Demo Lesson
SI Demonstration Lesson
Title
Cree Indian Naming Poems
Author
Connie Farrell
Grade Band
K-13 (with modifications)
Estimated Lesson Time
Two 50-minute class periods—can stand alone or be part of a Native American unit
Overview
Students need a variety of writing experiences to expand their writing repertoire. This lesson, which has been very effective as a community building/getting to know you/beginning of the year activity, asks students to model their writing after a Cree Indian naming poem. Students will need to think about their names, how their names “fit” them, and will then be given a chance to re-name themselves according to Cree Indian tradition. When all students have completed/published their poems, the instructor will then take publishing a step further by creating a quilt comprised of all the student naming poems. Of course, the instructor should write and publish his/her own poem, too!
From Theory to Practice
This lesson serves as a great beginning of the year community building activity in the language arts classroom; students and the teacher get to know one another right away when they share such personal writing. Classrooms are social settings—together students and teachers create a classroom community, and the environment strongly influences the learning that takes place (Angelillo, 2008). Teachers are more effective when they use the first two weeks of school to establish the classroom climate and learn about their students (Tompkins, 2010).
According to James Moffett, all writing begins with personal writing—students should begin by writing what they know (1989). This writing activity clearly asks students to write what they know—they are writing all about themselves and sharing with others. By publishing their poems on a quilt, students bring their writing to life –when they share their writing with real audiences students come to think of themselves as authors. Publication is powerful: students are motivated not only to continue writing, but also improve the quality of their drafts through revising and editing (Weber, 2002).
Students are ‘hooked” into the naming poem writing assignment through pre-reading and pre-writing activities—these activities prepare their brains for learning, for getting down to business. Students need to be invited to the writing party—providing models for them (based on form or content) is a formal invitation to write. If you lead your horses to water through pre-writing activities, chances are they will drink. Some will guzzle! After hearing or doing a reading of a certain genre, students are more apt to write something in that same form (Moffett & Wagner, 1992). Writers read other authors’ texts for ideas and to learn about organizing their writing (Tierney, 1983).
When students are given models of what they are supposed to write (i.e. mentor texts), it makes writing a little less threatening. Students need examples of what they are supposed to write—we cannot expect them to write in a form that they are unfamiliar with. Mentor texts serve as models for what students write—students learn to write from their reading (Wood Ray, 1999).
References
Angelillo, J. (2008). Whole-class teaching: Minilessons and more. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Moffett, J. (1989). Bridges: From personal writing to the formal essay. (No. 9). Center for the Study of Writing, UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University.
Moffett, J. and Wagner, B.J. (1992). Student centered language arts. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook.
Tierney, R. J. (1983). Writer-reader transactions: Defining the dimensions of negotiation. In P.L. Stock (Ed.) Forum: Essays on theory and practice in the teaching of writing (pp. 147-151). Upper Montclair, NJ: Boynton/Cook.
Tompkins, G. (2010). Literacy in the middle grades: teaching reading and writing to fourth through eighth graders. (2nd ed). Boston: Pearson.
Weber, C. (2002). Publishing with students: A comprehensive guide. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Wood Ray, K. (1999). Wondrous words: writers and writing in the elementary classroom. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
Student Objectives
Students will:
-Read a variety of pieces that deal with naming/names/traditions
-Partake in pre-reading and pre-writing activities, plus read and write!
-Share/discuss their ideas and writing with peers
-Think like a writer as they fit their writing into a self-chosen prescribed poetic format
-Publish their poems, and see how all pieces come together to form a quilt!
Resources for the Lesson
-Copies of the Cisneros vignette “My Name” (from House on Mango Street)
-Copy of the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes (this is also available on DVD)
-Copy of the first chapter (first page!) of Roots by Alex Haley (You Tube clips)
-Copies of the Cree Indian naming poems
-Information on meanings of their own first names
-Information on naming rituals for discussion
-Paper/art supplies/stickers/colored pens for publishing their stories
-Tri-fold display board (quilt)
Instructional Plan
1. Before they write their own poems, students should write about/discuss their given names…do they like their name? Does it represent who they really are? Where did the name come from/how were they named? Is it a family name? How important is a name? If they could change their name, what would they change it to? They may refer to websites or baby naming books to get information on their own names. Or, you can give them their name meanings in an envelope—this creates mystery, gets them excited about the writing activity.
2. Then read and discuss “My Name” by Sandra Cisneros (from House on Mango Street) and Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes (picture book/Scholastic video). Both main characters have strong feelings about their names. If students are mature enough, read the opening paragraphs of Roots (Kunte Kinte’s naming ceremony)--show You Tube clips from Roots (Kunte Kinte’s naming ceremony and/or the flogging scene when Kunte won’t say his master-given name, Toby.)
3. Talk about naming rituals…religious naming rituals, how dolphins are named by trainers (based on personality), how we name pets, etc… Lead into a discussion of how Swampy Cree Indians name their members (they give generic names at birth—they wait until they can observe them and then name them when they are adolescents based on their traits/personalities. FYI—you can look up the naming ritual on the internet).
4. Discuss Cree Indian naming poems/handouts. Go over the first 2 poems together and discuss, then let them figure out the 3rd poem on their own. Discuss. Ask questions to analyze what’s going on in the text (explicit and inferred), and how the text is formatted.
5. Discuss/list words associated with Indians (nature, earth, fire, wind, spirits, etc…)—help students create a word bank to use when writing poems.
6. Students get a chance to re-name themselves using the Cree naming poem model. Students should choose a model (one of the 3) and keep underlined parts the same. Poems should also be written in 3rd person--from the perspective of others who have observed them. The writing process should be used—brainstorming, drafting, peer review/sharing, revising, editing, and publishing.
7. To publish, make a “quilt” on a tri-fold display board, or simply fill a space on a bulletin board to create the illusion of a quilt—cut out pieces of white or colored paper for the text (handwritten or typed), then attach it to background paper--scrapbook paper/construction paper. Let students decorate with stickers, feathers, string, beads, glitter glue, confetti, etc…
Other Resources
Some other “name” pieces include excerpts from Maple by Robert Frost, The Naming of Cats by T.S. Eliot, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, the short essay A Name Is Sometimes An Ancestor Saying HI, I’m With You by Alice Walker, the short story Name/Nombres by Julia Alvarez, and the picture book The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi.
Web Resources
Google is a good place to start to find books/articles about names (there are several) and to find information on naming rituals.
For name meanings, visit http://www.bostonuk.com/name_meanings.php
Teacher Assessment/Reflection
This lesson works because it’s perceived as fun by the students, as well as non-threatening—they are given a formula and need to plug in their own information. By scaffolding the lesson--providing time for pre-reading and pre-writing activities, reading, discussing, providing examples--the students move through the lesson without much difficulty. I have never not had a student turn one in—they all want to see their new names on the quilt. They are also very particular about revising/editing—they know it’s going up on the quilt, and they don’t want theirs to sound or look “dumb.” Some students even revised after the quilt was all put together—they had me remove their original pieces to put revised pieces up. I’ve used this lesson with teachers, pre-service teachers, middle and high school students, and introductory college composition students, and all have responded positively by writing and publishing fabulous poems. Plus—I don’t care what age the student is—everyone loves to publish with construction paper, crayons, glue, stickers, feathers, beads, and glitter!
State (Indiana) E/LA Standards Covered (8th grade)
Covered Standards:
8.1.1 Vocabulary and Concept Development
8.3.1 Structural Features of Literature
8.3.8 Contrast Points of View
8.3.9 Analyzed Relevance of Setting
8.4.1 Organization and Focus
8.4.7 Evaluation and Revision
8.4.8 Edit and Proofread
8.4.9 Revise for Word Choice, Organization, Pt of View
8.5.6 Write Using Precise Word Choices
8.5.7 Write for Different Purposes/Audiences
8.6.1 Sentence Structure
8.6.4 Grammar
8.6.5 Punctuation
8.6.6 Capitalization
8.6.7 Spelling
Common Core Standards (8th Grade)
Writing:
W.8.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
W.8.4 Produce Clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.8.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
W.8.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Language:
L.8.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Speaking and Listening:
SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (1 on 1, in groups, teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Reading Literature:
RL.8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.8.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.8.3 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
RL.8.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including, figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
RL.8.5 Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
RL.8.6 Analyze how differences in point of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.
RL.8.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.