Told by Storyteller Dovie Thomason
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AN AMERICAN INDIAN
STORY OF STRUGGLE,
PAIN AND PROUD SURVIVAL . . .
This is a printable Lesson Plan with audio-excerpts looking at the original inhabitants of our land and some of the shattering events that
were forced upon them.
Dovie Thomason, a Kiowa Apache and Lakota Indian, weaves personal narrative, the history of Indian schools, and the story of
Gertrude Bonnin (later Zitkala Sa), the Sioux Native American woman
who went through the Indian schools and afterward became a writer and
activist for Indian rights.
This Lesson Plan with printable text and downloadable audio- segments presents Thomason's original story about the inhuman practice of forced assimilation of American Indian children in painful and shameful attempts to "change" them into "white children". Included in this Learning Unit are classroom activities and a list of recommended Resources for Teachers and Students to discover further histories and contributions of our American Indian peoples.
There are four segments to Dovie Thomason's story. This Lesson Plan can be best used in presenting the story in two distinct sessions or classroom periods. It can also be presented with audio and print-text in one longer study-reflection session. This lesson plan is ideal for use in Native American Heritage Month, November, and around the Thanksgiving Holiday, (which often has distorted images of American Indian events) . . . or any time . . . as it seeks to reveal American Indian events that are rarely found in our history books.
THE SPIRIT SURVIVES can also be used in social studies and as part of the reflection and study of indigenous peoples and their challenges and struggles . . . yesterday ... and even today.
- Read the press release on this lesson plan
- Find out more ways to celebrate Native American Heritage Month with a free article
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Lesson Plan
Download
the The Spirit Survives lesson
plan (PDF)
Story Excerpts
The following MP3 tracks are story excerpts for use with the The Spirit Survives lesson plan. Please note that these excerpts
are protected by copyright and are exclusively for educational use.
Excerpt #1 -- Track One -- 9:06 minutes
Excerpt #2 -- Track Two-- 9:39 minutes
Excerpt #3 -- Track Three -- 14:43 minutes
Excerpt #4 -- Track Four -- 10:56 minutes
Need help to download the MP3
Story Excerpts?
Click
here for directions.
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About Storyteller Dovie Thomason
Dovie Thomason is an award-winning storyteller, recording artist and author, recognized internationally for her ability to take her listeners back to the “timeless place” that she first “visited” as a child, hearing old Indian stories from her Kiowa Apache and Lakota relatives, especially her Grandma Dovie and her Dad. From their voices, she first heard the voices of the Animal People and began to learn the lessons they had to teach her. For these were teaching stories that took the place of punishment or scolding, showing her the values that her people respect and wanted to pass on to her.
Her love of stories and culture set her on a path to listen and learn and share the stories---to give people a clearer understanding of the often misunderstood, often invisible, cultures of the First Nations of North America. The product of a “mixed” background that is urban Chicago and rural Texas, Internet and ancient teachers, elders’ teachings and university classrooms —Dovie began telling stories “publicly” while teaching literature and writing at an urban high school in Cleveland. So, she began telling those first-heard old Indian stories---stories about making choices---stories that could become a blueprint for a personal value system.
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Tags: Native American Heritage Month, American Indian heritage month, American Indian history, American Indian boarding schools, free lesson plans, free teacher resources, printable lesson plans, Lakota storyteller Dovie Thomason, The Spirit Survives, lessons for elementary teachers, educational resources, lesson plans for home schooling, starting a social justice club, embracing cultural diversity, inclusive classrooms, teacher productivity tools, easy lesson planning
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