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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/


 

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   June 23, 2011
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