Dakota State University

College of Education  

LESSON PLAN FORMAT

**Be sure to reference the Lesson Plan Rubric for prompts and guidance for each section!**

Name: Rachel Waagmeester

Grade Level: 6th Grade
School: Madison Middle School
Date: 2/27 & 2/28
Time: 8:24- 9:40

Reflection from prior lesson

● The last lesson was about Kinship and Family. The students completed a Nearpod that had information
about traditional Oceti Sakowin family structures. G1 completed the Nearpod faster than I anticipated.
So, I adapted to fill some of the void. On the projector I wrote “When finished, please watch CNN- 10
and fill out the discussion outline in Google Classroom. If you are finished with that please work on
something quietly until we come back as a whole group for discussion.” I monitored student progress
throughout both the Nearpod and CNN-10. When everyone was finished with both, we reviewed the
Nearpod together to have a discussion about what they learned.
○ G1 did a great job with the discussion. They were actively engaged and most hands were up to
respond to my discussion prompts. Almost all students were able to identify one member that fit
into the four divisions of the traditional Oceti Sakowin family structure.
○ M1 needed more prompting with the discussion. Upon discussion, I realized the students felt
like the Nearpod was out of their ZPD. So, we went through each slide and talked about each
item. I had the students pronounce each Oceti Sakowin term. We then talked about each level
of the traditional family structure. After we had a more in-depth discussion within the lesson,
they felt like they had more confidence.
● The students are becoming more readily available to name the nine reservations in South Dakota. Both
classes are able to identify them without prompting. Each week, at the beginning of the lesson, we
review each of the reservations. After this next lesson, we will start to memorize their locations on a
South Dakota map.
● All students are able to say Oceti Sakowin, when I say the word before them. They are gaining
confidence in saying the term. This next lesson, I will write it on the board and have students say it
without hearing it first to assess their ability to do it independently.

Contextual Factors/ Learner Characteristics

● G1- Social Studies Ancient Civilization (Monday)
● In this class there are 20 students. There are 10 boys and 10 girls. One student is on an
IEP, but that is for math. So, there is no need for individualized instruction in this class.
○ JM does require redirection often. He tends to get off task when the subject doesn’t peak
his interest. He requires frequent check-ins for understanding.
○ NG is very concerned with those around him. He needs reminders to pay attention to the
lesson. He also needs the directions explained multiple times and reassurance of his
ability.
○ SF is generally off to a slow start and needs that extra motivation to get started. The
directions need to be repeated with frequent check-ins to check on progress.
- M1- Social Studies Ancient Civilization (Tuesday)
- In this class there are 18 students. There are 8 boys and 10 girls. There are no students in this
class that needs specialized instruction.
- KT needs frequent reminders to pay attention. He has difficulty staying on task.
- EH has difficulty with speech and often doesn’t participate with her peers or in discussion.
Encourage her to talk with her table partner.
 - JW is very timid and has a lot of anxiety presenting in front of others. When a presentation is
required, allow her the option to present just to the teacher.

Lesson Goal(s) / Standards 

● OSEU Standard 5.1- Identify elements of Oceti Sakowin culture within oral traditions, written accounts
and primary source information, and compare them to written accounts by mainstream historians.

Lesson Objective(s)
● The students will have two options to demonstrate their understanding of oral tradition and story.
● 1. They will be able to write a lullaby that includes a story of going to sleep.
● OR
● 2.They will be able to create a white count of events in their lives of the last year.
● Students will be able to compare and contrast traditional oral and written tradition and modern oral and
written tradition.

Assessment- (the assessment should directly measure the objective)

● Students will demonstrate their understanding of oral tradition by creating their own lullaby or winter
count. The lullaby will include The winter count will include at least 1 major event in the students life
over the past year.
○ G1: 19 out of the 20 students will create their white count with one accurate event that
happened in their life this past year.
■ OR
○ M1: 19 out of the 20 students will create their white count with one accurate event that
happened in their life this past year.
● I will assess students' ability to compare and contrast traditional oral and written tradition and modern
oral and written tradition.
○ G1: 17 out of the 20 students will be able to explain one comparison and one contrasting
thought.
○ M1: 18 out of the 20 students will be able to explain one comparison and one contrasting
thought.

Materials Needed 
● Winter count video
● Winter count handout
● Lakota Lullaby
● SD Reservations- Review Quiz
● Markers
● Pencils 

Connection(s) to Research & Theory

● Universal Design for Learning- This will allow students to have a choice in their learning. They will be
able to choose between two different applications to demonstrate their learning. The intended purpose
is to allow students to choose the application that is best suited to their skillset/ learning style.
● Constructivism- Students will be able to learn more about oral tradition and story by creating their own
white count. This allows students to reflect on their past year and recount those events similarly to how
Oceti Sakowin did before the introduction of the Gregorian calendar. This will allow students insight into
the lives of Native Americans and how they kept track of their time and history.

A.  The Lesson 

 
○ Introduction (5 minutes)  
○ getting attention: One, Two R: Eyes on you Three, Four Response: Let’s learn some more
○ relating to past experience and/or knowledge:
 ○ Over the past few weeks, we have been learning about the Oceti Sakowin. Everyone say that
with me again. R: Oceti Sakowin Great and we know that there are… how many reservations in
South Dakota? R: Nine Awesome, I am passing out a little review where I want you to jot down
from memory the nine reservations. This is not graded, just do your best. When you are
finished, please turn it in the blue folder when you are finished.
○ Looks like everyone is done, let’s name the nine reservations R: Cheyenne River, Standing
Rock, Pine Ridge, Rosebud, Lower Brule, Crow Creek, Yankton Sioux, Flandreau Santee Sioux,
and Lake Traverse (Sisseton- Wahpeton). Awesome! We have learned about where those
reservations are located, interesting facts about each of them. We have learned the traditional
family structure. We have also learned more about their identity and resiliency.
○ creating a need to know:
○ Today, we are going to continue our education and talk about oral tradition and story. What do
you think oral tradition might mean? Possible Response: Oral tradition is words or stories that
are passed down from generation to generation. That is a great explanation for oral tradition.
Oral tradition is a way that knowledge and traditions get passed down through generations. For
this next lesson, we are going to talk about oral traditions of the Oceti Sakowin.
○ sharing objective, in general terms:
○ Our “I can” statement is: “I can identify elements of Oceti Sakowin culture through oral tradition,
written accounts, and primary source information, and compare them to written accounts by
mainstream historians.”

● Content Delivery (20 minutes)  

○ Now, I want everyone to stand in a line on the South wall. We are going to play a game. (Wait for
students to line up) We are going to play telephone. (Play game once, sit down to reconvene) What
happened in our game R: One person started with a message and by the end of the line, the
message was told incorrectly. Exactly!
○ Let me read an excerpt, then I want you to answer the question below. This from the South Dakota
Board of Education:
i. Oral tradition encounters resistance from scholars because it has been labeled as being
unverifiable. (That means that there is no way to truly prove what was said or what
happened.) Historians often label and misrepresent oral tradition as “just stories” and
subjective information. This viewpoint has allowed valuable information from indigenous, or
Native American, people to be lost.
ii. In your opinion, what do you think this text means? (Allow for student response)
○ Do you think that throughout history, messages have been misinterpreted? Yes, right? How many of
you can read Chinese? Hieroglyphs? Or maybe even Spanish? No? Do you think that it makes the
message less important or valuable? What if you think you could interpret the message? What do
you think would happen? R: The message might get read wrong. Precisely!
○ So here’s the dilemma. Much of the Oceti Sakowin’s traditional language has been erased or
viewed as having little value. Although storytelling or song is a great way to keep history alive, it can
also misrepresent the main message.
○ Oral tradition is a way that history, literature, law, culture and traditions of the people are kept alive.
○ How do we keep written documentation today? R: Newspapers, internet, books, etc.
○ Does anyone have an idea how we keep track of oral information? R: songs, podcasts, audio
recordings, etc.
○ In my opinion, song-writing is one of the most powerful ways to express emotions and convey
thoughts. I have a Lakota song that we are going to listen to.
1. The first is a Lakota Lullaby. Can anyone tell me what a lullaby is? R: It is a song that
you sing before bed. Yes, this Lakota Lullaby is translated into English. I want you to
listen and read the english lyrics and think about any lullabies that you know.
2. The Native Americans from all different tribes are similar to every other culture in the
world. They use songs to celebrate their culture and tell stories.
● Another way that Oceti Sakowin recorded their history was on what’s called a winter count.
● Read this excerpt from LAM Museum :
○ “Winter counts are pictographic calendars or records of historical and memorable events of a Native
American tribe. They were a way of preserving a tribe’s history for future generations. Many
 Northern Plains tribes like the Blackfeet, Mandan, Kiowa, and Lakota used winter counts
extensively.
○ It was called a winter count because Native Americans didn’t think about or divide time as European
people did; a year wasn’t from January to December. Historically, Native Americans counted a year
from the first snowfall to the next year’s first snowfall.
○ Originally, events were recorded on rocks, then tribes began to use buffalo, deer, or cow hides and
eventually ledger paper and muslin. Natural dyes made from things like berries, clay, plants, roots,
buffalo gall (liver bile), blood, and stomach contents were a few of the materials used to draw the
images. The dyes used to record the images also changed over time. The winter count was so
important that each tribe would designate a winter count keeper. Traditionally, the winter count
keeper was a man. He was also the historian for the tribe. It was the responsibility of the keeper to
provide an oral history of each image drawn on the winter count.
○ Every winter elders would gather and discuss things that happened throughout the year. They
would consult with the keeper to select the most important event of the year. Then the keeper would
draw or paint an image on the winter count hide to represent the event. The images on the winter
count were used as a reminder to help the keeper remember the events. After the image was
completed, the keeper would explain the events in detail. The images on a winter count were
arranged in chronological order.”
○ Start video at 1:20 about winter counts.
○ So now we know how they use to keep track of information. Let’s summarize:
i. Who can tell me how we keep track of written information? R: books, newspapers,
etc.
ii. How did the traditional Oceti Sakowin keep track of written information? R: white
counts
iii. Who can tell me how we keep track of oral information? R: songs, podcasts
iv. How did the traditional Oceti Sakowin keep track of oral information? R: songs

● Closure (3 minutes) 
○ To conclude, oral tradition is a way in which history, culture, law, language, and traditions get
passed down throughout generations. Unfortunately, some of those traditions get misinterpreted
and forgotten. One way the Oceti Sakowin passed down their traditions was through songs. They
have many songs that represent different aspects of their life. The other way to recount their history
was through winter counts, where they reflected on their last year and mark significant events in
their lives.
○ You have two options for your assignment today. One you can create your own lullaby. Two you can
create a winter count.
i. Your lullaby should include at least 8- 10 lines. Your lullaby should include some elements
about going to sleep. You will present your lullaby to the class. You do not have to sing it
unless you want to. You can type it, write it on notebook paper, or use this white count
buffalo hide to write your lullaby on.
ii. If you choose the winter count, you are creating this based on this last year. You need to
include at least one event that has happened in your life. You can include more than one
event if you want to. The winter count doesn’t have words, so you need to use color and
drawings to show your events.

 
B. Differentiated Instruction
● Adaptations for students with special needs or not meeting expectations
○ G1- See Contextual Factors
○ M1- See Contextual Factors
● Adaptations for those exceeding expectations
○ G1- See Contextual Factors
○ M1- See Contextual Factors
● Language Support (IF you have ELLs (English Language Learners))
 ○ G1- See Contextual Factors
○ M1- See Contextual Factors

C.  Resources
● LAM Museum- Plains Indian Tribes website
● Buffalo Bill Center of the West website