Oral History
Teaching Aids: Books, Itse Selu: Cherokee Harvest Festival and The Living Stories of the Cherokee.
Lesson goals: To understand that oral history is important in the historical record. To understand how important oral history was to the Native Americans.
Activity 1: Creation Stories
Essential Questions:
1) What are the different types of oral tradition?
2) What are the different purposes of oral tradition?
3) Is oral history as important as written history?
4) What does oral history tell us about Native American culture?
Targeted Standard/ Core Content:
AH- 4-Ha-S-DT-1-Students will associate storey telling, myths, legends, folktales they experience or perform with specific cultures (Native American, Appalachian, West African); describe how literature and oral traditions reflects the cultures.
AH-04-2.3.1- Students will identify how drama has been a part of cultures and time periods throughout history. DOK2
Technology / Materials:
Pen/pencil, paper, books, internet/ computer
Product/ Assessment:
The creation story developed by the student
Procedure:
1) Read the Cherokee creation myth provided
2) Have the students research other creation myths from around the world
3) As a class discuss similar and different elements in the creation myths. You could make a chart listing in columns the elements from each story that are similar.
4) Have the children write their own creation myth
5) Have willing students read their story to the class
Differentiation:
1) It may be best not to compare the Judeo- Christian creation story in step 3.
2) If creation myths are too controversial, the projects could still be done using moral based stories and comparing them Aesop’s Fables.
Activity 2- Me-Li and the mud dauber
Essential Questions:
1) What are the different types of oral tradition?
2) What are the different purposes of oral tradition?
3) Is oral history as important as written history?
4) What does oral history tell us about Native American culture?
Targeted Standard/ Core Content:
AH- 4-HA-S-DT-1- Students will associate storey-telling, myths, legends, folktales they experience or perform with specific cultures (Native American, Appalachian, West African); describe how literature and oral traditions reflects the cultures.
AH-04-2.3.1- Students will identify how drama has been a part of cultures and time periods throughout history. DOK2
Technology/ Material:
Pen/pencil, book, paper
Product/ assessment:
The story written by the students
Procedure:
1) Read Me-Li and the Mud Dauber- in the hand out provided or in the Living Stories of the Cherokee (page 37).
2) Discuss the elements of the story and the purpose this style of story.
3) Have the children write a story about how something came to be, like the pottery in the story, or about an historical event, like the story of Removal in The Living Stories of the Cherokee (handout) or Sequoyah (handout), or a story that explains why things are a certain way, like several of the stories found in Cherokee Animal Tales.
