Lesson 1: Indigenous Stories and Storytellers
Links to all videos and stories can be found in the Lesson 1 PowerPoint.
Opening Discussion and Activity
- Start the Unit with a KWL chart (on chart paper or slides).
- Ask students, “What do you know about Native Peoples in Oregon and the U.S.A, what do you know about Native Traditional Oral Storytelling?”
- Fill out the Know part of the graphic organizer together as a class.
- Then, ask “What would you like to know?”
- At the end of the unit, you will fill in the L, learned, section of the KWL chart asking students, “What have you learned (about Native Peoples and Storytelling)?”
- Discuss the Power of Stories. What makes a story powerful? What are some emotions and feelings you might feel while listening to a story? What are different ways a story can be told?
Watch/Listen Activity
- Watch/Listen: “Alright” by Supaman ft. Neenah (Produced by Nottz)
- Discuss: What are the ideas, images, landscapes, and themes being discussed in the music video? Are there any Native cultures, languages, or homelands represented? What message is the artist telling through his story?
- Collaborate: As a class, share out/write a collective list of ideas, images, landscapes and themes observed during the video (on chart paper, or slides).
- Discuss: Why do stories matter? What are the roles of a storyteller? How do stories play a role in the development of community? How are those stories shared, what medium do stories take?
What Do Stories Do For Us?
Watch: Traditional Storyteller Elder Ed Edmo (Warm Springs) (6:20)
Discuss: What makes a good story? What are the characteristics of a good story? Who in your life tells stories? What do they mean to you?
Discuss: Types of Stories: Relationships (Self, Community, Nation, Place, Land, Animals – more than human relatives), Responsibilities, Histories, Morals, Social Expectations.
Lessons from our More-Than-Human Relatives
Read: Fox Doesn’t Wear A Watch written by Michelle M. Jacob (Yakima), with an emphasis on learning lessons from more-than-human relatives.
- Lead a question-and answer period about words and pictures in the book and what they mean.
Engage: Storytelling Stick Game
- Students will gather in a circle in the classroom (or outdoors!) and pass a stick or talking piece.
- The only person speaking will be holding the talking piece.
- As a class, you will create a story together, each student has at least 1 minute of storytelling.
Focus: creativity, active listening, storytelling, community.