INSPIRED BY NATIVE AMERICAN STORYTELLING Length 4 or more sessions

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1 Dance Lesson Plan Grades - Materials optional items for the creative projects: one or more pieces of recorded music (for choreography) visual art materials musical instruments Technology TV/DVD player CD player Vocabulary culture narrative Specialized Vocabulary myth INSPIRED BY NATIVE AMERICAN STORYTELLING Length 4 or more sessions Concept/Objectives Students will explore the origins of art by examining cultural inspirations for creating artwork. Students will learn the value of art in culture. Activities Students view video segments related to Native American art forms and research the origins that inspired particular artworks. Students create works of their own based on cultural elements such as story or media. Toolkit Resources From the Dance Toolkit: Modern: Five Dances from Killer of Enemies: The Divine Hero on the Dance Onstage DVD Length: 00:14:00 Choice of Apache and/or Mohawk Dances on the Dances of the Americas DVD Length of Segments: Various On the Visual Arts and Culture DVD in the Visual Arts Toolkit: Truman Lowe on Visual Arts and Culture DVD Length: 00:10:00 On the Storytelling Sampler DVD in the Drama Toolkit: Little Deer and Mother Earth Length: 00:6:00 On the Music Around the World DVD in the Music Toolkit: Native American: Cherokee Singer Length: 00:8:51 Native American: Iroquois Flute Maker Length: 00:9:45 Instructional Strategies and Activities Introduction In numerous ways, myths and non-mythical stories alike are the very cornerstone of any culture. Native American culture makes especially interesting use of myths and other stories, and storytelling is woven into this particular culture to a spectacular degree. Stories show up in Native American music, drama, visual art, and dance. In this lesson, students will view video segments from four different Arts Toolkits in order to draw this concept together to create for them a broader understanding. Arts Toolkit Dance Lesson Plans 167

2 Myths often involve heroic acts, even when such acts are executed by quite ordinary characters. Students can be shown that heroism is less about celebrity and more about character. And sometimes cultural art is not about mythology but about everyday life and the needs of people as they move through their usual routines. A discussion of where and why art originates may precede this lesson. Day 1 Show students the Introduction to Killer of Enemies (on the Dance Onstage DVD in the Dance Toolkit). Note that the form of this dance is narrative a story is told through dance, music, and poetry. Be sure they understand who the five characters are in the dances they will watch: Killer of Enemies (the main character) and the four monsters. This will minimize confusion as students view the incidents that unfold. To better understand the narrative structure of the dance as well as what the monsters represent, see the description in the Toolkit Tour (pages 28-29). Now show the five dances from Killer of Enemies. Based on the five dances, have students describe what they believe the story of Killer of Enemies is. You may want to discuss each monster after you watch the dance. Ask what the monster might represent. Fill in any missing information so students will have a good sense of the narrative structure of the complete dance. The choreographer Erick Hawkins says the dance is based on ancient Native American stories. Show students one or more Apache or Navajo dances from the Dances of the Americas DVD and have students compare the dance to one of the dances Hawkins choreographed. Day 2 Show students Marilou Awiakta s telling of Little Deer and Mother Earth from the Drama Toolkit. Ask students to identify the characters and visualize the story as it unfolds. After watching, discuss the role the story might have played in Native American culture over time. Would it teach a lesson or inspire people in some way? Can students think of a story with a similar meaning in another culture? Also discuss how this story might be adapted beyond this particular drama form (storytelling) to other art forms: a dramatic script, a work of visual art, dance choreography, or a song or other musical composition. Give students time to create a work of visual art, choreography, or music that is based on Little Deer and Mother Earth. (If students are creating choreography, the teacher may need to provide a musical recording to work with.) These projects will be shared at a designated time. Note: This activity may take several days or may be assigned as homework. The teacher may wish to have students collaborate on this project. Kentucky Academic Content Big Idea: Humanity in the Arts Academic Expectations 2.26 Program of Studies Understandings AH-4/5-HA-U-1 AH-4/5-HA-U-2 AH-4/5-HA-U-3 Skills and Concepts AH-4/5-HA-S-Da1 Core Content AH-(04)(05) And similar content in Drama, Music, and Visual Arts Big Idea: Purposes for Creating the Arts Academic Expectations 2.26 Program of Studies Understandings AH-4/5-PCA-U-1 AH-4/5-PCA-U-2 Skills and Concepts AH-4/5-PCA-S-Da1 Core Content AH-(04)(05) And similar content in Drama, Music, and Visual Arts Day 3 Show three segments: Truman Lowe on the Visual Arts and Culture DVD in the Visual Arts Toolkit Cherokee Singer and Iroquois Flute Maker on the Music Around the World DVD in the Music Toolkit Discuss what students learn and observe from these segments about how culture informs, influences, and inspires the work of these artists. Make a list on the board of characteristics that emerge from the discussion. 168 Arts Toolkit Dance Lesson Plans

3 Big Idea: Interrelationships Among the Arts Academic Expectations 2.26 Program of Studies Understandings AH-4/5-IAA-U-1 AH-4/5-IAA-U-2 Skills and Concepts AH-4/5-IAA-S-2 Kate Larken Kate Larken taught in public and private middle and high schools and community colleges for 20 years and now is a consultant and publisher in education, the arts, and community cultural work. She is also an award-winning songwriter and playwright and a professional musician, producer, and actor. Larken is the founder of EvaMedia, Inc., Louisville publisher of textbooks for arts and humanities and practical living/vocational studies. Explore the EvaMedia series Arts & Humanities: The Student Handbook. These hardcover student books designed for Intermediate, Middle, and High School levels are fully aligned with Kentucky Core Content 4.1. Teacher resource materials are also available. For information, visit Alternately, arrange students in small groups and ask each group to articulate the connections they can identify between each of these artists and any influences or inspirations from their culture that inform their artistic creations. After a designated time, have group speakers share with the entire class any observations or ideas that came out in group discussion. Day 4 Follow-up by asking students to write a brief reflective analysis that explains their understanding of the relationship between the creation of art and the culture from which the artist comes. Instruct them to use examples from the video segments viewed. Extensions The lesson can be extended by adding a research component wherein students will search for a myth or other narrative from Native American culture to use as new material for their creative project. Other possibilities include researching similar stories from other cultures and expanding the discussion into the role of arts as reflections of other cultures. Support/Connections/Resources The World of Music and Dance CD-ROM and the Dance and Culture section of the binder contain more information about the Native American dances and cultures. The Modern Dance at a Glance Section in the Periods and Styles section of the binder includes more information about Killer of Enemies. Writing for the Lesson Students could write a brief reflective analysis of the relationship between the creation of art and the culture from which the artist comes. Technology If a research option is added, Internet access will be needed. If the creative projects (or their presentation) are recorded, cameras or recording devices will be needed. Applications Across the Curriculum Social Studies Native American culture: You could expand this to a discussion of culture in general and the role that dance and other arts play in defining cultures and allowing us to understand others ways of thinking and expressing themselves. Arts Toolkit Dance Lesson Plans 169

4 Open Response Assessment Prompt: Stories are often a reflection of a culture. Myths, legends, true accounts, and other types of stories can give the listener, viewer, or reader a sense of what is valued in a culture. Directions: Think about or consider what you know about why a person might create art based on stories from her/his culture. Explain the role of stories in the Native American culture. Explain how stories can be expressed or reflected in a variety of art forms such as music, dance, or visual arts. Use at least two specific examples to support your OPEN RESPONSE SCORING GUIDE Student writes clearly and concisely about the function of stories in Native American culture, including how stories can be expressed in a variety of ways. Two or more specific examples are used effectively to support the Student generally explains how stories can be used in Native American culture in at least one art form and gives one or two examples to generally support the Student generally explains how stories function in culture. Student gives one or more examples but they show minimal support for the Student may or may not explain the role of stories in culture. No examples are provided or any examples provided do not support the No answer or irrelevant 170 Arts Toolkit Dance Lesson Plans

5 Answer Key for Multiple Choice Questions 1. B 2. A 3. C Performance Assessment Performance Event: Stories such as Little Deer and Mother Earth are an integral part of Native American culture. Artists in various genres can take their inspiration from stories such as this one. Directions: Create a work of visual art, choreography, or music based on a Native American story such as Little Deer and Mother Earth. You may wish to use a different story; if you do so, be sure to include information about the source you use. If you are creating choreography, your teacher may provide a musical recording to work with. Present your creative project to the class, with an explanation about your inspiration or story behind your artwork and your choice of art form and/or medium. PERFORMANCE SCORING GUIDE exhibits a high level of creativity and skill. work is explained well., art form, and/or visual art medium is used in a highly effective manner in connecting to the story. exhibits a satisfactory level of creativity and skill. work is somewhat explained., art form, or visual art medium is used in a generally effective manner in connecting to the story. exhibits a low level of creativity and/or skill. work is explained in a very limited manner., art form, or visual art medium is used in a minimally effective manner in connecting to the story. exhibits an unacceptable level of creativity and/or skill. work is not explained., art form, or visual art medium used shows little or no connection to the story. Non-participation Multiple Choice Questions Author: Kate Larken Copyright 2008 KET Reviewed by the Kentucky Department of Education This lesson plan is part of the Dance Arts Toolkit. To order the entire toolkit or for more information about the Arts Toolkit project, visit or call (859) Narrative dance A. is always ceremonial. B. tells a story. C. requires no choreography. D. is always improvised. 2. Choreographer Erick Hawkins A. based the Killer of Enemies stories on Native American myths. B. invented the Killer of Enemies stories from his imagination. C. learned the Killer of Enemies stories in elementary school. D. was told the story of Killer of Enemies by a Navajo chief. 3. In Native American culture, stories are used A. only in visual art and drama. B. only in music and dance. C. in any art form. D. only in secret ceremonies. Arts Toolkit Dance Lesson Plans 171

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