Folklife Resources for Educators
Materials Related to North Dakota
There are 7 items in this list. Lakota Winter Counts - The Teachers' Guide
by National Museum of the American Indian http://wintercounts.si.edu/html_version/html/learning_teachers.html
Teacher's guide to an online exhibit of Lakota "winter counts" for students in grades K-10. Lakota winter counts are pictographic calendars reflecting the history of a community, made by keeping track of the passage of years. Studying these creative historiographical tools offers a unique representation of the history of the Lakota Sioux people during the 18th and 19th centuries. The teacher's guide includes background information, lesson plans, resource lists, and primary sources from the Smithsonian's collections, plus instructions on navigating the online exhibit. Meets national curriculum standards for Social Studies. (33 p. PDF)
Grade Level: 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 |
Curriculum: Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Geography; Art and Culture; Science |
Resource Type: Primary sources; Lesson plans; Activities |
Language: English |
Subjects: South Dakota--Social life and customs; North Dakota--Social life and customs; Community life; Indians of North America; Lakota Indians; Great Plains--Social life and customs; History; Oral history; Oral tradition; Storytelling; Pictographs
Geographic locations: South Dakota; North Dakota; Great Plains |
Sponsoring Organization: National Museum of the American Indian Fourth Street & Independence Avenue, SW Washington DC 20560
(202) 633-6996 http://www.nmai.si.edu/
God Given: Cultural Treasures of Armenia - Teacher's Guide
by Susan Eleutario http://www.ndstudies.org/media/prairie_artists_norik_astvatsaturov_god_given_cultural_treasures_of_armenia
Teacher's guide for "God Given : Cultural Treasures of Armenia," a documentary featuring the metal repoussé artistry and life experiences of Norik Astvatsaturov, formerly of Azerbaijan and currently living in North Dakota. The curriculum materials provide an opportunity for students to examine issues related to the geography, history, and culture of Armenia, as well as ethnic conflict, the plight of refugees, and the experience of being an immigrant in the United States. The video is approximately 10 minutes long and is available on the website. Lesson plans in the teacher's guide (16 p. PDF) have benchmarks and standards for grades 9-12 for the Visual Arts, Language Arts, and Social Studies.
Grade Level: 9-12 |
Curriculum: Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture; Geography |
Resource Type: Video recordings; Lesson plans |
Language: English |
Subjects: Immigrants; Ethnic groups; Emigration and immigration; Refugees; Decoration and ornament; North Dakota--Social life and customs; Armenia--Social life and customs; Material culture; Armenian Americans; Art; Artisans; Decorative arts; Metal-work; History; Geography
Geographic locations: North Dakota; Armenia |
Sponsoring Organization: North Dakota Council on the Arts 1600 E. Century Avenue, #6 Bismarck ND 58503-0649
(701) 328-7590 http://www.nd.gov/arts/
The Woman Who Turned Herself to Stone - Teacher's Guide
by Susan Eleutario http://www.ndstudies.org/media/prairie_artists_mary_louise_defender_wilson_the_woman_who_turned_herself_to
Teacher's guide for "The Woman Who Turned Herself to Stone," a documentary featuring Dakotah and Hidatsa storyteller Mary Louise Defender Wilson from the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in south-central North Dakota. The story told in the video describes a young girl who loved nature so much that she found a way to remain in the midst of it forever. Materials in the guide offer an opportunity for students to explore issues such as the significance of language in culture and storytelling, the cultural expectations of adolescence, and the interactions between the physical environment and human activity. The video is approximately 6 minutes long and is available on the website. Lesson plans in the teacher's guide (22 p. PDF) have benchmarks and standards for grades 4-8 for Language Arts and Social Studies.
Grade Level: 3-5; 6-8 |
Curriculum: Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture; Geography |
Resource Type: Video recordings; Lesson plans |
Language: English |
Subjects: Environmental protection; Geography; Indians of North America--Languages; Storytelling; Storytellers; North Dakota--Social life and customs; Hidatsa Indians; Dakota Indians; Indians of North America; Legends; Tales; Ecology
Geographic locations: North Dakota |
Sponsoring Organization: North Dakota Council on the Arts 1600 E. Century Avenue, #6 Bismarck ND 58503-0649
(701) 328-7590 http://www.nd.gov/arts/
Turtle and Pretty Crane - Teacher's Guide
by Susan Eleutario http://www.ndstudies.org/media/prairie_artists_keith_bear_turtle_and_pretty_crane
Teacher's guide for "Turtle and Pretty Crane," a documentary featuring Mandan and Hidatsa storyteller and flute player Keith Bear from the Forth Berthold Indian Reservation of northwestern North Dakota. The story told in the video is described by Keith Bear as an American Indian version of “Romeo and Juliet.” The video and lesson plans provide an opportunity for students to explore issues relating to music and culture, the analysis of legends, and the artistry of a Native American performer. The video is approximately 9 minutes long and is available on the website. Lesson plans in the teacher's guide (17 p. PDF) have benchmarks and standards for grades 9-12 for Language Arts, Social Studies, and Music.
Grade Level: 9-12 |
Curriculum: Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Geography; Art and Culture |
Resource Type: Video recordings; Lesson plans |
Language: English |
Subjects: Legends; Storytellers; Indians of North America; Music; Oral tradition; Storytelling; North Dakota--Social life and customs; Hidatsa Indians; Mandan Indians; Tales
Geographic locations: North Dakota |
Sponsoring Organization: North Dakota Council on the Arts 1600 E. Century Avenue, #6 Bismarck ND 58503-0649
(701) 328-7590 http://www.nd.gov/arts/
A Lyrical Life: The Struggle and Hope of South Sudan -- Teacher's Guide
by Susan Eleutario, Troyd Geist http://www.ndstudies.org/media/a_lyrical_life_the_struggle_and_hope_of_south_sudan
Teacher's guide for "A Lyrical Life: The Struggle and Hope of South Sudan," a documentary about the culture, history, music, and dance of the Ma'di people of southern Sudan and northern Uganda. Issues brought up in the video and lesson plans include religious conflict, slavery, race, genocide, displacement, war, and refugee status in southern Sudan. Also featured are the renewal of hope and the reconciliation process that is taking place in Africa and in America in places like North Dakota, where the featured musicians currently live. The video is approximately 26 minutes long and is available on the website. Lesson plans in the teacher's guide (22 p. PDF) have benchmarks and standards for grades 9-12 for Language Arts, Social Studies, and Music.
Grade Level: 9-12 |
Curriculum: Music; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Geography; Art and Culture |
Resource Type: Video recordings; Lesson plans |
Language: English |
Subjects: Emigration and immigration; War; Slavery; History; Religion; Refugees; Sudan--Social life and customs; Uganda--Social life and customs; North Dakota--Social life and customs; Music; Dance; Sudanese Americans; Ma'di (African people)
Geographic locations: Uganda; Sudan; North Dakota |
Sponsoring Organization: North Dakota Council on the Arts 1600 E. Century Avenue, #6 Bismarck ND 58503-0649
(701) 328-7590 http://www.nd.gov/arts/
Dakotah Storyteller: Mary Louise Defender Wilson
by Local Learning: The National Network for Folk Arts in Education http://locallearningnetwork.org/guest-artist/mary-louise-defender-wilson/
K-12 curriculum ideas for studying the life and artistry of 1999 NEA National Heritage Fellow Mary Louise Defender Wilson, storyteller and performer of songs, dances, and legends of the Dakotah (Sioux) and Hidatsa people. These materials can be used in the curriculum areas of language arts, geography, social studies, history, visual arts, and science. Includes audio recording of Wilson telling the Dakotah story “The Woman Who Turned Herself to Stone,” a transcript of an interview with her, background on Native American storytelling and language, and additional resources.
Grade Level: K-2; 3-5; 6-8; 9-12 |
Curriculum: Geography; Science; Performing Arts; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture |
Resource Type: Primary sources; Audio recordings; Activities |
Language: English |
Subjects: Storytellers; Maps in education; Dance; Hidatsa Indians; Sioux Indians; Tales; Indians of North America; North Dakota--Social life and customs; Storytelling; Ecology; Dakota Indians; Oral history; Legends
Geographic locations: North Dakota |
Sponsoring Organization: Local Learning: The National Network for Folk Arts in Education c/o City Lore 72 East First Street
New York NY 10003 http://locallearningnetwork.org/
Lone Dog's Winter Count: Keeping History Alive
by National Museum of the American Indian http://www.nmai.si.edu/education/files/poster_lone_dog_final.pdf
Teaching poster developed for 4th through 8th grades to explore the oral culture and history-keeping techniques of the Nakota people who made the Lone Dog Winter Count. Originally, languages of the Northern Great Plains Indians were not written, but spoken. Using oral tradition, Native communities developed creative tools to help them remember their complex histories. A "winter count" was one way that Nakota storytellers recorded their histories and kept track of the passage of years. Poster includes lesson plan on the Native American practice of making winter counts and activities for creating pictograph calendars as mnemonic devices. Meets national curriculum standards for Social Studies. (10 p. PDF)
Grade Level: 3-5; 6-8 |
Curriculum: Math; Language Arts; History and Social Studies; Art and Culture |
Resource Type: Lesson plans; Activities; Posters |
Language: English |
Subjects: History; Assiniboine Indians; North Dakota--Social life and customs; Nakota Indians; Oral tradition; Storytelling; Pictographs; South Dakota--Social life and customs; Indians of North America; Geography; Great Plains--Social life and customs
Geographic locations: Great Plains; South Dakota; North Dakota |
Sponsoring Organization: National Museum of the American Indian Fourth Street & Independence Avenue, SW Washington DC 20560
(202) 633-6996 http://www.nmai.si.edu/
|