Novel Study:
Lakota Woman

Quarter One Overall Objectives

•	The students will read a Native American novel.
•	The students will research the author and book before reading the book.
•	The students will discover personal connections with the stories in the book.
•	The students will read and understand grade-appropriate or higher text written and/or generated by Indigenous Peoples.
•	Students will understand the role of Oral Tradition in the maintenance of cultural and personal identity.
•	The students will recall and use prior learning and experience to understand the text.
•	The students will actively engage in the reading process.
•	The students will use examples from the text to support personal reactions.
•	The students will develop a personal enjoyment in reading.
•	The students will demonstrate an understanding of the book by fulfilling assignments and projects.
•	The students will demonstrate their understanding of the book through artistic and written assignments and projects.

Lesson #1: Researching the Book & Author [2 class hours]

Objectives

1	The students will work in a group.
2	The students will learn the computer lab rules and will follow them.
3	The students will demonstrate an ability to find information on the internet.

Process

1.	Introduce students to the novel and author they will be reading this quarter.  Explain the assignment.  [Assignment: The students will find information about the book Lakota Woman and Mary Crow Dog.  They will take notes that they can use to finish the assignment the next day.]
2.	Discuss the computer lab rules and search engines students can use.
3.	Students have one day to research.
4.	Back in class students are split into groups [this is a year long group].  As a group the students will create two posters: one for the book and one for the author.
5.	Students present the posters and a small presentation about what they learned about the book and author.

Lesson #2: A Woman from He-Dog

Objectives

1.	The students will respond to a quote outside of its content.
2.	The students will read the first chapter and locate the content of the quote they picked.
3.	The students will respond to the quote within its content.

Process

1.	Handout the assignment, “A Woman from He-Dog.”  Read and discuss the assignment, answering any questions.
2.	Students work on part one of the assignment.
3.	Read the chapter as a class.
4.	Students work on part two of the assignment.

A Woman from He-Dog

Directions: There are two parts to this assignment and they both must be finished in order to receive points for this assignment.

PART ONE:  Pick one of the statements below and write about it.  Write about what you think the statement refers to, what it means, if you agree, and any other thoughts you have on it.  Include the quote in your writing.

PART TWO:  When you have finished reading the chapter, write an essay about the quote you picked for part one.  The essay should explain your feelings before and after reading the chapter, explain how this statement describes the character to you, explain how this statement describes the book or culture to you, and summarize the chapter.  Include the quote in your essay.

QUOTES

	A Nation is not conquered until 
the hearts of its women
are on the ground.
Then it is done, no matter
how brave its warriors
nor how strong their weapons.
Cheyenne Proverb

	It’s hard being an Indian woman

	It is not the big, dramatic things so much that get is down, but just being Indian, trying to hang onto our way of life, language, and values while being surrounded by an alien, more powerful culture.

	They were famous warriors and hunters once, but the buffalo is gone and there is not much rep in putting a can of spam or an occasional rabbit on the table.

	I feel sorry for them, but I feel sorrier for their women.

	I don’t know whether I am a louse under the white man’s skin.  I hope I am.

	I have white blood in me.  Often I have wished to be able to purge it out of me.  As a young girl I used to look at myself in the mirror, trying to find a clue as to who or what I was.

	The fight for our land is at the core of our existence as it has been for the last 200 years.  Once the land is gone, then we are gone too.

	You can’t walk a mile without coming to some family’s sacred vision hill, to an ancient Sun Dance circle, an old battle ground, a place where something worth remembering happened.

	But you can’t live forever off the deeds of Sitting Bull or Crazy Horse.  You can’t wear their eagle feathers, freeload off their legends.

Lesson #3: A Winter Counts

Objectives

1.	The students will read an article related to winter counts.
2.	The students will create a paper winter count about their own lives.
3.	The students will share their winter counts with the class.

Process

1.	Handout the packet that contains the following sections from the book Sioux Winter Count by Roberta Carkeek Cheney: introduction, Winter Count Patterns, and The Dakota Nation.  
2.	Handout the assignment Sioux Winter Count.
3.	As a class, read the articles.  When finished allowed students time to answer the questions.
4.	Students will then create their own winter counts.
5.	Pick one day in class for students to present their winter counts.

Sioux Winter Count

Directions:	Answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper.
 
“Introduction”

1.	What is a Winter Count and why is it important?
2.	Who took care of the Winter Count?  What was included in his job?
3.	How did children determine how old they were before they were forced to attend “white man schools?”
4.	List three things that were important enough to record on a Winter Count.  

“Winter Count Patterns”

1.	Draw a picture of the three basic designs for Winter Counts.
2.	Locate and write the topic sentence for the last paragraph of this section.

“The Dakota Nation”

1.	Why did the Dakota Nation count by winters, or snows?
2.	How did the name Sioux become associated with the Dakota Nation?
3.	How have the people throughout history kept a record of their lives?
4.	This section states that “the pictures…illustrated two skills for which the first American is renowned.”  What are those two skills?

Your Project
You will be creating your own winter count.  
1.	You must start with your birth year and continue on to the present.  You may choose to do a picture for this year or not.  
2.	You may choose to do your own life or to do your family life from the year you were born.
3.	For each year, pick an event that is important to you.  If you cannot remember a year, or think of anything, ask a family member what happened that year.
4.	Please be respectful with your drawings.  Please do not include drawings of drugs, alcohol, sex, or extreme violence.  Drawings of this nature will cause you to receive an automatic zero.
5.	You may not use any writing, only pictures.
6.	This is due at the beginning of class on _________________.  
7.	Do not put your name on your Winter Count anywhere.

Lesson #4: Invisible Fathers

Objectives

1.	The students will read one view about Lakota families.
2.	The students will relate to the author’s family by examining their own.

Process

1.	Read the chapter “Invisible Fathers.”
2.	Handout the worksheet Invisible Fathers and go over the assignment.
3.	Students work for the rest of the hour on the assignment.

Invisible Fathers

PART ONE:
Directions: For each of the following people Mary wrote about in this chapter, write a one-paragraph description. 

1.	Tiyospaye:

2.	Bill Moore:

3.	Mary’s Mother:

4.	Louise Flood:

5.	Noble Moore:

6.	Aunt Elsie Flood:

PART TWO

1.	Write your own definition of family.

2.	Write a one-paragraph description of the five most important people you consider your family.

Lesson #5: Family Book

Objectives

1.	Students will examine their families through an artistic activity.
2.	Students will learn how to follow a template.

Process

1.	Handout My Family Book worksheet and read through directions.  While reading, do the activity so that the students can see it.  The teacher should have a finished activity done already that the kids can examine.  This fold can be difficult for the students to understand, so make sure you have extra paper as a few will probably goof up in the cutting process.  The cutting can be done before or after they do the drawing and writing.  
2.	Students fill in each square with writing or drawings about their family or family members.  They can do just one side or both sides.  A variation is having one side be about the family and the other side contains vocabulary words about families.

My Family Book

You are going to create a book about your family.  Fold a piece of construction paper so that when you open it you will have four squares across and four squares down.  Using the template below, fill out each square about family members (or people who feel like family).  On your construction paper, draw a light line where the dotted lines on this paper appear.  Once you have finished filling in all the squares, cut along the line you drew, and then fold this paper.  You may use all words, all pictures, or a combination of both. 

 	 	 	 	

				
				
 	 	 	The rest of the squares are about your family.	

				
				
 	This is the last square.	 	This square is all about you.	

				
				
 	 	 	Title and byline goes in this square.  This is the front cover.	

				

Lesson #6: Civilize Them with a Stick

Objectives

1.	The students will read about boarding school experiences.
2.	The students will learn about literal comprehension.
3.	The students will practice creating literal comprehension questions.

Process

1.	Literal comprehension lecture.  
2.	Explain the assignment.  While reading the chapter “Civilize Them with a Stick,” students should write down information they think is important to remember.
3.	When done reading, students should work with a partner to create ten literal comprehension questions.
4.	Each student should type five of the questions.
5.	The next day, hand one of the sheets of questions to each student.  Discuss if the question is a true literal comprehension question and why.  Answer the questions as a group.

Lesson #7: Inventing a Dream School

Objectives

1.	Students will write about their dream school.
2.	Students will create a model or drawing of their dream school.
3.	Students will create sample menus, classes, and schedules for their dream school.

Process

1.	Hand out the Dream School assignment.
2.	Have a discussion about how the students’ ideas must be respectful to school rules.  Have students list ideas that are disrespectful.
3.	Students first journal ideas and create sketches of ideas.  They must make a list of materials they will need.
4.	This is a three day project.
5.	On the fourth day, students can show off their schools.

Dream School

Your assignment is to create your dream school and make a brochure for your school.

The finished project will contain:

•	a drawing or a model of the school building
•	a list of the expectations
•	a list of some of the classes offered with a description 
•	a menu for the meals 
•	the types of students who will benefit from your school
•	your school name  
•	why students should attend your school

Please be respectful with this assignment.  

Lesson #8: Drinking and Fighting

Objectives

1.	Students will summarize a chapter.
2.	Students will express feelings and opinions about what they read through use of color.

Process

1.	Read the chapter “Drinking and Fighting.”
2.	Students summarize the chapter in ten to fifteen sentences.
3.	Students will then use watercolors and the use of ONLY color, no shapes, to paint a picture of the feelings they had while reading this chapter.

Lesson #9: Aimlessness

Objectives

1.	Students will learn about interpretative comprehension.
2.	Students will practice interpretative comprehension.

Process

1.	Do a review of interpretative comprehension and interpretative comprehension activities.
2.	Handout the “Aimlessness” worksheet.  Go over the assignment with students.  Students may need a little more explanation in order to do part two.

Aimlessness

The following quotes really don’t explain a lot about Mary Crow Dog standing by themselves; however, when put together in the chapter Aimlessness, the following quotes tell us a lot about her and her experiences.  

Part One:	After reading the chapter, pick the most interesting quote and write an explanation explaining what that quote means and how it relates to Native American’s in general.  Write the paper as if you were explaining it to non-Native American teenagers.

Part Two:	 Create your own interpretative comprehension assignment for the teacher to do.  Remember that the purpose of interpretative comprehension assignments is to get the person to think.

Quotes

•	“I was scared of white people and uneasy in their company, so I did not socialize with them.  I could not relate to half-bloods and was afraid that full-bloods would not accept me.”

•	“It took me a while to see the emptiness underneath all this frenzied wandering.”

•	“For this reason we looked upon shoplifting as just a getting a little of our own back.”

•	“The store owners provoked it.”

•	“There is a curious contradiction in Sioux society.”

•	“There is always the danger for us that one little incident will set off a major confrontation.”

Lesson #10: “Aimlessness” Project

Objectives

1.	Students will respond to the chapter read through artistic activities.
2.	Students will create a plan.

Process

1.	Handout and go over “Aimlessness” Project.  
2.	The first part of the assignment is for the student to create a plan.  In the plan they will determine which project they will do, what tools they need, and how long they believe the project will take.  They must turn this plan in before beginning the project.

“Aimlessness” Project

Directions:   Choose one of the following two projects.  You may do both for extra credit.  

One:	Family Portrait

Draw an outline of your family portrait.  Once the outline is finished, fill each person’s outline with words that describe that person.

Two:	Road Trip

Map out a road trip of at least 100 miles.  

You must include:

•	map of the route you will take
•	the starting point and the ending point
•	how long it will take to drive there
•	what kind of car you will drive 
•	how much mileage does the car get
•	how much gas money will you need 
•	how many miles will you be driving
•	how much money do you need for food (include what you bring with you)
•	who will be going with you
•	how long will it take to get from the starting point to the ending point (include all stops)
•	how often will you need to get gas
•	what kind of music will you listen to 
•	what kind of sightseeing will you do
•	why you are going there

Lesson #10: We AIM Not to Please

Objectives

1.	The students will read about the American Indian Movement according to one participant.
2.	The students will discuss what they know and how they feel about the American Indian Movement.

Process
1.	Handout the worksheet “We AIM Not to Please”: One View of AIM.  Go over the assignment.
2.	Read the chapter.

“We AIM Not to Please”: One View of AIM

Directions: Answer the following questions as fully as you can.

1.	Summarize the history of AIM according to this chapter.

2.	In your opinion, is AIM’s job done?  Why do you feel that way?

3.	Provide three suggestions for what teenagers today can do to further what AIM has already done.

Lesson #11: Promoting Cultural Pride

Objectives

1.	The students will create posters and flyers that positively promote cultural pride and contain helpful advice for adults on how to raise children with a strong sense of pride and knowledge in their culture.
2.	The students will share these posters and flyers with their families and community.

Process

1.	Discuss what culture pride is.
2.	Discuss where students learn about the culture.
3.	Students can work alone or in a group.  For part of the class the student must create a sketch of the poster or flyer they are going to draw.  Each poster and flyer must contain a positive image of the culture and one of two ways adults can teach children about their culture and cultural pride.
4.	Each student or group will create at least one poster and one flyer.
5.	As a class, decide places that the flyers can be placed at and the posters can be displayed.  These can be local businesses or family gatherings or around the school.  Students should be the ones to approach the business owners to ask about putting up their poster and leaving flyers.

Lesson #12: Crying for a Dream

Objectives

1.	The students will review applied comprehension.
2.	The students will do a small research activity.

Process

1.	Read the chapter “Crying for a Dream.”  
2.	Examine the pictures in the book.  Students pick one picture and write a paragraph explaining why they picked that picture.
3.	Students will then research what is in that picture.

Lesson #13: Applying Information

Objectives

1.	The students will practice applied comprehension by applying information from the reading to a non-reading activity.
2.	The students will use information found during research to create a project that will be displayed in the school.

Process

1.	The students will take the information they researched and create a poster about the information.  
2.	Students will use a copy of the picture from the book on their poster.
3.	The posters will be hung in the school.

Lesson #14: Cankpe Opi Wakpala

Objectives

1.	The students will learn about the events that happened in the Native American community that lead to the Siege of Wounded Knee.
2.	The students will map the events that lead to the Siege of Wounded Knee.
3.	The students will pick one character from this chapter to research.

Process

1.	Read the chapter “Cankpe Opi Wakpala.”  
2.	While reading, the students will list down the occurrences that lead to the Siege of Wounded Knee.
3.	When finished reading the students will pick a character that seemed the most interesting to them.
4.	Students will do a research about that person.

Lesson #15: Canke Opi Wakpala #2

Objectives

1.	The students will use the information found during research to create a poster of one person’s life.
2.	The students will present their poster to the class.

Process

1.	The students will use their research to create a poster about the character they picked.
2.	Each student will then present their poster/character to the class and explain the information they found out about that person.

Lesson #16: The Siege

Objectives

1.	The students will read about and learn about the Siege of Wounded Knee from a participants point of view.
2.	The students will practice summarizing.
3.	The students will journal about the chapter.

Process

1.	Read the chapter “The Siege.”
2.	The students will pick the most powerful statement in the book; write it on a piece of paper (correctly using quotation marks) and journal about that statement (what it means and why they picked it).
3.	The students will summarize the events of the siege of Wounded Knee.

Lesson #17: Painting the Siege

Objectives

1.	The students will visualize a scene from the chapter.
2.	The students will learn about using watercolors.
3.	The students will paint a picture.

Process

1.	The students will visualize the chapter and pick the most important scene (in their opinion).  Once they have the scene they will quickly sketch it out.
2.	The students will get together a watercolor set and brushes.  The teacher will go over how to prepare the watercolors, how to do a wash of the paper and why, and share a few small techniques for using watercolors.
3.	The students will paint a picture of the scene they sketched.

Lesson #18: The Ghost Return

Objectives

1.	The students will practice interpretative comprehension.
2.	The students will share their understanding and opinion.

Process

1.	Read the chapter “The Ghosts Return.”
2.	After reading the chapter, hand out The Ghost Returns worksheet.

The Ghosts Return

Directions:  Below is a quote from the chapter.  After reading this chapter, explain what Mary Crow Dog means and how this was accomplished.

“In that ravine, at Cankpe Opi, we gathered up the broken pieces of the sacred hoop and put them together again.”

Lesson #19: Painting the Ghost

Objectives

1.	The students will review what they have learned about watercolor.
2.	Using a different watercolor technique, the students will paint a picture.

Process

1.	Using a crayon of a light color, the students will draw out a small scene from the chapter.
2.	After drawing the scene, the students will then pick two or three dark colors to paint over the crayon.

Lesson #20:  Birth Giving

Objectives

1.	The students will discuss the importance of an event.
2.	The students will discuss the significance of an event.

Process

1.	Hand out the worksheet Birth Giving.  Go over the assignment.
2.	Read the chapter “Birth Giving.”
3.	Students will have five to ten minutes to prepare their thoughts and notes for discussion.
4.	Discuss the two questions on the worksheet.  The students will take notes during the discussion of what everyone has said.

Birth Giving

Directions:  While reading the chapter, takes notes on your thoughts for the following questions.  After reading the chapter the class will discuss the two questions.  During the discussion, take notes on what your classmates thought.  Use additional papers if needed.

1.	What was it so important for Mary to give birth at Wounded Knee?

2.	Why did the government try to get rid of all evidence that the Siege at Wounded Knee happened?

Lesson #21:  Finding Pictures

Objectives

1.	The students will work with a partner.
2.	The students will create a representation.
3.	The students will use the internet.

Process

1.	Assign students to partners.
2.	Students will find pictures and information about the Siege at Wounded Knee on the internet.  They will print the pictures and information.  They will create a collage of all the information they found.
3.	In class, each set of partner will present one to three interesting things they learned while doing the project and present their project to the class.

Lesson #22: Sioux and Elephants Never Forget

Objectives

1.	The students will discuss the importance of an event and how it relates to the book.
2.	The students will write an essay that explains the importance of the chapter they read.

Process

1.	Read the chapter “Sioux and Elephants Never Forget.”  Discuss what is important in the chapter.  Discuss why the chapter is important to the entire book.
2.	Students will take their ideas from the discussion to write a one-page essay about the importance of the events in the book.
3.	Students will share their essays with the rest of the class.

Lesson #23: Two Cut-Off Hands

Objectives

1.	Students will review and practice formal outlining.
2.	Students will make personal connections.

Process

1.	Review outlining.
2.	Read the chapter “Two Cut-Off Hands.”  
3.	Students then do a formal outlining of the chapter.
4.	Students will then get into small groups to discuss two things: how the chapter made them feel and who in their life is their Annie Mae.

Lesson #24: A Memorial

Objectives

1.	The students will use information from the previous discussion.
2.	The students will create a memorial utilizing their own art talents.

Process

1.	Explain to the students that the assignment is to create a memorial for Native Americans who have fought to keep the Native American culture alive and died because of the fight.
2.	Students decide if they want to work alone or with a partner and report that to the teacher. 
3.	Students must sketch out their memorial and turn in the sketch and a list of needed materials to the teacher.
4.	Students will receive one day in class to work on the memorial, however, may receive additional out-of-class work days before the memorial is due.

Lesson #25: Cante Ishta

Objectives

1.	Students will read about ceremonies they may or may not know about.
2.	Students will discuss the appropriateness of this chapter within culture.
3.	Students will write about an experience with a ceremony as if they were explaining to someone who knows nothing about ceremonies, using correct cultural protocol.

Process

1.	Read the chapter “Cante Ishta.”
2.	As a class discuss how the students feel about how Mary wrote about the ceremonies, the protocol for sharing and writing about ceremonies, if they disagree with what Mary shared then how could she have still written about this chapter without being disrespectful of the culture and spirituality, and discuss how spirituality is a central part of the culture and why.
3.	Students will then agree on an appropriate protocol for sharing ceremonies with non-native people.
4.	Students will follow the protocol they created and write a one-page essay explaining a ceremony they have experienced as if they were writing to a person who knows nothing about Native American ceremonies.

Lesson #26: Making Prayers

Objectives

1.	The students will learn how to make tobacco ties.
2.	Students will place tobacco ties where they belong according to the belief of their families.

Process

1.	Some preparation for this activity:  have cloth of red, white, yellow, black (Lakota), blue, and green (Ojibwe) cut into small squares; decide if you will do this outside or inside (if inside the fire alarm needs to be turned off); you will also need tobacco and string or sinew.
2.	Explain to students that tobacco ties are prayers.   Explain that students will have two choices for the class activity: they can either make some tobacco ties or they can write (or draw) about they way they pray.  
3.	Show students how place a small amount of tobacco into the cloth and pray (they can do this silently).  The prayers can be personal (they can take their tobacco ties home) or they can be communal (they can place the tobacco ties somewhere outside the school).   Then show the students how to gather the cloth together and tie it shut.  
4.	Students should do as many prayer ties as they want.

Lesson #27: The Eagle Caged

Objectives

1.	The students will review metaphors.
2.	The students will explain the importance of the title of the chapter.

Process

1.	Review metaphors.
2.	Read the chapter “The Eagle Caged.”
3.	Students should identify the metaphors in the chapter.
4.	In a class discussion, students should discuss how the title of the chapter relates to the events in the chapter.

Lesson #28:  Painting an Eagle

Objectives

The students will express many different feelings in the same picture.

Process

1.	Because the chapter talks about the anger, sadness, despair, AND the joy the family felt, the students will be doing an abstract expressionist painting that shows all the feeling felt in the chapter.
2.	As a class, students will name all the feelings.
3.	Individually students will use the medium of their choice (or whatever you have in class) to create a picture that clearly expresses all the feelings the class has listed.

Lesson #29: Ho Uway Tinkte

Objectives

1.	The students will read about the Sundance ceremony.
2.	The students will discuss the role of women in the culture.

Process

1.	The students will spend two days in the computer lab researching two topics: the roles of women in the Lakota culture and the Sundance ceremony.  Students should take notes and keep the notes for discussion.
2.	Read the chapter “Ho Uway Tinkte.”
3.	Assign students to the two different topics.  Students will then work by themselves or in groups of up to three to create a poster that discusses their topic.  They should use their notes from researching and the information they learned from reading the chapter.

Lesson #30:  Final Project

Objectives

The final project is a consolidation and celebration of all the information learned while reading this book.  

Process

1.	As a group, make a list of all the topics students could research from this book.
2.	Tell the students the assignment is to create a 10-page coloring book on one of the topics the class just listed.  The students will have one week to research and create their coloring book.
3.	If possible, create a consolidated coloring book for each student to keep.  If you cannot copy all ten pages, have each student pick out their favorite page to add into the consolidated coloring book.