

8-12-11You have 8 minutes to complete this pre-test starting when class starts!Answer in COMPLETE sentences and put thought into your answers.If you absolutely don’t know an answer after at least trying to figure it out, leave it blank!

Let’s SALSA!

• *Show actions that facilitate learning for the self and others

• *Actively participate and be cognitively present

• *Learn to be open to new learning

• *Study even when you think you don’t need to study

• *Act with a positive attitude

Guiding Question

How do people communicate? Why do people communicate?

These Native American myths..• The World on the Turtle’s Back,

When Grizzlies Walked Upright, Navajo Origin Legend, and Grandmother Spider Steals the Sun.

• All offer explanations of where the people who inhabit the Earth came from.

• What other sources take on the challenge of explaining this phenomenon? - the Bible, geneticists

• Based on the titles alone, how do you think you are going to respond to the Native American Selections to how the Earth/World was formed?

Pre-test

From the following slides, fill in any “answers” you may not

have gotten

So, what is a myth?•The word itself comes from the Greek “mythos” which originally meant “speech.” •It is a traditional story explaining how the world and the things in it came to be.

Myth

•A traditional story that deals with gods, goddesses, heroes, and/or supernatural forces. •A myth may explain a belief, custom, or a force of nature

Myths

• Contain supernatural elements • Often explain the unexplainable • Have also been told in order to

teach a moral lesson. • All cultures have myths, though

often do not see their stories as myth but as fact.

Native American Myths-

• The First Nation's Peoples had a value system. There were only four commandments from the Great Spirits:

• 1.Respect Mother Earth2.Respect the Great Spirit3.Respect our fellow man and woman4.Respect for individual freedom

Oral tradition• Native American myths

originated as oral tradition: Stories passed down verbally

• Native American creating myths were not written down until just a few hundred years ago.

Origin Myths

• Every origin myth is a story of creation: origin myths describe how some new reality came into existence

Alright, let’s get to it!• You will be divided into groups (we need 5)

each having a different myth to study and present. Just scoot next to your neighbors.

• Suggestion: Read the myth silently first and then read it aloud to emphasize the importance of the oral tradition

• Assign the following roles within your group: note taker, artist, creativity director, teacher

• Then, complete the response sheet- one per group. Everyone should generate ideas but the note taker records.

• Then, discuss how best to present your myth- perform a skit, do an oral reading, create a picture- you must TEACH the myth to the class

• Finally, presentations!

Self-Assessment

• Please fill in the Self-Assessment sheet for homework after you also complete the homework on the following slide:

Classwork/homework1. Create your own mythic tale! This can be

about anything. What story will you tell your kids one day about how the world was created? Tossing out all that you know biblically, creatively come up with a new version. One page, single spaced, college ruled paper. Or two pages typed, double space, 12 pt font.

OR2. This myth is part of the oral tradition of

stories being told in various ways- usually depending on beliefs and customs. Interview someone “older” to find a story that has been passed down from generation to generation. One page, single spaced, college ruled paper. Or two pages typed, double space, 12 pt font.

• Both Due Tuesday, 8/16/11