indigenous people

370 Million Indigenous People Want You to Know About Their Cultures

October 28, 2020 By dhcbaldwin 4 Comments

370 Million Indigenous People Want You to Know About Their Cultures

Today I want to speak about 370 million Indigenous people want you to know about their cultures. That’s a heady number–370 million people.

“Navajo Rug” by teofilo

My Navajo Rug

When I was a child, I contracted pneumonia at the beginning of a vacation while we traveled in the southwest. Instead of going home early, my parents bedded me down in the car to sleep at night to get out of the cold while they slept in a very primitive tent trailer. During that unusual vacation I learned how to swallow huge pills for the pneumonia. Because of this adventure, I can still take lots of pills all at once because of that fateful vacation.

While we traveled on that trip, we stopped somewhere in New Mexico and purchased a Navajo rug. Many years later, when my dad died, my mother gave it to me because they used it to keep me warm in the car during the pneumonia. I will never forget that.

To this day, that Navajo rug lays in our cedar chest protected from the elements. It occurred to me as I worked on this blog post that I have never learned much about the Navajo nation. Why didn’t I learn about them when I was in school?

I’m a Trailer Blazer

I am a person who sees a problem and sets out to fix it in some way. Whenever I see the need, I set to it. Generally, I started youth theater programs for community theaters. I’ve also co-created a national playwriting contest for youth theater plays, developed an ESL drama club and a few programs. My friend said I’m a trail blazer–I create, get the program up and running and then I’m ready to move on. Yup, that’s me! Want to learn about my ESL Drama Club: go to Overcoming Fear and Anxiety When Speaking English As A Second Language

Four years ago, I opened a drama education store (Dramamommaspeaks at TeacherspayTeachers.com) to provide drama education resources for grades three to twelve. I teach differently, not staying with the tried and true, because there are many opinions about what a student should learn about theater arts. In general, my teacher’s lessons or units are supplemental.

370 Million Indigenous People Want You to Know About Their Cultures

Recently I saw the movie, Hunt for the Wilder People. If you have seen it yet, I strongly suggest that you do. It’s marvelous in so many ways. As I watching this funny and bittersweet story about a Maori boy in New Zealand and his unique relationship to his foster father, I realized I knew very little about the Maori culture.

Who are Indigenous People?

I can’t be the only person who thinks this way. Truth be told, as children we never studied various cultures in social studies. I was a student in the 1960s. I’m sure our current social studies education includes learning about other cultures, but I don’t know how much they are studied.

The world is a mess right now. We have lost our sense of compassion for people who are different from ourselves. Could I help? Maybe a teeny bit.

My research began by seeking information about indigenous people. Looking for facts and details about indigenous people, I found the UnitedNations.org website.

How many people identify as indigenous?

“It is estimated that there are more than 370 million indigenous people spread across 70 countries worldwide.
Practicing unique traditions, they retain social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct
from those of the dominant societies in which they live. Spread across the world from the Arctic to the South
Pacific, they are the descendants – according to a common definition – of those who inhabited a country or a
geographical region at the time when people of different cultures or ethnic origin. ”

Should I call them Indigenous People?

The UnitedNations.org post continues, “The term ‘indigenous’ has prevailed as a generic term for many years. In some countries, there may be preference for other terms including first peoples/nations, aboriginals, ethnic groups, adivasi,
janajati. Occupational and geographical terms like hunter-gatherers, nomads, peasants, hill people, etc.,
also exist and for all practical purposes can be used interchangeably with “indigenous peoples”.

My masters in education focused on arts integration infused in core subjects. Nothing makes me happier than to discover a way to integrate drama into a core subject classroom.

Because arts integration reaches and engages students, I am always on the hunt for learning opportunities using drama integration to support the core subjects.

370 Million Indigenous People Want You to Know About Their Cultures

Enter Indigenous People Units

I collect international folk tales to use in drama class or arts integration lessons. To date, my plays and readers theater units concern about China, Mexico, Peru, the Cherokee Indian, Italy, Pakistan, Germany, Romania, Alaska, Japan and a Jewish story. I believe multiculturalism is very important. See what I mean. The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism in the Classroom is Vitally Important If you are interested in any of these units below, please check them out in my Teacherspayteachers.com store, or my store at Payhip.com or my store at MadebyTeachers.

MAGIC LAKE READERS THEATER COVER UPDATED

HOW THE HONEY BEE GOT ITS STINGER COVER YDP 1.9

LEGEND OF THE SUNFLOWER COVER YDP UPDATED 1.9

370 Millions People

In light of the world and the racial conflicts which have come to the forefront, I’ve turned my attention people of different cultures–namely indigenous people and their legend and folk tales. I hope social studies, language arts, reading and drama teachers will appreciate the lessons and use them in their classroom. They are enjoying the above mentioned ones I’ve developed.

Here’s a video preview of Sedna, An Inuit Tale

Indigenous People Units

As of this writing, I have two lessons available. I’m hoping in time to have around ten, but of course I can create as many as I can find to share.

The products include some of the following depending upon the resource:

Two warm ups–one physical and one imaginative, both boost energy
Original version of the Legend of Corn Maidens or Magic Lake–great for comparison and contrast
Teacher’s script–what I say and how I say it!
Advice in directing reader’s theater
Blocking plot for performance
Kachina Dolls or Machu Picchu Information
Vocabulary and pronunciation
Who are the Zuni or Inca people?
Eleven to Thirteen page scripts with roles for 20+
Original song reminiscent of the Zuni music
Sheet music (optional for performance)
Sound bytes of music
Enrichment activities–designing a costume, designing a set, study of other Native American creation myths or a drama exercise using tableaux

As you can see, there is plenty of material for a lesson or two.

I hope you’ll check out these lessons and the rest to come. Honestly, I don’t know what will be next, but I know one thing–I’m going to help educate our students about indigenous people through dramatic arts. If you are interested in the reasons for using readers theater as a way to integrate drama into your classroom, go to The Reasons Reader’s Theater is Successful with Our Students or How to Excite Students With Drama Integration

What arts integration lessons are your favorite? I’d love to hear. Contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism in the Classroom is Vitally Important

March 19, 2019 By dhcbaldwin 10 Comments

I thought the reasons teaching multiculturalism in the classroom is vitally important was a good subject to blog about today.

My Teaching Journey with Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism is here to stay. I am thrilled by that statement! I am very fortunate in having traveled to many countries around the globe. This wanderlust came from my mother who was born in Japan (my grandparents were missionaries there) and continued her whole life. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy multiculturalism in the classroom!

I enjoy people from other cultures very much. I find immigrants and visitors very interesting. They are far more fascinating than someone who lives near me and has never stepped past the U.S. border.

About ten years ago, I taught drama in a middle school in Missouri. During that time I was charged with teaching the students about drama and its many components. Since there was no set curriculum (Hallelujah!) I loved that I could create lessons and units as I deemed fit.

A Perfect Arts Integration Project

At the end of each six week session, I would produce a small class play with my students. I mean, that’s what theater is all about, right?

This was the late 1990’s I think, multiculturalism was a big trend in education. Desperate to find scenes or plays about the topic, I began to research and adapt multicultural folk tales into short class plays. I needed them to be about fifteen minutes in length and suitable for other classes and my students’ parents to attend. If you are interested, here is a readers theater unit about an Incan legend, the Magic Lake

There are many reasons we need to continue to teach multiculturalism. First and foremost, the United States is a melting pot and that makes us unique in many respects. But that isn’t enough of a reason, is it?

Students study culture through plays

I ran on to an article on Ascd.org, a professional organization for school administrators and educators. I think it says it best.

“People coming from Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Africa differ greatly from earlier generations of immigrants who came primarily from western and northern Europe. These unfamiliar groups, cultures, traditions, and languages can produce anxieties, hostilities, prejudices, and racist behaviors among those who do not understand the newcomers or who perceive them as threats to their safety and security.

These issues have profound implications for developing instructional programs and practices at all levels of education that respond positively and constructively to diversity.

Incorporating Multicultural Education

First, Irvine and Armento (2001) provide specific examples for incorporating multicultural education in the classroom by planning language arts, math, science, and social studies lessons for elementary and middle school students and connecting these lessons to general curriculum standards.

One set of lessons demonstrates how to use Navajo rugs to explain the geometric concepts of perimeter and area. In addition, students learn how to calculate the areas of squares, rectangles, triangles, and parallelograms. Isn’t this terrific?

These suggestions indicate that teachers need to use systematic decision making approaches to accomplish multicultural curriculum integration. In practice, this means developing intentional and orderly processes for including multicultural content.

Other Benefits of Teaching with Multiculturalism

Creating learning goals and objectives that incorporate multicultural aspects, such as ―Developing students’ ability to write persuasively about social justice concerns. Using a frequency matrix to ensure that the teacher includes a wide variety of ethnic groups in a wide variety of ways in curriculum materials and instructional activities.

Introducing different ethnic groups and their contributions on a rotating basis. Talk about beneficial aspects of multiculturism in education! It is suggested to include several examples from different ethnic experiences to explain subject matter concepts, facts, and skills. Additionally, showing how multicultural content, goals, and activities intersect with subject’s specific curricular standards. Here is another exciting unit. This time about an Inuit creation myth, adapted into a one act play, Sedna.

More Benefits

Virtually all aspects of multicultural education are interdisciplinary. As such, they cannot be adequately understood through a single discipline. For example, teaching students about the causes, expressions, and consequences of racism and how to combat racism requires the application of information and techniques from such disciplines as history, economics, sociology, psychology, mathematics, literature, science, art, politics, music, and health care.

Theoretical scholarship already affirms this multiculturism in education; now, teachers need to model good curricular and instructional practice in elementary and secondary classrooms. Furthermore, putting this principle into practice will elevate multicultural education from impulse, disciplinary isolation, and simplistic and haphazard guesswork to a level of significance, complexity, and connectedness across disciplines.”

Aren’t these excellent ideas for multiculturalism?

Here is another….Theater is a fabulous vehicle to use in one’s teaching. It’s even better with multiculturalism. It is quite easy to teach about other cultures using plays and in fact, fun. There isn’t a jarring or obstructive shift in one’s teaching. I kid you not!

Here’s a Plan for You

For instance, let’s think multiculturism in education through teaching about the country of Japan. One way to approach it from the basis of studying the country’s geography and culture. Those are obvious methods. Additionally, one could also study the Japanese art of origami but again, it’s a fairly traditional pedagogy.

However, a teacher could teach about Japan in a more unique way– present a play based on a Japanese folk tale.

“What?” you say, “That sounds really challenging and I have limited time to put together the unit.”

This is where I can help you. 🙂

Picture This in Your Classroom

You have your materials you need to teach the basics to the students (maps, articles, coloring pages, worksheets, etc.) Once you have spent the time you plan for learning, segue to the play unit.

As I mentioned, I created several fifteen minute class plays. Plus, there are reader’s theater versions as well. You can incorporate them into your study of a culture or country today!

To date, there is one for Bulgaria, German, Japan, China, Alaska, India, Peru, Canada and one of the Jewish culture. Keep checking back, because more multicultural plays are added every month. These plays are written for fifth through eighth grade classes, however, I twice adapted Ojisan and the Grateful Statues–once for younger students (grades 2 to 4) and another version for students (6-9). My newest offerings are from the Inca and Zuni indigenous people–The Magic Lake and Maidens of the Corn. You can find them here: DramaMommaSpeaks

Check out here the one for lower elementary grades here: Ojisan and the Grateful Statues (Creative Dramatics Level)

Or a large cast script with unit at: The Little Girl and the Winter Whirlwinds

Here are some others….

Abdullah’s Gold is a funny story about being grateful for what you have and spreading your wealth with others.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday is a very funny tale with plenty of roles for the whole gang. My daughter remembers when she was a student of mine in middle school and we performed this play. It’s such fun.

Sedna, an Inuit Tale is engaging, full of spectacle and dramatic. It is one of my favorites!

Li Chi the Serpent Slayer tells the story of a girl as the hero.

The Brave Little Tailor is a funny take on the Grimm Brother’s tale, complete with a song for the Giant.

It Could Always Be Worse is a Jewish folk tale full of funny moments and opportunities for your students to study improvisation as well. Or find it at: It Could Always Be Worse Play and Unit

Here is a terrific multicultural musical lesson, too: Once on this Island

I challenge you to be different. Only you know what your students need and how they’ll embrace multiculturalism in your classroom. Plus, your students will benefit from it and so will you.

What multicultural materials do you use in your classroom? I’d love to hear about them.

Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism in the Classroom is Vitally Important