#3247. Legend of the Indian Paintbrush

Science, level: Elementary
Posted Mon Oct 11 11:27:33 PDT 2004 by Megan Beavers (meganmbeavers@yahoo.com).
University of Pittsburgh @ Johnstown, Johnstown PA, USA
Materials Required: book "The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush", book "North American Indian Sign Language", learning cen
Activity Time: 45 minutes
Concepts Taught: Students will be able to discuss the story read to them and explain the legend

Lesson Plan

Name: Megan Beavers
School:
Grade: 3rd
Date:
Subject: Science

Academic Standard: Environment and Ecology Standards/ Agriculture and Society. 4.4.4. -- A, Know the importance of agriculture to humans.

Objectives: Students will be able to discuss the story read to them and explain the legend
of the Indian Paintbrush.
Students will be able to learn Indian sign language of 4 different topics.
Students will be able to create a sentence using the sign lang. they just learned.
Students will be able to list the basic needs of humans.
Students will be able to explain how agriculture is used for clothing, food, and
shelter.
Students will be able to use the symbols given to them to make a totem pole.
Students will be able to explore the items in the learning center set up for them.

Cross- Curricular Integration: Language Arts (sign language), Arts and Crafts, TECHNOLOGY

Materials: book "The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush", book "North American Indian Sign Language", learning center materials (pictures, books, post cards, artifacts, arrow heads, dream catchers. . .) worksheets, totem pole materials

New Vocabulary: Totem pole, Indian Paintbrush, agriculture

Instructional Procedures:
Anticipatory Set:
Introduce the lesson by briefly explaining what we are going to be doing today for the next hour before the pizza party can start. Then begin by reading the book "The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush" and tell the students to listen carefully and try to figure out what exactly the legend is. After I am done reading have the students divide into their groups (the 3 kids sitting next to each other in each row so that no one has to get up and move around) and have them discuss to themselves what they believe is the legend.

Developmental Activities:
Ask if anyone knows any sign language already. If yes ask them to demonstrate some to the class, if no, say well today everyone is going to learn several different words in such categories as family, animals, emotions, and weather. Teach the students the signs then after each category before moving on to the next, do a quick review so that they get repeated exposure of the words. DO this after each category until all words have been gone over. After reviewing for the last time, have each student come up to the front of the room and make a sentence using the words they just learned and have the rest of the class say the sentence aloud as the on student signs it.
Once every child has gone, have them sit back down in their seats and begin talking about how the Indians would use some of the animals for food and clothing. Have the students give me the basic needs of humans as I write them on the board. Then read a brief informational paragraph about how Indians used agriculture for growing food. Then when done review the keys points once more.

Closure:
Hand out the direction and symbol worksheets to the class. Have one of the students read the directions out loud and then ask if they have any questions. Show the students my example of the totem pole and have them get started. While they are choosing and coloring the symbols I am handing out the rest of the materials they will need to complete this activity and helping nay student who needs help. Once everyone has symbols clued on have one student at a time come to either me or the teacher and tape the totem pole together. Then have the student hang it in the back of the room on the hangers for everyone else to see.

Assessment:
- During group discussion of the Indian legend walk around the room and listen to them talking to make sure they have the legend correct.
- Watch the students as we are learning the sign language to make sure they are remembering them all.
- Evaluate the sentences the students make using the sign language and correct them if they do it incorrectly.
- Listen to the lists the students made of ways to use agriculture for growing foods, making clothing, and having shelter.
- Check the totem poles for correct symbol usage while taping them together.

Special Needs Adaptations:
None

Enrichment and Extension:
Show the students the learning center already set up by the teacher in the back of the room and explain to them some of the things that are in the center and how they can be used and explored. Then tell them they can do this during any free time hey have on their own.

*Technology Integration:*

One computer: Use a overhead and show the students the web-site http://users.imag.net/~sry.jkramer/nativetotems which explains totem poles in great details. It covers things like meanings behind pictures, tells stories, shows pictures, play music and gives basic facts about Indians.

Six computers: Since I would be teaching them some sign language during the lesson for a fun activity the students can do on their own is make up a little story in sing language. The web-site http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm is a dictionary in sign language where you click on a desired letter to open up an index box words that being with that letter. Then click on the word to obtain its sign.

Each child has a computer: Have each student choose a different tribe of Indians in the US and have them complete a research paper on them. Answering questions like where did the tribe originate from, what kinds of languages did they speak, what their culture is like compared to ours? The web-site http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/native.htm is specifically for students who need to do research on tribes. It has links to other pages on the certain tribe that you select.