Author:
Katie Blunt
Subject:
Dance, Elementary English Language Arts, Social Studies
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Level:
Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary
Provider:
Utah State Board of Education
Tags:
  • Dance
  • Goshute
  • Lesson Plan
  • Native American
  • November21
  • License:
    Public Domain Dedication
    Language:
    English
    Media Formats:
    Text/HTML

    Coyote and the Rolling Stone: Language Arts and Dance Lesson Plan

    Coyote and the Rolling Stone: Language Arts and Dance Lesson Plan

    Overview

    This lesson utilizes the experience-text-relationship method to enhance comprehension of the story "Coyote and the Rolling Stone," a traditional Goshute tale. It includes an experience-eliciting discussion/activity, a discussion about the students' reading of the story, and a discussion relating students' experiences to the content of the story. This story should only read told or read during the winter months. The Native American Indian Literacy Project was made possible by funds from the Utah State Office of Education (USOE). It is a joint effort of the USOE and San Juan School District Media Center. These stories come with glossaries of traditional language vocabulary and teaching points. The Kennedy Center's ArtsEdge "Elements of Dance" lesson plan (http://bit.ly/2Em9JZN) for teaching dance elements can be tied in with "Coyote and the Rolling Stone" by incorporating the action words used in the story for choreographing a dance movement experience as a class.

    Lesson Plan Author: LeeAnn Parker

    Summary

    This lesson utilizes the experience-text-relationship method (aka ETR/Au, 1993) to enhance comprehension of the story "Coyote and the Rolling Stone," a traditional Goshute tale. It includes an experience-eliciting discussion/activity, a discussion about the students' reading of the story, and a discussion relating students' experiences to the content of the story. Also included is a link to an "Arts' Edge" lesson plan for an extension in the area of the arts, specifically dance, utilizing the text from "Coyote and the Rolling Stone" (i.e., the action words used) to teach the elements of dance.

    • Time frame: 1 class period of 60 minutes
    • Group Size: Pairs
    • Life Skills: Thinking & Reasoning, Communication
    • Authors: LeeAnn Parker
    • Life Skills: Thinking & Reasoning, Communication, Social & Civic Responsibility
    • Materials: Selection from the Goshute traditional tale "Coyote and the Rolling Stone" (attached), copies of the story for paired reading; lined paper for note-taking; pipe cleaners or wooden skewers/popsicle sticks and tagboard with oval outlines for final project (attached); a large lump of clay or playdough, shaped into a large "stone"; a silhouette cut-out of Coyote (attached) attached to a skewer standing in the center of the clay.

    Background for Teachers

    The teacher needs to be familiar with the Goshute tale "Coyote and the Rolling Stone" and the theme of the story, as well as the purpose of traditional Native American tales, and be able to explain to the students that traditional storytellers used these stories not only for entertainment, but also to teach lessons about life through the characters and the consequences of their choices. The teacher should also be familiar with ETR (experience-text-relationships) strategy, as explained by Reutzel and Cooter, 1999 (see bibliography) - the strategy is detailed in the instructional procedures below.

    According to Goshute tradition, Coyote tales should only be told during the wintertime. Rabbit fur blankets were made from wild rabbit skins that were sewn together and worn by the Goshute and Shoshone people. This Goshute story booklet is part of the Native American Indian Literacy Project storybook series for the six main Utah Tribal Nations. The project was led by Shirlee A. Silversmith, American Indian education specialist for the Utah State Office of Education. There are five stories per Tribe, with a total of 30 booklets, plus an ABC book. The set of Indian Tribal stories may be utilized by elementary classroom teachers to (1) develop an understanding and appreciation of Native American culture and societal contributions (2) provide a genre of text for the application of reading strategies, and (3) facilitate the mastery of various Utah Core Content Curriculum objectives. The Native American Indian Literacy Project was made possible by funds from the Utah State Office of Education (USOE). It is a joint effort of the USOE and San Juan School District Media Center. See "Language Arts/Dance with ”Coyote...Rolling Stone" https://www.uen.org/lessonplan/view/16980.

    The booklet was formatted to be printed and assembled. This means that it does not read well when used electronically because the pages will appear out of order. If a teacher did want to use the booklet in an electronic format, they would be best off screenshotting the pages and arranging them in a slide presentation.

    Step 1 - Goals and Outcomes

    Step 1 Goals and Outcomes

    As a result of this activity, students will accomplish the following: Improve comprehension of the story "Coyote and the Rolling Stone." Relate the story to personal experiences through experience-text-relationship activity. Make predictions about the story. Read the story in a dyad setting (buddy reading). Writing Connection: Students will write their responses to add to a class collaborative project labeled "Coyote and the Rolling Stone."

    Step 3 - Instruction

    Step 3 Instruction

    Teacher Planning:

    Preview the story for the theme and/or significant message of the story (Coyote's experience teaches us that when we ignore important information, advice, or warnings of danger given to us by others, the consequences can be painful). Determine how the students in your class might relate the story to their own experiences; think of an experience of your own that you can share with the class. Be prepared to guide the students through a prediction-making session by selecting two or three sentences to read to the class prior to their own reading of the story.

    STEP ONE: Tell the students that they will be reading a traditional story, as retold by storytellers from the Goshute tribe of Utah. Tell them a little about the purpose of these traditional tales. Show them the title of the story, the illustrations, and read the selected excerpt (the first page is probably the most likely one to choose). Share with the class an experience of your own when someone (like a parent, a teacher, a friend) told you not to do something because it was dangerous, and how you weren't happy about it at first.

    STEP TWO: Ask the students to "turn to their neighbor" and tell him or her a problem they've encountered when someone told them what to do or not to do. After students have a chance to share with their neighbors, distribute student copies of the story "Coyote and the Rolling Stone". Have them make predictions about the story, and put their responses on the board.

    STEP THREE: Have students read in pairs (buddy reading). After they are finished reading, have them pair-share how their predictions matched up with what they learned from the story.

    STEP FOUR: On the lined paper, students will write down the connections they made in their own life about ignoring good advice or warnings of danger with Coyote's experience, and then choose one to 'publish' on the oval tagboard.

    STEP FIVE: Have the students cut out the oval tagboard shape and attach it to the skewer or popsicle stick. They then stick their finished excerpt into the "stone" with Coyote as a completed class project.

    Strategies for Diverse Learners:

    Students who struggle with writing their ideas can be paired or grouped with other students to complete the project; students can illustrate their finished writing pieces with images or characters from the story.

    Extensions:

    The arts, especially the visual arts and performance arts, provide excellent potential for lesson plan extensions. One idea is included in the following UEN Marco Polo lesson plan.

    Bibliography

    "Coyote and the Rolling Stone". State Office of Education and San Juan School District Media Center, 2006. www.sanjuanschools.org/media. Reutzel, D. Ray, and Cooter, Robert B. Balanced reading strategies and practices: assessing and assiting readers with special needs. Prentice Hall, 1999. ARTS EDGE: http/:www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org. Lesson Plan entitled: "Elements of Dance".