CAROLYN BURCKHARD-ST.JOSEPH ELEMENTARY-DEVILS LAKE, ND 58301
TITLE
WINTER COUNT/(STUDENT’S NAME) COUNT
GRADE LEVEL
GRADE 4
TIME ALLOTMENT FIVE CLASS PERIODS - 45 MINUTES EACH
OVERVIEW Students will learn about Native American Winter Count from
reading selections on Native Americans, viewing videos on history of
Winter Count, and listening to audio accounts of Winter Counts.
Students will create their own personal “Winter Count”by
1.
talking with parents about important events in their life
2.
creating their own symbols to represent these important
events
3.
painting these symbols on paper lunch bag “rawhide”
4.
orally presenting their finished (student’s name) count
SUBJECT MATTER
SOCIAL STUDIES - NORTH DAKOTA STUDIES
ENGLISH/WRITING/SPEAKING AND LISTENING
ART
LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will be able to identify what a winter
count was, and know its significance/importance in the Native American
life. This lesson will help students understand winter counts, which were
used to record history by many Plains Indians.
STANDARDS
North Dakota State Standards:
Social Studies
4.7.1 Understand the importance of valuing cultures different from one’s
own.
4.7.2 Understand the role of language, culture, and traditions in cultures.
Language Arts - Speaking and Listening
SL.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with
diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on other’s ideas
and ex-pressing their own clearly.
SL.3 Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support
particular points.
SL.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an
organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive
details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an under-
standable pace.
SL. Add audio recording and visual displays to presentations when
appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
MEDIA COMPONENTS-VIDEO
PBS Learning Media-Natives American Studies-Winter Count
MATERIALS
1 The First People of North Dakota
2. American Indians of North Dakota
(A booklet of Project Study)
(A Unit in North Dakota Studies)
One book per student.
PREP FOR TEACHERS
- Preview pages 11 and 12 from The First People of ND covering winter
count.
- Preview page 22 from American Indians of ND, History and Prehistory/winter count.
- Bookmark PBS Learning Media: Native American Studies-Winter Count
- Winter Count Lesson Plans (Native American Studies)
INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY
Lesson 1
Materials: The 2 books mentioned above.
1. Ask students how we remember important events in our lives
(pictures, videos, diaries, calendars, storytelling.
2. Ask students how do you think Native Americans remembered
important events in their lives. Remind them there were no cameras,
no written language, no alphabet.
3. Read page 11 and 12 from The First People of ND.
4. Read page 22 from American Indians of ND
5. Assign worksheet 24 from American Indians of ND
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Lesson 2
Materials: Smart Board with Winter Count
media lesson downloaded
1.Click small arrow in upper right corner, click picture of Red Horse Winter
Count. Read Winter Count, click “more.”
2. Have individual students orally read page 1, 2, and 3.
3. Click on Lakota Winter Count (on line exhibit), interactive audio page 3.
4. Click off-click on view winter counts. Can choose any of 10 winter
Counts from individual Native Americans.
5. Click on What are Winter Counts-counting by winters, winter count
keeper, pictures and material.
6. Click on Lakota comments-6 Lakota give an audio and video account of
some winter counts.
7. Go to search-Waniyeti Wowopi-Winter Count and View page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 1.
Lesson 3
Material: one paper lunch bag per student
1. Review
What is a winter count?
How was the keeper selected?
How was the important event of the year selected?
2. Students will go home and interview/visit with parents about important
events in their life starting with birth and then picking one event per year
up to their current age. Since most students will be nine or ten, they
should have nine or ten events in addition to their birth.
3. Students will create/draw a picture that best portrays each event. They
will have one picture for each year of their life from age 0 to 9/10
4.Prepare “rawhide.” Each student will open a paper lunch bag by cutting
down one side and cutting of the bottom portion of the bag. Thoroughly
wet bag, scrunch into a ball and squeeze out excess water. Carefully open
and lay flat to dry.
CULMINATING ACTIVITIES
Lesson 4
Material: "rawhide", tempera paint of
various colors, paint brushes
Each student will paint their events onto their “rawhide.”
Let dry over night.
Material: Each student’s completed
Winter Count
Students will orally present their winter count while displaying their
completed “rawhide.”
Lesson 5