Cultural Lit. 43: Athabaskan & Navajo Migration

Summary

Students will: Study Athabaskan and Navajo migration patterns from 1200BC to 1491AD, after receiving direct instruction from instructor, reading selected texts and working in group structures, within two class periods.

Materials

1. World Map, Map of North America, showing the Bering Strait.
2. Lapahie, 2004. Navajo Timeline Pre-Columbus to 1491.
3. Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock. 2001. Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
4. Stephens, E. and Brown, J. 2000. A Handbook of Content Literacy Strategies. Norwood, MA: Christopher Gordon.
5. Handout map of North America.
6. Journal or notebook.

Instructional Procedures

Anticipatory Set:
Review the words 'Athabaskan, migration' on the board, on a flipchart or on a projection device and ask the class if they are familiar with these words and their meaning. Conduct a collective brainstorming session (utilizing group structures) and add the generated vocabulary words to posted ones. Allow students to postulate the meaning of words and their understanding of concepts.

Activities:
1. Instructor or student will read aloud, while students follow along, from Lapahie's Timeline.

2. Students will take notes (see Marzano, Pickering and Pollock p. 46, Informal Outline) while following along and listening to reader.

3. Utilizing group structures instructor will ask students to trace Athabaskan migration on the handout map.

4. Utilizing group structures instructor will ask students to compare the Navajo Historical events with listed simultaneous world events.

5. Students will write their favorite concurrent Navajo and World historical event in their journals (see Stephens & Brown--Content Journal, p. 28).

Assessment Plan

Students will take notes utilizing note taking frames, draw a migratory path on a map handout and record in their journals their ideas and personal opinions regarding Navajo and World history.

Unit Assessment:
Students will postulate their own theory of how and why the Athabaskan's migrated from present-day Alaska/Canada to present-day SW United States.