Watch a Video: Celebrating Our Traditions
After watching, ask: Why do these kids work so hard to keep their traditions alive?
Students will explore ways that young Native Americans are carrying on their nations’ traditions.
Lesson Plan - Making Our People Proud
Learning Objective
Text Structure
Description, Comparison
Content-Area Connections
Social Studies, Culture
Standards Correlations
CCSS: R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.5, R.6, R.7, R.8, R.10, L.4, SL.1
NCSS: Culture; Individual Development and Identity
TEKS: Social Studies 5.21, 6.2, 6.15
1. Preparing to Read
Celebrating Our Traditions
Watch a video to learn more about young Native Americans working hard to carry on traditions.
Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.
- Indigenous
- heritage
Set a Purpose for Reading
Point out the “As You Read” question. Have students think about their own traditions.
2. Close-Reading Questions
1. What is culture? Based on the article, what do you know about Pojoaque culture?
Culture is a people’s traditions, beliefs, and habits. The text shows that hoop dancing is part of Pojoaque culture. Hoop dancing has been a form of prayer and storytelling. It is sometimes used in healing practices.
R.4 Determine Meaning
2. Why is lacrosse important to the Haudenosaunee Confederacy?
Lacrosse is important to the people of the Confederacy because they play to honor their Creator. They have been playing games like lacrosse for more than 900 years.
RI.2 Key Details
3. Why does the author write that “it’s not that easy” for Leeann to learn Yuchi?
Leeann can’t learn Yuchi in the same ways people learn other languages. There are no books printed in Yuchi, and few people can speak it.
R.1 Text Evidence
3. Skill Building
FEATURED SKILL: Compare and Contrast
Use “Comparing Stories” to have students identify similarities and differences among the kids profiled in the article.
R.5 Comparison
Text-to-Speech