Native American Myths and Legends

Book Club: Native American Legends
Fourth Grade - Social Studies and Reading Curriculum



BOOK CLUB:
Native American Myths and Legends

Grade Level: 4th

Integrated Subjects: Social studies and reading

Objectives: Tell the students what they are going to learn! (Blooms Taxonomy)
-The students will...
1. List (knowledge) familiar legends or myths 2. Identify (knowledge) what a legend is and what its purpose and role is in a specific culture (Native American 3. Show (application) interest in two or three legends to read for book club 4. Determine (analysis) reasons for choosing a certain book over another 5. Combine (synthesize) thoughts from you as well as other book club group members about important details in the story and other reading log assignments in reading log. 6. Discuss (comprehension) certain events and reading log topics in book club groups as well as whole class 7. Rate (evaluate) the legend on the basis of entertaining, informative, and interesting. 8. Plan (synthesis) a way to sell the legend to the rest of the class

TEKS met:
(4.20): Culture: (B) Identify customs, celebrations, and traditions of various culture groups in Texas (4.7) Reading / Fluency: (A): Read regularly in independent-level materials (F): Read silently with increasing ease for longer periods (4.9) Reading / Vocabulary development: (C): Use multiple reference aids, including a thesaurus, a synonym finder, a dictionary, and software, to clarify meanings and usage (4.11) Reading / Literary response: (A): Offer observations, make connections, react, speculate, interpret, and raise questions in response to texts. (B): Interpret text ideas through such varied means as journal writing, discussion, enactment, media (4.12) Reading / test structures / literary concepts: (G): Understand literary forms by recognizing and distinguishing among such types of text as stories, poems, myths, fables, tall tales, limericks, plays, biographies, and autobiographies. (4.14) Reading / Culture: (B): Determine distinctive and common characteristics of cultures through wide reading (4.15) Writing / Purposes: (A): Write to express, discover, record, develop, reflect on ideas, and to problem solve (4.18) Writing / Grammar usage: (B): Write in complete sentences, varying the types such as compound and complex to match meanings and purposes (4.21) Writing / Inquiry research: (D): Summarize and organize ideas gained from multiple sources in useful ways such as outlines, conceptual maps, learning logs, and timelines

Multiple Intelligence:
-Verbal / Linguistic: The students will participate in everyday book club discussions and read their assigned readings. The students will write responses in their reading logs. -Spatial: The students use reading log maps to organize assignments, writing responses and etc. -Bodily / Kinesthetic: the students have the opportunity to chose to do a role play type of presentation to advertise their legend (this assignment would be arranged after each book club group has completed their book). -Interpersonal: The students work in groups of three or four in the book club. During book club the students will discuss important events and writing assignments as a group. -Interpersonal: The students read their assigned pages on their own during silent reading time.

Materials: Brave Bear and the Ghosts, Coyote and the Grasshopper, First Woman and the Strawberry, Sunflowers Promise, Song of the Hermit Thrush, Red Hawk and the Sky Setters and The Turquoise Boy: A Navajo Legend, paper, reading log, reading log handouts, folders and pens.

Rationale: The teacher would establish instructional relevance by asking the students a few of the following questions
1. Have you ever made up a terrific story that wasn't true but it was very entertaining to listen too? 2. Have you written a story that wasn't' true, a story with fictional characters and exciting events? 3. Have you ever read a story and knew it wasn't true? 4. I want to read to you a Native American legend to you today. Can you tell me what a legend is?

Focus / Set
Introduction: To grab hold of the students attention the teacher would read aloud a Native American legend The Turquoise Boy: A Navajo Legend by Terri Cohlene and Illustrated by Charles Reasoner.

Lesson Activities:

Instructional Input:
After reading aloud The Turquoise Boy the teacher would lead a discussion on legends. What is a legend? Legends are a type of non-fiction. Most legends are written to entertain. Some stories told through legends come from true events but other events have been added to make the story more entertaining. The teacher will have the students think of any familiar myths or legends. For example some students might be familiar with the Legend of Sleepy Hollow or a myth for whys it rains. The teacher will announce that each student will be participating in a Native American legend book club. The teacher will then present six legends (as seen above) and place them in six separate buckets.

Independent Practice:
The students will be split up into groups of two or three. In these groups the students will rotate through the six legends to look at each book, view the text, read the blurb, and look at the cover to see if they would prefer to read one book more than another. During this rotation the students will be required to judge the book based on a five minute overview. At each station during the rotation the students will write the title, author, and interesting notes about each legend. After each group has seen each of the six legends the students will chose their top three choices for the book club by placing a one, two and three next to the titles written on their paper. At that time the teacher will gather the papers and reassure that each student will at least get their first or second choice. The students are then reminded that since each book club group can only have two or three students they must understand that not everyone will get their first choice.

Book Club Books: Brave Bear and the Ghosts, Coyote and the Grasshopper, First Woman and the Strawberry, Sunflowers Promise, Song of the Hermit Thrush, Red Hawk and the Sky Setters.

Guided Practice: After teacher has placed each student into their book club groups the teacher will go through her detailed expectations and book club responsibilities. The teacher will pass out reading logs (2 pocket folders) in which the teacher will go over what each group should be doing while reading their legends. The teacher will then pass out a "what can I do in my reading log?" handout that will go in the front of the reading log. Once every student has received the handout the teacher will then go over each criteria. For example:
Title Explanation: Whenever I look at a new book or chapter title, I try to predict what the book or chapter will be about. After I read the book or chapter, I usually have a different idea of why the author used those titles. I can write about titles- what I think they mean before reading, and what they actually meant after reading.
Wonderful Words: I can find some really wonderful words- words that are new, crazy, descriptive, or confusing. I can write them down with a sentence or two telling why I picked them, and the page number so I can find them again.
Questions for my Group: Sometimes there are things in the story that I wonder about. I can write questions to ask my group so they can help me understand the story better. Sometimes I might write questions to ask my group members how they feel about the story, or a certain part in the story.
Summary / Retelling: Sometimes it might be important to me to retell or summarize all or part of the story. I can write a summary and then tell why I decided to summarize this particular part.

Independent Practice:
The students will read their assigned book club Native American legend every day for the next two weeks. At times through the book club the teacher would present a new (general) question to the entire class in which they write their response along with their other writing responses in their reading log.

Cooperative Group / Book Club:
After each twenty minute silent reading session the book clubs will then have another twenty minutes to discuss their assigned page readings and work on their reading logs.

Closure: .
After each session the students will gather to the front of the classroom for whole group book club share time. At this time each day during book club the students have the opportunity to share their thoughts and connection to their legends.
Evaluation: Going over and reviewing each students reading log and observing and making jottings to what I hear during individual book club discussion as well as whole class discussions will be the form of assessments I use for this lesson.

* This lesson incorporates cooperative grouping.