TEACHER MATERIALS
How does Umoⁿhoⁿ Nation share their water stories?
“Lightning Research – Reservation Water”
In this activity, the students will learn about water quality on the Omaha reservation by doing a quick internet search. Afterwards, to fill any gaps in their knowledge, they can read one or more of the articles below. To end the activity, the students will answer a reflection question; to help them dig deeper into this question, you may want to have them listen to the sound clip linked below. If some or all of your students need a more structured activity, you can have them fill out a guided handout rather than doing independent research.
Articles about water on the Omaha reservation
- Researchers Find Low Water Quality on Nebraska Reservations – University of Arkansas
- Tribal Water System Improvements Discussed – Nebraska Legislature Unicameral Update
- EPA Issues Boil Alert for customers of Omaha Tribe’s Macy Water System – WQP
- State Asked to Spend Big to Clean-Up Drinking Water – News Channel Nebraska
“Civic Storytelling to Demystify Local Issues for Chattanoogans” – sound clip
“Defining Civic Storytelling”
Before they can reflect on what it means for a story to be informed, the students must learn about the basics of civic storytelling. This curriculum provides a teacher’s guide to civic storytelling, which you should use to familiarize yourself with the topic before you discuss it with your students. If you would like your students to formulate their own definition of civic storytelling, have them read the sources listed below. In addition, if you would like to add the subtopic of public narrative to this discussion, have your students read the article below.
Teacher’s guide to civic storytelling
Civic storytelling definition sources
- “Stories and Narratives” – Victoria Department of Education
- “Mastering the Art of the Narrative” – LSE Impact
Standing Rock Stories – Identifying the Key Elements of Civic Storytelling
In this activity, the students will practice identifying the basic elements of a civic story. At the same time, they will analyze and compare sources about the Standing Rock protests of 2016. The students will choose three sources about Standing Rock to analyze. They will also fill out a corresponding handout.
Standing Rock source analysis handout
Standing Rock Stories – Round Robin Reflection
In this activity, the students will answer reflection questions in small groups about the “informedness” of different sources of media. To dig deeper into the concept of informedness as portraying diversity within larger groups (such as racial/ethnic groups), ask the students to read the below article.
“Not All the Standing Rock Sioux Are Protesting the Pipeline”
Class Discussion About Purpose and Informedness in Civic Storytelling
In this activity, the students will have a class discussion to decide 1) why we tell stories and 2) what makes a story informed. During this activity, you may need to reference the teacher’s guide to civic storytelling. In addition, the students will create a chart that will help them distinguish between “informed” and “uninformed” civic stories; you may want to provide them with a template.
Native American Water Stories Gallery Walk
In this activity, the students will participate in a gallery walk and analyze Native American water stories told through many different storytelling mediums. The sources for this gallery walk can be found in the document below. As they complete their gallery walk, the students should fill out the corresponding handout. If you would like to dive deeper into poetry as a storytelling medium, consider having the students read several Standing Rock protest poems. Finally, at the end of the activity, the students will have a small group discussion about their gallery walk; you may want them to submit their answers in writing using the handout below.
“Native American Water Stories” gallery walk sources
“Native American Water Stories” gallery walk handout
“Native American Water Stories” discussion questions handout
Opening Reflection
In this activity, the students will reflect on the pros and cons of getting an “insider’s” perspective. During this activity, the students will read a series of facts related to exaggerations of the truth by public figures and celebrities.
“Exaggerating the Truth” facts handout
Who Can Tell Your Story? – Ethnographies
In this activity, the students will further explore the nature of the “insider’s” perspective by reading excerpts from ethnographies. They will need to learn about the basics of the Dawes Act; a summary of this act is provided below. Then, they will read primary source passages and answer analysis questions about them.
Primary source passages and questions
- Alice Cunningham Fletcher primary source passage
- Alice Cunningham Fletcher primary source analysis questions
- Francis La Flesche primary source passages
- Francis La Flesche primary source analysis questions
Who Can Tell Your Story? – Popular Culture
In this activity, the students will consider who can tell which stories by learning more about “insider” and “outsider” perspectives. The students will read/listen to two sources about telling stories without first-hand experience. During this activity, the students should either take notes using a chart like the one provided below or fill out the corresponding guided handouts. Later, the students will discuss movies they have seen or books they have read whose main characters are Native American. If they need help coming up with examples, consult the document containing books and movies with Native American main characters and white creators. Finally, the students will read an article about Standing Rock and fill out the corresponding handout. As a historical extension of the students’ discussion about the portrayal of Native Americans in books and films, have them read about how Native American actors were treated during the filming of old westerns
Storytelling without first-hand experience
- Representation & Writing: Who Gets to Tell Whose Story? – Vermont Public **excerpts (0:00 – 10:30) and (16:50 – 21:10)
- Can a White Director Make a Great Black Movie? – Hollywood Reporter
Guided handouts for above sources
- Representation & Writing Guided Reading Handout
- Can a White Director Make a Great Black Movie? Guided Reading Handout
List of books and movies with Native American protagonists and white creators
“Standing Rock Activists Asking White People to Stop Treating Pipeline Protest Like Burning Man”