Thematic Learning Environment

By Mr. Dossey

Cultural Connections

"Let's Play" - When Rivers Were Trails

Digital Scavenger Hunt

Click on a learning station's name to explore the activity Get started with the Interactive Guide on the first floor, or explore each station freely

Walking through native history

Media Resource List

Click on a learning station's name to explore the activity Get started with the Interactive Guide, or explore each station freely

Interactive Guide

Analyzing Culture Through Artifacts

A Technology Story

Next Station

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Interactive Guide

Explore the instructional display to the left and learn about the Indian Boarding School era in the United States. Click the right arrow to go to the next station, click the home button to return to the menu. Click the icon to enlarge the activity, click to return and navigate to other stations.

• What are some things that both you and your partner had heard about eachother's culture that were incorrect or inaccurate?

• How did you each correct those misconceptions?

• How did your partner's family arrive at where they are now?

• What is your favorite thing that you learned about your partner's culture?

Cultural Connections

In Collaboration with students at SFIS

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You will be paired with a student at the Santa Fe Indian school from your same grade level who has agreed to collaborate with our school. The pairs will be assigned by the teachers of each collaborating class and will have one arranged meeting by the teachers that takes place via video call during class time. At this time the pair will get to know eachother some and set a schedule for how they will meet outside of class going forward. Students must meet virtually with their assigned partner at least 3 times total with each meeting being at least 30 minutes, but there is no limit to how often or how long you can meet. Throughout the meetings, you will each be sharing aspects of your family history and general daily lives. For example, the story of how a family member or ancestor first arrived where the students currently live, what school is like, any cultural misconceptions, etc. Reflecting on what you have learned from the various discussions with your partner, you must answer the following questions:

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A Technology Story

Mr. Johnson is a middle school teacher with a passion for technology. He loves learning about new technology and methods of using it almost as much as they love learning more about their subject area. This has earned him a reputation with administrators as someone whose voice is valuable when making difficult decisions around technology. Their school has just received a very large surprise donation from a local tech business but there’s one catch, the company would like to use it as a tax write off this year. So it must be spent before the year’s end or they will give it to another school that can spend it fast enough. The principal is not very tech-savvy, but recognizing the opportunity would like to use all of the money on new technology for the school. They have come to trust the opinion of Mr. Johnson so much that they have asked if he could take the lead in choosing how to spend this money quickly so the chance is not missed. Immediately he started thinking of all the ways he’d wanted to modernize the classrooms for years and how it might now be possible. Later in the teacher's lounge he sees his longtime friend Ms. Ferguson, one of the special education teachers. They start talking and he tells her about the donation as well as what he'd been tasked with. She excitedly mentions how a lot of their assistive equipment is outdated and needs to be upgraded. Her and other teachers had applied for a grant hoping to cover some of the cost but it was awarded to someone else. Knowing that no one else knows about the donation yet, he asks her how much it will cost to upgrade everything. She tells him an amount that would take most of the donation. Now Mr. Johnson is conflicted, if he helps the Special Ed department get everything they need, there will not be much left for all the other teachers. But if he doesn’t, he will feel like he has betrayed both his friend and the students who are often neglected the most. He knows the principal will trust his judgement and follow his recommendation no matter what. Does he use the money to get himself and the other “core subject” teachers new tools to help their students? Or should he give it all to another department that could need it more?

Info

Click the info buttons to access articles with a list of content creators to help get started, but any account can be used so long as they are an authentic and reliable source on that culture. (Meaning either a member of the tribe themselves and/or an educated expert who has experience with the culture)

Info

Info

Using social media sites like Youtube, Tiktok, or Twitter, find examples of traditions that are relevant to Native American history and culture. Then post your findings on the padlet accessed through the button, click it again to return. You must find 4 total artistic creations or activities consisting of the following types (hover your mouse over each card for more details):

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A traditional instrument or piece of music

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Digital Scavenger Hunt

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A food tradition

A traditional piece of art

A tradition that is learned

For each example you post include: 1) If it is a Tradition/Ceremony, Music/Dance, Piece of Art 2) The tribe it comes from (or region if it can’t be attributed to one tribe) 3) A brief description of why it is culturally and/or historically significant to the people of that tribe or region 4) The name of the creator or artist 5) Where you found it (i.e. Youtube, Twitter, artist’s website, etc.) and a direct link to the original post

+ Info

+ Quickstart

Play

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"Let's Play" - When Rivers Were Trails

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Download "When Rivers Were Trails" on a compatible device. Play through the game while recording your screen with any screen capturing software (if you do not know how to do this click the info button to access a tutorial on how to use OBS studio, click the Quickstart button for a guide on how to download the software, Click on the OBS icon to the left to download the software). You will then use this footage to create a "Let's Play" video about your experience with the game and what you learned from it. You could acheive this by recording your reactions live or addings your thoughts in later with an overdub. You have complete creative freedom over the video with a few general rules: No profanity (if it comes out in a live reaction you must cover it with a "bleep" or other audio effect), it must include a reflection section (minimum 2 minutes), be a minimum of 5 minutes and can be no longer than 10 minutes total. Upload your video to the class "Digital Museum" in Flipgrid under the appropriate topic. Click the Play button to access the game's download page, click the Share button to access the Flipgrid Museum.

Read more

• Choose a Native American tribe from the 23 Federally Recognized Tribes in New Mexico.
• Research the tribe of you choose using sources such as a local library, a museum, or the internet; click on the Zia symbol to get started, this page can direct you to the websites of each individual tribe.
• Select an “artifact” of the tribe that you would like to recreate, it can be a toy, tool, piece of artwork or even a common household object from the time, so long as it has significance to the culture of your chosen tribe. Try and find something that features a lot of individual creativity like a piece of pottery, bead jewelry, or dolls (these are some examples but any artistic artifact will be acceptable).
• Using tools and items that you have around your house or obtain, you will create your own version of this artifact in the same style of the tribe you have researched (if you do not have the materials needed to recreate the artifact in-person, make a digital version through tools like Adobe Illustrator or Gimp).
• Think about how someone who grew up in the culture of your chosen tribe would interpret your creation, then come up with a brief description (3-4 sentences) explaining the significance of this item and any symbols, colors, or other design choices you made.
• Post a picture or video of their artifact with a verbal or written description to a "Digital Museum" in Flipgrid and engage in an online discussion to ask questions or compare/contrast the different cultures of the tribes they have learned about. You must comment on the work of at least 3 classmates. Access Flipgrid using the button below, click it again to return.

Analyzing Culture Through Artifacts

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Showcase your understanding of how tribal cultures have maintained their heritage through homemade items that feature artistic creativity and what these items means to their heritage and New Mexico.

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Additional Resources

When Rivers Were Trails

Iroquois History and Legends

American Indian Treaties: Catalog Links

Native Knowledge 360: Native Words, Native Warriors

American Indian Boarding Schools: An Exploration of Global Ethnic & Cultural Cleansing

Photographs from Indian Boarding Schools Collection

Native Knowledge 360: American Indian Removal

Library of Congress: Living Nations, Living Words

Tribal Nations and The United States

Crash Course US History #3 – The Natives and the English

Content Area: 8th Grade Social Studies

Topic: Native American History

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Teaching Resource List