Content Objectives
Navajo Duality Awareness
In this curriculum students will be able to investigate and explain the male and female concepts of duality of the Navajo culture from reading children’s literature and various genres written by Navajo authors and scholars who have studied the Navajo culture on duality.
Some suggestions for motivating Native American students to learn about cultural knowledge from their own tribal affiliation are shared by Melanie Brice in her article on “Honoring Indigenous Children’s Ways of Knowing.” The article includes the following helpful ideas for a teacher who wants to promote real-life experiences: to be respectful of the student’s cultural background and family knowledge, to be accepting of the family value system and philosophy, and to create a positive learning environment.
Journal Nature Writing
Students will create and organize a journal for their Journal Nature Writing experiences by using the book entitled Put on Your Owl Eyes by Devin Franklin as a resource guide for the teacher to share with the students. For four weeks, students will take their journal outdoors with them, to locate a sit spot and to draw a living element from the environment into their journal. The next step will be to write information about their observation using their senses to formulate their writing. Then, to bring their journal back into the classroom and to investigate from various resources or media the duality concept of the living element. Can the student answer the following questions for the living element: Is it a female concept? Is it a male concept? Or is it a duality concept? And why is it female, male or both?
Poetry and Cultural Storyteller
A Navajo poet, Luci Tapahonso, will be introduced to the students about her personal background, her writing style, and a poem. The poem will be examined by the students with a highlighter and to write side notes in the poetry worksheet and to interpret the meaning or connections of the poem to the natural environment. Students will also search for any duality connections with the poem. A classroom discussion will follow the assignment.
Content-Based Learning: Oral Presentation
Students will give a power point presentation using the Content-Based Learning approach to the classroom about Navajo dualities. Prior cultural knowledge of dualities will be included in the group presentations. Students will be creative and choose their own means of media, resources, or family home life teaching to be used in the presentation. A Power Point presentation of ten minutes will be given by the students that will include a proper self-introduction in the Navajo language (to demonstrate the Navajo kinship concept) by each student prior to giving their power point presentation.
Comments: