Category Archives: fifth grade

chokecherries

Chokecherries and Fractions

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by Mary Fried, Andrew Overland and Heather Overland
Wakpala School

Standard:

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NF.B.4
Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication to multiply a fraction by a whole number.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings Standard 2.3 – Recognize that there is a continuum of tribal identity, ranging from traditional to contemporary lifestyle that includes the challenges of living in two worlds.

Technology Required

Students will need a Mac or Windows computer or an iPad to play the Fish Lake game. Alternatively, students can play Forgotten Trail on the web using Chromebooks or any computer with a web browser.

Technology Required

Students will need a Chromebook, Mac or Windows computer and an Internet connection to play the game and search dictionaries online. Videos can be watched on a smart board or projector as a whole class or individually by students on their devices. Access to a kitchen is required for cooking.

Time Required

4-6 hours over several days. Time depends on selection of optional activities.

Materials needed

  • Chokecherries – these will need to be picked before school starts and can be frozen until needed. 
  • Large pot 
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Sugar

If making syrup

  • Steam juicer to extract the juice
  • 4oz. canning jars with lids and rings
  • Pectin

If making pemmican

  • Dehydrator or oven,
  • Buffalo meat,
  • Food processor
  • Lard (not butter or shortening)

Paper and pencil if not using Google docs for dictionary assignment.

Lesson Summary

In this hands-on, cross-curricular unit students learn about chokecherries using all of their senses. Teachers will probably want to space these lessons over a few days and select whichever activities are a best fit for their class. Students begin by playing the Plant Knowledge game through the chokecherry level. They discuss the significance of chokecherries in Lakota culture, then make pemmican, chokecherry wojape and syrup. They apply their knowledge of fractions to compute the correct measurements for each recipe. In English Language Arts class, students read the book, When the Chokecherries Bloom and complete a vocabulary quiz.

Menu from Plant Knowledge game with arrow pointing to chokecherry level

Lesson

In this hands-on, cross-curricular unit students learn about chokecherries using all of their senses. Teachers will probably want to space these lessons over a few days and select whichever activities are a best fit for their class. While not everyone will have access to buffalo meat, food processor or a dehydrator to make pemmican, we do think including a cooking activity adds significantly to this unit.

Fun fact: chokecherries grow in 44 of the 50 states. They can be ordered online, but that’s a little pricey (about $12 a pound.) An optional addition to this unit would be a field trip with students to gather the chokecherries themselves.

  1. Begin by playing the Plant Knowledge game as a bell ringer. Play through the introduction and then select the level for chokecherries as shown. (5 minutes)
  2. Give a short presentation to the students on what they will learn and do in this unit. (3 minutes)
  3. Watch Chokecherry Patties video with elder Joseph Naytowhow . A cautionary tale on eating too many patties (6 minutes)
  4. Read the book When the Chokecherries Bloom, aloud for the first eleven pages (Chapter 1). From the publisher’s description – When the Chokecherries Bloom is Shining Water’s story – a year in the life of a Lakota girl on the Dakota plains. A year of growth and transformation as she learns to adapt and thrive in her new world. (10 minutes)
  5. Watch the video Chokecherry Wojapi with Mavis Two Bulls and Rachel Nava, from South Dakota Public Broadcasting. (8 minutes)
  6. Dictionary activity: If they have not already created a personal dictionary for another assignment, have them create one now and add these words they will encounter in the Chokecherry Syrup Recipe page. This can be done as a Google doc or as sheets of paper in a folder or stapled together. If a classroom or library has access to a set of dictionaries, these can be used in place of online search. Time for this activity may vary depending on students’ reading and writing ability and whether artwork is including for the cover sheet or to illustrate definitions (20- 25 minutes)
  7. Read the web page Chokecherry syrup recipe – students can read this on their Chromebook or other device or it can be printed out in advance. (5-10 minutes).
  8. Read Chapter 2 of When the Chokecherries Bloom aloud. (10 minutes)
  9. Read the pemmican recipe. (5 minutes)
  10. Cook wojapi (chokecherry syrup) with students. (Allow 1 hour for preparation, cooking and clean up)
  11. The wojapi recipe provided makes 7 pints. Have students solve these math problems to compute the ingredients needed for different numbers of pints or cups of syrup. Answers to the questions and explanations can be found here. NOTE: The problems on the first page require dividing by an integer with a fraction quotient or multiplying by a unit fraction. Problems on the second page require multiplying by a fraction a/b and converting to a mixed number. If your students have difficulty with that concept, you may want to have them watch the Multiplying Whole Numbers by Fractions video. (30 minutes)
  12. Dictionary activity: Add additional words to their personal dictionary. This assignment has four words and provides a start to definitions for two Lakota words. Language teachers may wish to add to this assignment (10 minutes)
  13. Read Chapter 3 of When the Chokecherries Bloom aloud. (10 minutes)

Optional : If you have access to buffalo meat, a food processor and dehydrator, making pemmican is another recommended activity and would require an additional hour.

Finishing the book- There are two options. First, reading aloud to students can be a good way to begin or end a class, even for fifth graders, depending on the level of interest your students show in the book. Second, have one or more copies available for students to read during silent reading time in the classroom or at home. We do not recommend having every student read the same book during silent reading time simply because we agree with this teacher that this should be a time students exercise their free choice to read at any level and interest.

You are Here: On the Lewis and Clark Trail - splash screen from game

What was life like in Lewis & Clark’s America?

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by Zoe Hodenfield, Longfellow Elementary School

Standards

North Dakota State Standards

 G.3_5.8 Analyze patterns of human settlement in North America 

G.3_5.6 Explain how United States regions are created from common physical and human characteristics 

H.3_5.6 Describe multiple causes and effects of contemporary global events and developments in relation to the United States. 

⏰ Time

45 – 60 minutes

📲 Technology Required

Device with web-browser – Chromebook, laptop or desktop computer to play game.

Teacher will need either a projector/ smart board to show pictures OR will need to print the images to distribute OR share a link to students to see on their own devices.

NOTE: The slides presentation refers to a specific curriculum, TCI, which may not be available at your school, but alternate curriculum can be substituted.

📃 Summary

Students observe and discuss changes in the geography and society of the U.S. through 1806. They read passages on the U.S. in the late 18th and early 19th century, discuss with a partner and brief knowledge checks. The lesson culminates with a game that teaches about scientific knowledge along the trail.

📚Lesson

Start with this Google Slides presentation which includes images for activities and instructions to students. It uses the TCI curriculum materials but the slides can be copied and modified. Template slides for drag and drop activities are included.

  1. Anticipatory set: Set up the lesson by having students look at an image in the presentation, an artist’s representation of the expedition, and give their initial reactions.
  2. Class discussion: Students look at two different maps and share their observations about each one.
  3. Individual reading: Students read a passage on the United States in 1783.
  4. Individual knowledge check: Students drag and drop events in order.
  5. Partner activity: Students read a passage on the Lewis and Clark Expedition
  6. Partner knowledge check: Students drag and drop events in order.
  7. Individual interactive media: Students play the game: You Are Here: On the Lewis & Clark Trail. This game teaches about the scientific contributions made by Merriwether Lewis and William Clark, as well as the scientific knowledge of the Native American communities they visited along the trail.
Original map from the Lewis and Clark Trail

Primary sources from Lewis & Clark with crop-it

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Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.7
Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g. , in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.

NCSS Theme 3 – Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of people, places, and environments.

Technology required

Device with a browser for students to access crop-it activity. Teacher should have a computer with projector to give slides presentation, but if this is not available, students can see slides on their own device. 

Time

40 – 50 minutes

Lesson Summary

Students watch a video or play through the introduction of the You are Here game, including the levels on Lewis and/ or Clark. The teacher gives a presentation introducing the crop-it tool and students complete an assignment that requires answering questions using the map provided.

What is crop-it and how to use it

It’s a fun tool that lets your students zoom in on a section of a primary source. You have three options:

  1. Use a crop-it activity from the gallery
  2. Print out resources and do the activity using paper
  3. Create your own crop-it

Lesson

Begin with watching the video “Why study Lewis & Clark?” (Note: In summer, 2025, we will be releasing a new game, You are Here: STEM on the Lewis & Clark Trail.)

Next, do a crop-it activity.

In this lesson, we’ll go with Option 3. Because we’re not sure as of this writing if the government is going to shut down and whether the Library of Congress will be available, I uploaded a map to the Growing Math site. While the image below is only 600 pixels in width, the image I uploaded for this exercise is 20 times this size.

Zoom in or Crop the Map

Here is the link of the crop-it I created for the map Lewis and Clark made that went as far as the area they named Cape Disappointment.

Here is a Google slides presentation showing your students step by step how to crop an image, add notes, save notes, zoom in and create a PDF showing their responses.

Differentiation

On the crop-it site, you can design your own crop-it activity with fewer questions or simpler images.

For a simpler crop-it, you can use this photo of a Hidatsa bull boat on the river.

Two kids in a kitchen

Baked-In Fractions

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Author: Isabel Bozada-Jones

Standards

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NF.B.7.A Interpret division of a unit fraction by a non-zero whole number, and compute such quotients.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NF.B.7.B Interpret division of a whole number by a unit fraction, and compute such quotients. For example, create a story context for 4 ÷ (1/5), and use a visual fraction model to show the quotient.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NF.B.7.C Solve real world problems involving division of unit fractions by non-zero whole numbers and division of whole numbers by unit fractions, e.g., by using visual fraction models and equations to represent the problem.

Background Knowledge

Prior to this lesson, students should understand unit fractions and basic concepts in dividing fractions. This lesson gives students the opportunity to practice creating and solving problems where they have to divide fractions or divide by fractions, which can be easily differentiated based on student skill level. 

Instruction

  1. Introduce students to Bake-a-Palooza and have them play the game. The first time they play it, have them answer questions correctly. The second time they play it, have them answer questions incorrectly and watch the instructional video that plays.
  2. Explain that to practice dividing fractions, they are going to be creating matching questions for a new version of Bake-a-Palooza. Show the questions currently in the game as an example. 
  3. For each matching questions they add to Bake-a-Palooza they should have:
    1. Fractions that are divided by whole numbers or whole numbers divided by fractions. 
    2. Visual models for each equation
  4. Have students create a real world problem using their fractions and visual models that could be used to create a “chapter 2” of Bake-a-Palooza. 
  5. Have students share their game ideas with others for feedback. Students can solve each other’s problems to double check their work.

Extension

  • Students can create videos to teach students who incorrectly answer questions in the game.  If having students use their own phones to create videos, we suggest doing this activity at the end of class to minimize the number of times you need to say, “Please put your phones away.” Also, plan to have a few iPads or Android tablets available for use by students who don’t have a phone. If video editing software is available for computers or tablets, this lesson can be followed up with use of those computer applications.
  • Students can create multiple chapters of Bake-a-Palooza based on the three different parts of the 5th grade standard on dividing fractions.
computer

Game Design Unit for Middle School

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INTRO TO GAME DESIGN

In this unit, students will:

  • Become proficient in use of Google apps Drive, Docs, Slides and Meet software for editing and sharing documents, presentation and videoconferencing.
  • Use Google Drawings, Chrome extensions e.g., Sketchpad, for creating graphics.
  • Use audio editing software to edit sound files.
  • Use educational software to learn and reinforce skills and concepts in mathematics.
  • Conduct original research on culture and natural environment of our community through outdoor education.
  • Conduct original research on history, culture and natural environment of our community and other Indigenous peoples through Internet and library research.
  • Conduct original research on history, culture and natural environment of our community and other Indigenous peoples through oral histories.

Google slides presentation to introduce unit

Module 1

Introduction to game design: Terms, game review, game design documents.

Module 2

Understanding software enhancement: Game revisions, bug reporting

Module 3

Deeper dive into game design: Breaking down elements

Module 4

Better games, better world: An inside look inside the game design process

Module 5

Real-world applications: Critical thinking and professional skills development

  • Record oral history interviews
  • Edit notes to include ideas from the video and interviews from Module 4.
  • Outline presentation or report to be given/submitted in Module 7. 
  • For those opting to present, craft a brief professional email to request a meeting with the software team to present your feedback and game suggestions.

Module 6

Getting your point across: Preparing presentations/reports

Module 7

Game design in action: Insights, enhancements and feedback

  • Prepare feedback/enhancement presentation using Powerpoint or Google Slides. Five-minute presentation plus five-minutes of discussion. For those who prefer not to present, draft a 1-2 page game design report.
  • Present to software design team via Google hangout, Zoom or Microsoft Teams
house fly

Unit: Word Problems for fifth-graders

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CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NF.A.2 Compare two fractions with different numerators and different denominators, e.g., by creating common denominators or numerators, or by comparing to a benchmark fraction such as 1/2

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.A.1 Recognize that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as it represents in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents in the place to its left.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.A.3.A Read and write decimals to thousandths

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.A.4 Use place value understanding to round decimals to any place.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NF.A.2 Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions referring to the same whole, including cases of unlike denominators, e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to represent the problem. 

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.B.5 Fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.B.7 Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.A.1 Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.

Time

Approximately 2.5 hours

Unit Summary

This cross-curricular unit includes a variety of strategies and examples for solving word problems at a fifth-grade level, including division of three-digit numbers, fractions and decimals.

Buffalo Hunts and Division

This lesson begins with a video on long division (optional) or a presentation on uses of division from the playground to the buffalo hunt. Students then watch a short video working long division problems. Finish with practicing long division in Making Camp Dakota. Short videos on Dakota buffalo hunt traditions and related math lessons are also linked.

Watch out for blood-sucking fishes!

This 40-minute lesson introduces new science vocabulary words, teaches about indigenous and invasive species and includes a couple of math problems showing how quickly invasive species multiply. It concludes with students playing the Making Camp Dakota: Past and Present game. Math word problems require finding half of 500 and 10 x 500.

Using Visual Models To Compare Fractions

Students play 2-3 levels of a game that teaches and assesses adding and comparing fractions with different numerators and denominators, with the context of a story from Ojibwe history. They create their own problems using visual models to compare fractions. Students discuss classmates’ problems. The lesson culminates with a video on visualization as a problem-solving strategy. (35-45 minutes)

Decimals, Epidemics & Fly Vomit – It’s science!

Learn decimals while weighing a flies and the food they eat. The lesson begins with a game on decimals and the Aztec smallpox epidemic, then moves to another disease spreader – flies. Students learn the role flies play in our ecosystem, how they eat and reproduce. (75 minutes)

Differentiation

For students who are struggling with word problems, assign these videos directly teaching strategies or watch together in class.

Using Visual Models To Compare Fractions

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Standards

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NF.A.2 Compare two fractions with different numerators and different denominators, e.g., by creating common denominators or numerators, or by comparing to a benchmark fraction such as 1/2

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NF.A.2 Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions referring to the same whole, including cases of unlike denominators, e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to represent the problem. 

Technology Required

Students will need a Mac or Windows computer or an iPad to play the Fish Lake game. Alternatively, students can play Forgotten Trail on the web using Chromebooks or any computer with a web browser.

Time

35-45 minutes

Lesson Summary

Students play 2-3 levels of a game that teaches and assesses adding and comparing fractions with different numerators and denominators, with the context of a story from Ojibwe history. They create their own problems using visual models to compare fractions. Students discuss classmates’ problems. The lesson culminates with a video on visualization as a problem-solving strategy.

Lesson

Start with a Game (10-20 minutes)

Students play the Fish Lake game through level 2. This requires installing the game on an iPad or a Mac or Windows computer. If only Chromebooks are available, students can play the Forgotten Trail Game instead. We do recommend Fish Lake if iPads are available. Although mathematics and social studies standards taught in both games overlap, the change from using Chromebooks in most lessons to a more console-level game can improve student engagement.

Students create their own problems (10 minutes)

Use slides 1-4 of this Slides presentation to explain the assignment. Optionally, for students learning at home or for homework, it can be assigned to students in Google classroom or similar system.

Discuss math problems students created (10 minutes)

Because students very often ask, “What do you mean?” or “Give me an example?” slides 5-11 of the presentation give an example.

A visual model of equivalent fractions

Watch a video (2.5 minutes)

Visualize! One way of solving a problem

Assessment

This lesson includes three types of assessment. In the games, students are presented with math word problems that relate to the game narrative. Their answers are scored and data can be accessed for each student from the teacher reports. Students submit math problems they have written for teacher feedback. Also, teacher can use whole class discussion of student problems as a gauge for understanding or have students in pairs or small groups submit written discussion of their peers’ math problems.

Ojibwe Clans and Migration (Bilingual English & Spanish)

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📖STANDARDS

NCSS theme – The study of people, places, and environments enables us to understand the relationship between human populations and the physical world. 

Minnesota State Standard – History Sub-strand 4, Standard 15 “North America was populated by indigenous nations that had developed a wide range of social structures, political systems, and economic activities, and whose expansive trade networks extended across the continent.”

⏰ Time

40 minutes

📲 Technology needed

Internet connection on a PC or Chromebook laptop, tablet, or phone.

📃 Summary

This Ojibwe clan lesson for Grade 3 is focused on Ojibwe culture. Students learn where people and places are located and why they are there. They will become familiar with the causes, patterns and effects of Ojibwe settlement and migration. They will learn of the different population centers in Ojibwe society and investigate the impact of human activities on the environment. 

📚 Lesson

The downloadable Google Slides presentation is available here. This has a digestible summary of the Ojibwe migration, and why and how it happened. The Ojibwe clans are introduced as well as the new lifestyles that the Ojibwe adopted after they migrated to the Great Lakes area and Ontario, Canada.

Game

Making Camp Bilingual can reinforce clans and culture studies using the Life section.

  1. Select the LIFE button from the main choice screen.
  2. From the LIFE choices, click on the box in the middle of the bottom row, the one with the four people, and watch the video about Ojibwe social structure. Answer the questions that follow the video. 
  3. Next, select the box on the bottom right. Watch the overview video on clans and totems. Answer the questions.
  4. Students can also click on each individual clan totem icon to learn more about each Ojibwe clan and answer a question about each of them to earn points.
  5. Return to the wigwam and trade with the points earned in this lesson.

Students can use the language button to switch between English and Spanish while watching the videos.

Alternatively, students may also play Forgotten Trail, which is an adventure game that homes in on the Ojibwe migration. Two kids in the game retrace the Ojibwe migration on their own and learn more about Ojibwe history along the way.

Assessment

Teachers will be able to view student reports for Making Camp Bilingual to view how many modules students completed in the LIFE section and their scores for each one.

Related Lesson

“Ojibwe Clans and Migration” – The English Only version of the lesson plan above featuring Making Camp Premium.

Decimals, Epidemics & Fly Vomit – It’s science!

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📖Standards

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.B.7 Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.A.1 Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

Technology

Students will need a phone or tablet to play the game.

Time

75 minutes

Lesson Summary

Learn decimals while weighing a flies and the food they eat. The lesson begins with a game on decimals and the Aztec smallpox epidemic, then moves to another disease spreader – flies. Students learn the role flies play in our ecosystem, how they eat and reproduce.

Lesson

1. Play a game

Play AzTech: Empiric Empire to learn basic conversions from fractions to decimals. Empiric Empire is available free for iPad or iPhone and for Android phones. As an added bonus, students will also learn about epidemics. It’s worth mentioning that the smallpox epidemic was spread by viruses but a lot of other diseases are spread by flies.

Note: For summer learning, you may want to just copy the paragraph above into your Google classroom for students to download the games to their phones.

2. Watch a video

I pasted in a link starting after the first minute because that is mostly telling you to like/ subscribe and comment. Ah, YouTube!

Bell Ringer – What if flies went extinct ?  This 7:33  minute video discusses flies as agricultural pests and disease vectors, but also their benefits as scavengers eating up decaying carcasses, pollinators and animal feed.

Here is the link if you’d like to post in your Google classroom or other CMS for students to watch at home. https://youtu.be/80Iqp6bqc-0?t=76

3. Read about flies & perform a demonstration

Recommended reading: Eat like a house fly. Houseflies and barf

What really happens when a house fly lands on your food? Print out this page from Science World – Canada , include the link in your Google classroom or other CMS for students to read, or just read the page to students during class. The demonstration requires vinegar, jello and a turkey baster – things many people have around the house or can pick up easily at a local store. It also includes a list of vocabulary words and definitions, which fits perfectly with our philosophy of direct teaching of academic language.

4. Complete word journal

This lesson provides the opportunity for students to learn many words, in the reading, in the videos and possibly in the Empiric Empire game as well. Students add words or terms with which they are unfamiliar to their word journal. Some teachers call it a personal dictionary, to others it’s a word journal. Regardless, the goal is the same, for students to record new words, give a dictionary definition and “make the word their own”. This can be done by rewriting the definition in their own words, using the word in a sentence or including an illustration of the word.

Two dictionary sites to recommend for definitions are below. An added bonus to mention to students is that they can hear words pronounced.

Since students often ask for an example, here is an example you can link in your lesson. 

The personal dictionary assignment, with all links, can be found here. Feel free to copy and paste into your Google classroom or other site, or print out for your class.

5. Presentation on Decimals in Science (Fly Experiment)

Give this presentation on using decimals to weigh flies, their containers and the food they eat to answer the question, “Do flies really eat 10 times their weight each day?”

Watch a second video

I recommend watching the first 5 1/2 minutes of the Facts About Flies – Secret Nature video  to give the students some idea about both flies as vectors of disease but also important scavengers consuming decaying material. The full documentary is 49 minutes, which I personally found to be more about flies than I wanted to know.

Assessment

Three types of assessment are included in this lesson.

  1. The Word Journal assignment is completed individually and submitted.
  2. Math questions answered within the Empiric Empire game are scored automatically with immediate feedback and student results can be viewed in the teacher reports.
  3. Math questions posed within the presentation can be answered as a whole class, having students hold up a card with their answer or with individual students responding and asking the rest of the class to agree or disagree.


Differentiated instruction

Review of Decimal Addition

One-minute step-by-step video from TeacherTube on Adding Decimals may be helpful for students who need a review of decimal addition.

Watch the whole video

For students who are extremely interested in insects, watching the entire 49 minute video of Facts about Flies will satisfy their curiosity

Experiments with fly larva

Hungry Hungry Hermetia

For teachers who want to do a deep dive into the role flies in consuming food waste, the experiment above uses 100 black soldier fly larvae. I am extremely impressed with this lesson because not only does it include a link to where to buy maggots (on Amazon, of course) but also answers the obvious question of what do you do with 100 fly larvae after your experiment is over. The answer is that you feed these to your class reptile. Would I bring 100 maggots into my classroom? Not in a million years, but that is why I am not an entomologist.

You DO have a class snake, don’t you?

Introduction to Lakota/Dakota Oral Histories & Storytelling

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by Jen Mellette

📖 STANDARD

ND H.3-5.3, & ND H.3-5.9 Describe North Dakota Native American Essential Understandings. Describe how individuals and groups contributed to North Dakota.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

⏰ LESSON TIME

 45-60 minutes

📲 TECHNOLOGY REQUIRED

Computer with internet connection

📃 Summary

Students read a Lakota story on the end of the world. The teacher gives a short presentation on oral history as used by the Lakota/Dakota. Students play a game with stories from Dakota or Lakota culture. Students present their own examples of oral history in writing or orally. Assessment is in oral or written presentation and via data reports on answers in Making Camp Lakota or Dakota.

📚 Lesson

Read the Story

Read or have a student read the Lakota story of the end of the world . The English translation can be found on the Akta Lakota Museum site here or you can copy it as a Google doc into your own classroom.

Presentation

This short (5 minute) Google slide presentation explains what oral history is and how it was used by the Lakota/Dakota.

Play a Game

Have students play either Making Camp Lakota or Making Camp Dakota. From the earn page, select the LIFE tab. Select any 3 activities on the page to watch and answer the questions. If students have not played the game before, this should take 10-15 minutes from logging in, introduction, and the three choices.

LIFE pages from Making Camp Dakota.

The lessons featured in the Life tab are perfect examples of traditional oral history passed down by both Lakota/Dakota tribes. 

Share Oral Histories

Once students have played the game, ask students to think of and share orally a story told to them or if they are not comfortable with public speaking, have them write down in a notebook entry to be turned in for grading. 

Assessment

The assessment value is based on what is written down in the notebook or what is shared orally with the rest of the class. Some students will not share or write anything down due to lack of knowledge, so those will be case by case and one on one with the student in question. Based on stories shared and notebook entries, adjustments to class series can be made to target how much time we can spend on a second lesson and third lesson with oral histories. 

Students completion of Life activities and their correct/ incorrect answers are recorded and data on student task completion and performance are available from the teacher reports.

RELATED Lessons You May Wish to Use

A Dakota boyhood is a lesson that also includes a story of Dakota life and teaches ELA at the fifth-grade level. This lesson also uses the Life section from the game Making Camp Lakota.

Breaking Down Division with Remainders – is a great addition for a cross-curricular unit. Making Camp Dakota follows a family at a pow-wow as the children learn about Dakota culture through stories from their elders and apply their long division skills along the way. This division lesson includes Making Camp Dakota game play, a video and Google slides presentation on division with remainders.

This lesson plan was originally developed as part of a series on returning culture and knowledge back to our youth as a part of the youth social skills night activities for the Native American Development Center in Bismarck, ND. It is part of a lesson plan series created by Jen Mellette, Youth and Community Coordinator.