Learning about Clans

 

DESCRIPTORS

 

Curriculum Areas:  Social Studies, Language Arts, Reading, Culture

Recommended Levels:  Primary

Time Frame:  5 Days (1 week unit) 30 minutes a day

Tribal Affiliation:  Seminole Tribe of Florida

Geographic Location:  Southeast

Developed by: Jessica Cohen, Leroy King, Renee Morales, Celesta Osceola, Lenora Roberts,

                         Lee Zepeda

Email address for further questions:  tribune@semtribe.com

Date lesson was developed:  July 23, 2001

 

INSTRUCTION

 

Goal:  To have students identify the 8 Seminole clans:  Wind, Panther, Bird, Snake, Bear, Big Town, Deer and Otter.

Behavioral Objectives:  Students will:

·        Name the 8 clans of the Seminole Tribe

·        Answer questions on a story read to them about clans

·        Identify their clan

·        Interview a family member regarding their clan

·        Create a mask representing their clan

·        Take a cultural trip to the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum to view the film “We Seminoles” which explains clans

·        Explain orally the differences of each clan

 

American Indian Standards:

 

Language and Literacy

Standard 1:            Listen for meaning and gain information from spoken English and a Native language.

Standard 2:            Listen to Indian stories told in the oral tradition, comprehend their teachings and be able to retell them.

Social Studies

Standard 1:            Culture

Standard 4:            Individual Development and Identity

American Indian Language and Culture Camps

Standard 1.1:            Interpersonal Communication

Standard 3.2:            Acquiring New Information

 

 

Prior Knowledge Needed:

 

Materials and Resources Needed:

·        Art supplies (drawing paper, scissors, crayons, markers, string to make mask)

·        Interview  (see attached)

·        Wickman, Patricia.  Seminole Colors:  A Coloring & Learning Book for Young Minds.  Seminole Tribe of Florida, Department of Anthropology & Genealogy (1999).

·        Digital camera

·        Video camera

·        Websites pertinent to the topic

 

Culture Content and Strategies:

·        Picture books related to clans (Seminole Colors)

·        Family member interview

·        Mask-making

·        Identification of 8 Seminole clans

 

Lesson Summary and Performance Tasks:

This lesson will provide students with the opportunity to learn about their individual clan and to gain knowledge about the 8 Seminole clans.  The teacher will explain to the students that there are 8 Seminole clans:  Wind, Panther, Bird, Snake, Bear, Big Town, Deer and Otter.  The students will be presented with information about each Seminole clan through storytelling.  After a story is read about each clan, students will answer questions about the story and discuss the 8 different clans.  Activities will include having the students take home interview sheets to ask their families questions about their individual clan.  Students will create a mask of their individual clans.  These activities will occur in small groups, and students will work together with direction and assistance.  At the end of the unit (1 week), the class will visit the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum and watch the film “We Seminoles” which reviews the 8 different Seminole clans.          

 

Assessment: 

·        Participation/Discussion (checklist)

·        Completed clan mask

·        Written list of 3 things learned from the family interview

 

Technology Integration:

Use paint programs to draw pictures of clans

Locate and view a site about Seminole clans (www.semtribe.com)

 

 

Enrichment/Remediation:

Use digital camera to develop a “clan book” for each clan

Make books with photos or drawings that represent each clan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

 

 

Name of Interviewee:                                         

 

Name of Interviewer:                                         

 

 

1.      What clan am I?                                                  

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.      Why is that my clan?

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.      When do I get my clan?

 

 

 

 

 

4.      Where do clans come from?

 

 

 

 

 

5.      What is my father’s clan?