Overview
| Subject |
IEFA, Social Studies, ELA |
| Grade Level |
4-6 |
| Duration |
50 minutes |
| |
|
Goals
- Students will understand and discuss the need for American Indian methods of nonverbal communication.
Content Standards
| IEFA Essential Understandings |
Description |
| EU 1 (Tribal Diversity) |
There is great diversity among the twelve sovereign tribes of Montana in their languages, cultures, histories, and governments. Each tribe has a distinct and unique cultural heritage that contributes to modern Montana. |
| EU 2 (Individual Diversity) |
Just as there is great diversity among tribal nations, there is great diversity among individual American Indians as identity is developed, defined, and redefined by entities, organizations, and people. There is no generic American Indian. |
| Social Studies |
Description |
| SS.G.4.2 |
identify and label the tribes in Montana and their indigenous territories, and current locations. |
| SS.G.5.2 |
create, organize, and present geographic information to show settlement patterns in the United States, including impacts on tribal lands. |
| SS.H.4.2 |
identify events and policies that have impacted and been influenced by tribes in Montana. |
| English Language Arts |
Description |
| SL.4.1 |
engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. |
| W.4.10 |
write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, revision) and shorter time frames (a single setting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes and audiences. |
| RI.5.4 |
determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area. |
| SL.5.1 |
engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. |
| W.5.10 |
write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. |
Prep
Teachers should complete the following preparation for the lesson:
Lesson Guide
Talking Without Words (40 mins)
This lesson is a way to connect the 5-bit encryption technique
we used in 4-2 with Indian education. The big takeaway of this lesson is that
American Indians have used and continue to use communication techniques that are
present in the algorithms and computational processing of computers today. In other
words, the process of speaking without words is embedded within tribal culture and
identity, and is not solely a computational process.
Pass out Talking Without Words handout. Tell students that they will watch a video about American Indian communication. Tell students that the video will be broken up into two sections and will discuss non-verbal communication. Explain that non-verbal communication is a way to talk to others without using written or spoken words. For example, sign language is non-verbal communication.
Invite students to read and answer questions 1-3 on the handout.
Play Talking Without Words for the class. Stop the video at 2:55.
Invite students to respond to number 4.
Class Discussion
How did different Tribal people communicate with each other in the past when they
did not know each other’s languages?
Play Talking Without Words from 2:55 to 9:30.
Give time for students to write responses to 5-7.
Class Discussion
What are some different ways in which sign language was used as a form of direct
communication?
The Tribal educators in the film discuss contemporary efforts to revitalize and
preserve sign language.
Why do you suppose this preservation is important to tribal cultures?
What does sign language express about individual tribes and their cultures?
Reflection (10 mins)
All students stand in a circle. The teacher asks the students to come up with a way to express the following using non-verbal communication (the communication can be as long or short as students want), and students share their communication one by one:
How is your encryption project related to Montana Tribal non-verbal communication?
Vocabulary
The following are terms used in this lesson.
| Term |
Definition |
| Non-verbal Communication |
the process of sending and receiving messages without using words, either spoken or written. |
| Multi-lingual |
using several languages. |
| Trade Networks |
a pattern of economic exchange between companies or nations. |