At our school grades 2 and up rotate to different teachers for the subjects of religion (we are at a private Catholic school) science and social studies. So, for an hour and a half out of my day I am in charge of teaching social studies to 51 second graders. I honestly don't know how middle school teachers do it! I go stir crazy teaching the same thing three times in a row and in order to save my own sanity, I try to make any lesson that I teach exciting and interesting for both the students and myself. In preparing our next unit on Minnesota Native American tribes and their history (Specifically the Ojibway and Dakota tribes), I decided to share many of the legends of these tribes and then have the students write legends of their own. Here are a few of the books that I chose to share.
(Ojibway/Woodland Tribe Legends and Stories)
The Legend of the Lady's Slipper by Kathy-jo Wargen
The Legend of Minnesota by Kathy-jo Wargen
The Legend of the Loon by Kathy-jo Wargen
Dakota/Plains Tribe Legends and Stories)
Buffalo Woman by Paul Goble
The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble
The Mud Pony by Carton Lee Cohen
Sky Dogs by Jane Yolen
Keep on dancing in your teacher shoes!
Deanna and Jenelle
