American Indians from the Southwest

Demi Rodriguez and Brittney Recht

Rationale
For this assignment, our group members are Brittney Recht and Demi
Rodriguez. The age group of our children is 3-5 years old. We have gained much
insight into the cultures and traditions of many American Indian Tribes from the
Southwest. Navajo is the largest tribe in the Southwest. We learned that weaving is
a very sacred and important tradition to the Navajo Tribe. Weaving supported the
Navajo people spiritually and economically. We also learned that the natural
environment surrounding their reservations is crucial to their culture. These
materials are necessary for survival and their way of life. The sheep within the
Navajo environment play a major role and provide essential wool for daily needs.
We also gained knowledge about the Havasupai people. In their pastime they enjoy
playing different games. One game we learned about in depth is the stick-dice
game. This game has been played for many years in the Havasupai Tribe. Pueblo
Indians are another major tribe in the Southwest. A vital part of their culture is clay
and pottery making. Pottery making is a tradition that has been passed down for
many generations. The Pueblos have stuck by their tradition of pottery making even
with the mainstream cultural that has become so popular. We also gained
information about traditional foods of the Tohono Oodham people. They make their
own tortillas as a daily activity, for feasts and celebrations.
For this assignment, we chose a variety of activities to implement in our
classroom. We decided to use each day to talk about a different tribe in the
Southwest. We thought this was important so the children could get an overview of
multiple tribes instead of grouping them all together as one. To teach the children

about the traditions of the Navajo Tribe, we included two different weaving
activities. One activity includes creating looms out of popsicle sticks, rubber bands
and ribbons. We included this activity because the children will get to practice the
weaving technique individually. We also included a whole class weaving activity so
the children could work together to make a communal weaving project. Both of
these weaving activities connect to the INTASC 2 Standard #2 because we included
both an individual project and a group project which is important because each child
learns differently. These activities also connect to INTASC 1 Standard #1 because
they are developmentally appropriate for our age group but also provide some
challenges. We also included a dramatic play center to teach the children about the
Navajo culture. The students will act out the story The Three Little Sheep. We
included this activity so the children could get creative and show their off
personalities. To connect to the CREATE 1 Principle we will have a sheep shearing
activity that will incorporate the childrens funds of knowledge about sheep and
wool. To teach the children about the Havasupai Tribe, we created a lesson plan
about a popular stick game played in the Havasupai community. We included this in
our unit plan because it gives the children insight into the types of things Havasupai
people enjoy doing. It also was beneficial because the students practiced following
rules, their counting skills and interacting with one another. We chose to make
homemade clay to teach the children about the important traditions of the Pueblo
Tribe. We included this activity because it allows us to invite parents into the
classroom. Also, clay making and pottery is a long process which can keep the
children engaged for a few days. To teach the children about the Tohono Oodham
Tribe, we included a tortilla making activity. This activity teaches the students about
the traditional foods of the tribe. The children will get to experience the process

Tohono Oodham members go through when making tortillas. We believe that

including all of these activities supports the NAEYC 1 Standard 1 because they
promote discussions, challenges, interactions and critical thinking.

AZ Early Learning Standards:

Social emotional Standard:

Strand 2: Relationships
Attachment
Students will become familiar with teachers and teaching
assistants, during whole class activities and discussions.
Students will become familiar with new faces and classmates while
interacting with one another during class discussions and dramatic
play of The Three Little Sheep.
Social Interactions
Students will listen and follow directions while acting out Three
Little Sheep and participating in the arts and crafts activities.
Students are encouraged to handle conflicts themselves by sharing
arts and crafts materials, taking turns talking, etc.
Respect:
Respecting the teacher and their peers during discussion time by
being quiet when they are talking.
Respecting and being careful with the materials while doing art.
Approaches to Learning Standard:
Strand 1: Initiative and Curiosity
Initiative
Children practice self direction and control during class discussions.
Curiosity
Children will express curiosity and interest by making connections
and observations on charts.
Strand 4: Creativity
Creativity
Students will express their creativity through crafts such as the
weaving and pottery making.

Language and Literacy:

Strand 2: Emergent Literacy
Concepts of Print:
Read alouds during circle time allows children to follow the print
and understand the messages behind it.
Book Handling Skills
The read aloud books are out and easily accessible for the children
to interact with during their free explore time.
Phonological Awareness
Read alouds during circle time allows children to listen and
differentiate between sounds.
Alphabet Knowledge
When reading Navajo ABC: A Dine Alphabet Book the children
identify the letters.
Comprehension
Read alouds and discussions during circle time prompts children to
identify major events in the stories and draw connections between
the stories and their personal experiences.
Math:
Strand 4: Geometry
Spatial Reasoning
When students act out The Three Little Sheep they are responding
to directional terms.
Shapes
Children practice naming and making shapes with their clay.
Patterns
The weaving art activity with the popsicle sticks allows children to
learn about patterns (over, under, over, under)
While Listening to different tribal music the children do patterns
with their hands or feet (ie: pat, clap, pat, clap)
Science:
Strand 1: Inquiry and Application
Exploration, Observations, and Hypotheses
Students will make charts about what they have explored, observed
and have made predictions about the books read as a class.
Investigation
Students will investigate what happens to the cotton when dye is
added.
Analysis and Conclusions
Class uses charts to organize thoughts, observations and
hypotheses.

 Communication
Students practice communication skills with students and teachers
when creating the communal weaving project and acting out The
Three Little Sheep
Social Studies:
Strand 1: Family
Understands Family
Children will receive a better understanding of family and and roles
of family members in a different culture by reading the variety of
books.
Strand 2: Community
Understands Community
Students will become more familiar with a new cultural communities
by reading books and making connections to their lives.
The children will see the community getting involved when a parent
comes in to assist with the clay making process
Rights, Responsibilities and Roles within Community
Children act out The Three Little Sheep and build their own houses.
Geography
Teacher and children will count and locate native tribes on a map.
Strand 3: Historical Thinking
Understands Time Past, Present and Future
After reading Sing Down The Rain students will better understand
the seasons, and reasons for each season.

Physical Development, Health, and safety:

Strand 1: Physical and Motor Development
Gross Motor Development
Students will act out The Three Little Sheep.
Fine Motor Development
Students will practice fine motor skills by weaving.

WEEK ONE

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Read Jingle
Dancer during
circle time

Read
Johonaa'ei:
Bringer of
dawn during
circle time
then have a
discussion
about the
book

Read The magic

weaver of rugs:
A tale of the
Navajo during
circle time then
have a class
discussion
about the book

Read The Goat

in the Rug
during circle
time

We will count
and locate
how many
tribes there
are on the
map of the
Southwest

The children
will recognize
the pattern
that certain
things occur
when the sun
is up by
creating
pictures that
show this

By practicing
weaving with
their popsicle
stick looms
students will
be learning how
to follow a
pattern (over,
under, over,
under)

By practicing
weaving with
their popsicle
stick looms
students will
be learning
how to follow
a pattern
(over, under,
over, under)

SCIENCE

The children
will predict
how many
different
tribes they
think there
are in the
Southwest

The children
will observe
what they see
in the book
and draw
conclusions
about the
Navajo
environment
and make
connections to
their own

The children
will observe
what they see
in the book and
draw
conclusions
about what
American
Indians from
the Southwest
do as daily
activities

The children
During the
will dip cotton sheap shearing
balls (wool)
activity the
into different
children will
colored dyes
observe the
as shown in
sheep before
the book The
and after it is
Goat in the
sheared and
Rug
see what they
notice

WRITING

We will make
a chart with
everyones
predictions
about how
many tribes
there are in
the
Southwest

The children
will explain
their picture
they drew in
their journal
to a teacher
and the
teacher will
write down
those words
as a caption

Children and
teachers will
make a chart
comparing and
contrasting
activities
American
Indians from
the Southwest
do and what
they do in their
daily lives

The children
During the
will trace over sheep shearing
vocabulary
activity the
words from
children can
The Goat in
practice their
the Rug (ie:
letters in the
battens,
shaving cream
weaver, pin,
dye bucket)

LITERACY

MATH

Read The
Three Little
Sheep during
circle time

By acting out
The Three
Little Sheep,
the children
will be
practicing
spatial cues
(ie: next to,
over there)

SOCIAL
STUDIES

We will look
at a map of
the four
corners (like
the one in our
CSB) and
locate where
different
tribes are
throughout
the
Southwest

The children
The children will
will learn about make connections
the similarities
between
and differences themselves and
between the
American Indians
Navajo
from the
environment
Southwest to
and their own
create the class
environment
chart

ART/
DRAMA/
MUSIC

We will listen
The children
to different
will draw a
tribes music
picture of what
and connect it they see in their
to the book
own
we read
environment
earlier (Jingle when the sun is
Dancer)
out during the
day in their
journals

WEEK TWO

MONDAY

TUESDAY

LITERACY

The children
follow
directions with
a step-by-step
set of
instructions

Read Children
of the Clay
during circle
time then
have a class
discussion
about the
book

Review and
discuss the
story that was
read yesterday,
Children of the
Clay, during
circle time

Read Big
Moon Tortilla
during circle
time

We will have
a whole class
discussion
about the
books weve
read over the
two weeks
and what
weve
learned

MATH

During the
stick game (our
lesson plan)
the children
have to count
how many
sticks are
facing up and

The children
will measure
how much of
each
ingredient
they need to
make the clay

The children
will have
different plastic
shapes to
stamp the
clay that they
made

The children
will measure
how much of
each
ingredient
they need to
make tortillas

During our
class
discussion
we will make
a chart of all
the things
we have
learned

Creating
popsicle stick
looms with
rubber bands,
ribbon and
different
decorative
items to show
weaving

WEDNESDAY

The children
will further
understand
the traditions
of Navajo
people by
weaving

The children
will do a sheep
shearing
activity (using
shaving cream)
and learn
about the
importance of
sheep to the
Navajo culture

The class will

create a large
weaving
project on a
wheel to
display in the
classroom

The children
will act out the
story of The
Three Little
Sheep

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

how many are

facing down

about the
American
Indians from
the
Southwest

SCIENCE

The stick game

We will make
The children will The children will The children
will help
homemade clay observe what they make tortillas
will analyze
children
with help from see in the pictures
the
understand
parents
of pottery and
exploration
cause and
volunteers or
draw conclusions
and
effect
teaching
observations
relationships- if
assistants
they
you play a
participated in
winning hand
throughout the
then you get a
week and
toothpick
come to
conclusions
about the
American
Indians from
the Southwest

WRITING

Children write
on their
popsicle sticks
and sign it with
their initials

SOCIAL
STUDIES

We will have
sticks for the
children to
use to write
with on the
clay they
made

We will make a
chart of
everything the
children
observed about
the pictures

The children
will explain
their picture
they drew in
their journal to
a teacher and
the teacher
will write down
those words as
a caption

The children
will write in
their journals
(or tell a
teacher and
have them
write it)
what they
enjoyed
doing or
what they
learned

The children The children will The children will

The children
The children
will play a
learn about a
look at the
will learn about
will make
game that the main part of the
pictures of
different foods
connections
Havasupai
Pueblo Indians
pottery that
that Tohono
between their
Indians enjoy
culture- clay
actual Pueblos
Oodham and
own culture
playing
making
have made and
make
and the
understand how it connections to
American
is important to
the foods they
Indians from
their culture
personally eat the Southwest
culture during
the class
discussion

ART/
DRAMA/
MUSIC

During the
stick game the
children learn
and repeat a
chant that the
Havasupai
Indians
use/they
decorate the
sticks for the
game

The children
will get to play
with the clay
and make
pottery

The children will The children will We will wrap

paint and
draw a picture of up the unit by
decorate their
the different
listening to the
dried pottery
foods they eat in same tribal
and Tohono
songs we
Oodham people began with on
eat in their
day one and
journals
dancing along
with it

Annotated Bibliography
Blacksheep, B., Yazzie, E., & Ruffenach, J. (2003). Babys First Laugh
Flagstaff, AZ: Salina Bookshelf.
To the Navajo tribe a babys first laugh is an important time. A babys
first laugh is a sign that the baby is ready to relate to his or her family. After
a babys first laugh it is tradition to the Navajo people to have a Awee
Chiideeldo ceremony. The ceremony is to honor the baby.
Blacksheep, B., Ruffenach, J., & Thomas, P. (2005). Baby Learns
About Seasons. Flagstaff, AZ: Salina Bookshelf.
Baby Learns About Seasons is a bilingual board book perfect for infants
and young children. The book consist of the Navajo baby taking part in a
different activities during each season. The book is translated in both English
and Navajo.
Blood, C. L., Link, M. A., & Parker, N. W. (1976). The goat in the rug.
New York: Parents' Magazine Press.
The Goat in the Rug follows Geraldine, a goat, and Glenmae, a Navajo
weaver through the process of weaving a Navajo rug. This book shows how
intricate the process is and the extreme care it takes to create a beautiful
piece. It shows how important weaving is to the Navajo people.
Collings, J. (2015). Retrieved December 01, 2016, from
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/350717889706720685/
This is a website that has a picture of where the tribes are located in
the Southwest. We will use this for the children to count and locate the
different tribes.

Cowley, J., & Strongbow, D. (1998). Big moon tortilla. Honesdale,

PA: Boyds Mills Press.
Marta Enos is craving one of her grandmother's famous big moon
toritalls. When Marta is rushing over to the cookhouse all her homework is
blown away. Marta is comforted by her grandmother who sings a healing
song.
ElDuroTucco. E. (2012). Retrieved December 01, 2016, Navajo
Children Sing from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=DYrTyJBoAmk
This is a youtube video of Navajo children dressed in their traditional
wear and singing tribal songs. We will use this video for children to hear what
the Navajo music sounds like.
Garcia, E. S., & Pringle, V. (2006). Coyote and the Sky: How the
Sun, Moon, and Stars Began. Albuquerque: University of New
Mexico Press.
Coyote and the Sky is a book about the Santa Ana Pueblo legend. The
Santa Ana Pueblo legend is, the animal's spirit leader created the sun, moon
and stars with woven yucca mats and hot coals. This book is the story of the
great legend.
Home. (n.d.). Retrieved December 01, 2016, from
http://www.familyeducation.com/fun/clay/homemade-clay-recipes
This website includes the ingredients and directions for making
homemade clay. With help children will make the homemade clay.
Kruse-Peeples, M. (n.d.). Read our Blog. Retrieved December 01,
2016, from http://www.nativeseeds.org/learn/nss-blog/208-recipefor-fresh-corn-tortillas
Native Seeds is a great website that provides a recipe for homemade
corn tortillas. The website list all ingredients and the step by step process.
Lavine, S. (1974). The Games the Indians Played. NY: New York
Dodd, Mead & Company.
This is a website that provides information about different games that
American Indians play. We used this website to get information about the
stick game that we are using for our lesson plan.

Moreillon, J., & Chiago, M. (1997). Sing Down The Rain. Santa Fe,
NM: Kiva Publishing.
Sing Down The Rain is about the Tohono Oodham tribe and the Wine
Ceremony they take part in. Tohono Oodham is translated to Desert People.
The Tohono Oodham people have lived in the Sonoran Desert for thousands
of years. The Wine Celebration is the most important harvest celebration to
the Tohono Oodham tribe.
N. (2012, August 12). Retrieved December 01, 2016, from Pueblo
Songs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCmb7Ym_InA
This is a youtube video of tribal Pueblo songs. We will use this video for
children to hear what the Pueblo music sounds like.
Oughton, J., & Desimini, L. (1994). The Magic Weaver of Rugs: A tale
of the Navajo. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
The Magic Weaver of Rugs is about a two women from a starving tribe
that are desperate for help. They learn how to weave then bring these skills
back to their tribe. Once everyone learns to weave, this tribe is able to
prosper. This book shows how important weaving is to American Indians
emotionally and economically.
Pueblo Pottery Maine. (2000). Retrieved December 01, 2016, from
http://www.pueblopotteryme.com/
This is a website that contains information and pictures on Pueblo
pottery. We will use the pictures from this website to show the children what
the end product of pottery looks like.
Smith, C. L., Wright, C. V., & Hu, Y. (2000). Jingle Dancer. New York:
Morrow Junior Books.
Jingle Dancer follows a young Native American girl as she dreams
about dancing at the powwow- a jingle dancing tradition that runs in her
family and many other Native American families around the world. This book
shows the importance of traditions and families to the Native American
culture.
Swentzell, R., & Steen, B. (1992). Children of Clay: A Family of
Pueblo Potters. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications.

Children of Clay is a book about a Pueblo family is New Mexico. The

book follows the family of great grandmother Gia Rose. Children of Clay
focuses on the ancient process of pottery making.
Tapahonso, L. & Schick, E. (1995). Navajo ABC: A Dine Alphabet
Book. New York Macmillan Books For Young Readers.
Navajo ABC: A Dine Alphabet Book is an Alphabet picture book. Navajo
ABC includes pictures of objects along with the Navajo word. The Navajo
tribe is also referred to as Taa Dine. Taa Dine means The People.
Tsinajinnie, V., Singer, R., & Thomas, P. (2007). Johonaa'ei: Bringer
of dawn. Flagstaff, AZ: Salina Bookshelf.
Johonaa'ei is the Navajo word for the sun. As the sun rises throughout
the story the warmth and beams of the sun lights the sky and wakes the
desert creatures. The book is focuses on a a family of mice, rabbits, coyote,
sheeps and a family living in a Hogan.
T. (2011). Retrieved December 01, 2016, from Tohono Oodham
Black Mountain Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=7nphpJ8xOes
This is a youtube video of a tribal Tohono Oodham song called Black
Mountain Song. We will use this for children to listen to what this cultures
music sounds like.
Yazzie, S. G., Smith, R. H., & Thomas, P. A. (2006). Dibe yazhi taa'go
baa hane' : The Three Little Sheep. Flagstaff, AZ: Salina Bookshelf.
The Three Little Sheep is a Navajo take on the classic, The Three Little
Pigs. These three little sheep are ready for life on their own. The sheep
encounter a coyote which causes a problem for the sheep. Next the three
little sheep build three different types of houses for protection.

Lesson Plan for Stick Game

Audience/class: Classroom of 4-5 year old students
Location of lesson: Large open space in the classroom or outside.
Materials:
-Tongue depressors (6 per child)
-Markers
-Toothpicks
Lesson Objectives or goals: Children will learn how to play a game that
may be unfamiliar to them. They will learn how to follow a set of rules. This
lesson will also allow students to practice their counting skills.
ENGAGE
Introduction: I will introduce this game during a lesson on Native Americans. I
will explain to them that just like us, Native Americans have many games
and pastimes they enjoy. I will explain that this game is played by many
Havasupai Indians.
EXPLORE
Instructions: (what are the sequential steps in teaching this activity)
1. Have the children sit at tables to decorate their stick dice (tongue
depressors) with markers
2. Give each child six tongue depressors. Explain to them to only decorate one
side of the stick
3. The children color their stick dice however they would like. The children are
encouraged to be creative, not all sticks should look the same
4. Children put their initials on each stick so that they know which ones belong
to who during the game

5. Have the students get in a large circle in an open area (they should be
standing with their sticks in hand)
6. All the children chant Hey, chin-amah, Ho chin-a-mah, Hoya, Hoya, Hey!
before they throw their stick dice
7. Each child gently throws all six of their stick dice in front of them inside the
circle the children made
8. Once the sticks land, the children count the sticks that are facing up and the
ones that are facing down. There are three different ways the children can
score a point and receive a toothpick1. All 6 sticks landing face up
2. All landing face down
3. 3 up and 3 down
9. If the children throw a winning throw, the teacher hands them a toothpick
that is counted as one point
10.
This process is continued as many times as the teacher decides
11.
Once the teacher says that the game is done, each child counts how
many toothpicks they ended up with
Invitation: I will invite the children to do this lesson by beginning with doing
arts and crafts. I will allow the students to decorate their tongue depressors
with markers. I will tell them that we are doing this so we can play a fun
game together afterwards. I will make sure to tell them to only decorate ONE
side of the tongue depressor and leave the other side completely blank. Then
I will begin telling the students that we are going to play a game with our
decorated tongue depressors that many Havasupai Indians play. Then I will
teach the children a Native American chant that will be used in the game,
Hey, chin-amah, Ho chin-a-mah, Hoya, Hoya, Hey! I will explain that this is
a chant from the Havasupai language that they tend to use.
EXPLAIN:
The teacher will demonstrate how to gently throw the stick dice so the
children understand what is acceptable and so the throwing does not get out
of hand during the game. Then there will be a practice round for the children
to see how the game works before it actually begins.
EXTEND:
For children who are getting bored with the game, the teacher can ask the
children different questions about American Indians (they should have some
prior knowledge from lessons earlier on). The teacher could also ask the
students different things they like to do in their pastimes.

EVALUATE:
The children will be able to take home their stick to show their family their
decorations and explain the game they played at school. During the game I
will observe the children to make sure they understand how to follow a set of
rules. At the end of the game, I will have each child tell me how many
toothpicks they got. I will have them count each toothpick to me so I can
observe their counting skills.
STANDARDS CONNECTING TO LESSON PLAN/UNIT PLAN:
CREATE 1: We will incorporate a sheep shearing activity which is a fund of
knowledge of Navajo people.
CREATE 2: We will encourage story as a meaning-making process by having
discussions that connect different tribes to the childrens own experiences
such as the connections between the two different environments.
CREATE 3: Our book selections celebrate family literacies by showcasing
their different languages, traditions and structures.
INTASC 3: Our unit plan encourages individual learning by having crafts that
are meant to be done on their own as well as encourages collaborative
learning through dramatic play of The Three Little Sheep.
INTASC 4: Our unit plan engages our students in inquiry by having class
discussions that prompt deep thinking.
INTASC 5: Our unit plan allows our students to make connections between
their own culture and the culture of the American Indians from the Southwest
by encouraging discussion and critical thinking about different books.
INTASC 7: Our unit plan allows our students to express their knowledge and
skills in a variety of ways by implementing multiple activities such as crafts,
music, writing and dramatic play.
INTASC 8: Our unit plan stimulates discussions by having deeper
conversations about books and the connections they find between
themselves and others.
NAEYC 4B: Our unit plan uses effective strategies for early education by
implementing a variety of materials, activities, and resources for the
students to explore.
NAEYC 4C: Our unit plan includes developmentally appropriate activities
because each activity allows for the students to complete the given task on
their own or with little help.
NAEYC 4D: Our unit plan promotes positive outcomes for all children
because there are a variety of activities that allows each child to showcase
their strengths.

STANDARDS CONNECTING TO COMMUNITY EVENT:

 CREATE 3: The community event promotes the importance of family and

literacy learning by encouraging reading books and taking part in activities.
INTASC 3: Our community event activity encourages social interaction,
active engagement and self motivation by creating their own weaving
project.
INTASC 10: For our community event activity we collaborated with our
colleagues (cohort 9) and teacher professionals (our staff and mentors) at
the PLO to ensure learner growth.
NAEYC 2: The community event involves families and communities to take
an active part in their childrens learning.
NAEYC 4A: We promoted positive relationships and supportive interactions
by helping the children create their weaving project when they needed our
help.

Reflection and Application

Demis Self Reflection:
I really enjoyed the WOW Community event. I had so much fun engaging the
children and their families. I was very pleased with how well and how interested the
children were with our weaving activity. I was fascinated by the work of one boy. He
decided to add ribbon to the popsicle sticks, giving his loom more character. He also
weaved ribbon through both sides of the loom. The boy did all of this using one
hand! His left hard was broken and in a cast. This was definitely the highlight of the
event for me. The PLO before the WOW event was very helpful. Brittney and I
received great feedback from our peers, professors and mentor teachers. Some of
the feedback included increasing and decreasing the difficulty level, having more
materials and setting up our posters in a more inviting way. We took all the
feedback in and made changes to our activity and set up. We decided to make
looms with three and four rubber bands. Doing this provided two options for young
children to challenge themselves. We also provided other materials like yarm. Many

families and children choose to stick with the ribbon when making their looms. I
think we could have included more materials to increase the difficulty for the older
children, like including more textured ribbon.. Overall I believe our community event
went very well.

Brittney Self Reflection:

The PLO before the WOW community event was very beneficial. We were able
to get feedback on things that we should alter to make our activity and table more
effective. I think this was important because it allowed us to make changes that in
the end really paid off. One thing we changed was the way we set up our table. At
the actual event we were able to set up our table in a way that would draw more
children to it. We also included more materials for the children which was very
important because it kept them more engaged and invested in their project. I
thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the WOW community event. It was a great
experience being able to interact with the community and the children. Many of our
classes focus on getting families involved in their childrens learning and I think this
type of event is a great way to do this. I truly enjoyed seeing how families
interacted with each other and with the materials around them. At our table, some
families sat down to read the books in our cultural story box while others just
participated in the weaving activity. Something else that stuck out to me was how
the children created their weaving projects. Each final product looked completely
different from the others. I was worried that this might not be the case but in the
end no two pieces looked the same . Something I think we did really well was
creating an activity that was unique. Many people said they have not seen a
weaving activity that used popsicle sticks, rubber bands and ribbon. It also seemed

that the children really enjoyed the activity and were engaged with is. Something
that I think that could be improved for my future students is letting them create
their own looms. I dont think this wouldve been beneficial for the WOW event
because it would take too much time for everything to dry. But I think this would be
good for students in a classroom setting because the craft would be more their own
and it will allow them to practice more gross motor skills. Overall, this event was a
great experience as a future educator and was a lot of fun to participate in.

ALTERING OUR UNIT PLAN:

There are many ways in which we can modify our Unit Plan for the K-3 grades.
A few ways to modify our Unit Plan is increase the levels of reading, writing and
math. To increase the level of reading, students will read books in small groups,
independently and as a whole class. Instead of having students draw in their
journals and then have the teacher write a sentence. Students will write and draw
their own predictions, connections and conclusions. For our math activity during the
stick game students will practice their addition and subtraction skills. When making
the tortillas students will practice fractions by measuring ingredients. The increase
of skill level will connect to the Arizona State Social Studies Standards and the
Arizona Early Learning Standards. The First Grade Social Studies Standards
introduce new concepts and settlement that enabled cultures and civilizations
establish in different areas around the world. Learning about the American Indians
From The Southwest introduces new ways of settlement and civilization. Locating
Native Tribes on a map connects to Strand 4 Geography of the Arizona State Social
Studies Standards, locating physical and human features using maps. (Arizona
State Social Studies Standards, p. 2). Students will become more familiar with a

new cultural communities by reading books and making connections to their

lives. This will connect to Strand 2 Community of Arizona Early Learning
Standards.

REFLECTION/APPLICATION STANDARDS:
CREATE 4: By opening the WOW event to the community, we are providing
professional learning opportunities about American Indians from the Southwest to
the community, schools and universities
INTASC 9: By reflecting on our WOW event activity we will be able to modify the
weaving to meet the needs of each learner. Some children are more advanced with
their gross motor skills therefore we can adapt our activity to benefit a wider range
of needs.
INTASC 10: During the event we were able to collaborate with families and other
professionals to improve our activity for next time.
NAEYC 5: We used our knowledge of the Navajo Tribe to create an activity that
would be meaningful for young children to learn.