Native American Pre-Test
Warm Up
8-12-11
You have 8 minutes to complete this pretest starting when class starts!
Answer in COMPLETE sentences and put
thought into your answers.
If you absolutely don’t know an answer after
at least trying to figure it out, leave it blank!
Let’s SALSA!
• *Show actions that facilitate learning for
the self and others
• *Actively participate and be cognitively
present
• *Learn to be open to new learning
• *Study even when you think you don’t
need to study
• *Act with a positive attitude
Guiding Question
How do people communicate? Why
do people communicate?
These Native American myths..
• The World on the Turtle’s Back, When Grizzlies
Walked Upright, Navajo Origin Legend, and
Grandmother Spider Steals the Sun.
• All offer explanations of where the people who
inhabit the Earth came from.
• What other sources take on the challenge of
explaining this phenomenon?
- the Bible, geneticists
• Based on the titles alone, how do you think you
are going to respond to the Native American
Selections to how the Earth/World was formed?
Pre-test
From the following slides, fill in any
“answers” you may not have gotten 
So, what is a myth?
•The word itself comes from the
Greek “mythos” which originally
meant “speech.”
•It is a traditional story explaining
how the world and the things in it
came to be.
Myth
•A traditional story that deals with
gods, goddesses, heroes, and/or
supernatural forces.
•A myth may explain a belief, custom,
or a force of nature
Myths
• Contain supernatural elements
• Often explain the unexplainable
• Have also been told in order to teach a
moral lesson.
• All cultures have myths, though often do
not see their stories as myth but as fact.
Native American Myths• The First Nation's Peoples had a value
system. There were only four
commandments from the Great Spirits:
• 1.Respect Mother Earth
2.Respect the Great Spirit
3.Respect our fellow man and woman
4.Respect for individual freedom
Oral tradition
• Native American myths originated as oral
tradition: Stories passed down verbally
• Native American creating myths were not
written down until just a few hundred
years ago.
Origin Myths
• Every origin myth is a story of creation:
origin myths describe how some new
reality came into existence
Alright, let’s get to it!
• You will be divided into groups (we need 5) each having
a different myth to study and present. Just scoot next to
your neighbors.
• Suggestion: Read the myth silently first and then read it
aloud to emphasize the importance of the oral tradition
• Assign the following roles within your group: note taker,
artist, creativity director, teacher
• Then, complete the response sheet- one per group.
Everyone should generate ideas but the note taker
records.
• Then, discuss how best to present your myth- perform a
skit, do an oral reading, create a picture- you must
TEACH the myth to the class
• Finally, presentations!
Self-Assessment
• Please fill in the Self-Assessment sheet for
homework after you also complete the
homework on the following slide:
Classwork/homework
1.
Create your own mythic tale! This can be about
anything. What story will you tell your kids one day
about how the world was created? Tossing out all that
you know biblically, creatively come up with a new
version. One page, single spaced, college ruled paper.
Or two pages typed, double space, 12 pt font.
OR
2.
This myth is part of the oral tradition of stories being
told in various ways- usually depending on beliefs and
customs. Interview someone “older” to find a story
that has been passed down from generation to
generation. One page, single spaced, college ruled
paper. Or two pages typed, double space, 12 pt font.
•
Both Due Tuesday, 8/16/11