Warrior Jump Rope

Subject: Language Arts/Literature

Grade: 5-12

Topic: Plenty Coup, Chief of the Apsáalooke

Content: After reading chapters or the entire book Plenty Coups, Chief of the Apsáalooke, students will gain a better understanding of the development of a warrior and leader.

Goals: Students will identify at least three of the steps a young man may have taken on the road to becoming a warrior.

Standards:

Literature Standard 4: Students interact with print and non-print works from various cultures, ethnic groups, traditional and contemporary viewpoints written by both genders.

Essential Understanding 1: There is great diversity among the 12 tribal Nations of Montana in their languages, cultures, histories and governments. Each Nation has a distinct and unique cultural heritage that contributes to modern Montana.

Essential Understanding 2: There is great diversity among individual American Indians as identity is developed, defined and redefined by entities, organizations and people. A continuum of Indian identity, unique to each individual, ranges from assimilated to traditional. There is no generic American Indian.

Essential Understanding 5: Federal policies, put into place throughout American history, have affected Indian people and still shape who they are today. Much of Indian history can be related through several major federal policy periods:

Essential Understanding 6: History is a story most often related through the subjective experience of the teller. With the inclusion of more and varied voices, histories are being rediscovered and revised. History told from an Indian perspective frequently conflicts with the stories mainstream historians tell.

Essential Understanding 7: Under the American legal system, Indian tribes have sovereign powers, separate and independent from the federal and state governments. However, the extent and breadth of tribal sovereignty is not the same for each tribe.

Objectives: Students will gain knowledge of Apsáalooke culture, presented in second person, but told directly from an Apsáalooke Warrior and Chief.

Materials: Plenty Coup Chief of the Apsáalooke, Bison Books University of Nebraska Press; long jump rope.

Introduction: While reading this material students will learn about Apsáalooke culture as well as the steps a young man took in his life leading up to becoming a warrior. The teacher will give students a long jump rope and instruct them to jump it.

Development: This active learning-based activity will help students understand the need for team work, and how other cultures work together in order to survive. With teacher prompted discussion students can discover what their accomplishments are, helping them reach goals. This challenge will require that students work together as a team.

Practice: Give students a long piece of rope. The group will try to jump rope simultaneously. After some effort the teacher may want to suggest it may be easier to start with the simple task of one or two people jumping, and work up to the larger goal gradually.

Accommodations: Disabled students may be included by holding the jump rope rather then jumping.

Checking for Understanding/Evaluation: Students will identify the steps required for an Apsáalooke man to become a warrior and leader.

Closure: Students will discuss how young men and women become leaders today. Have they read books about any other leaders, what did it take for them to succeed?

In addition: Teachers may want to help students set benchmarks of their own in working towards grade level learning, in sports, etc. Students may want to report on Apsáalooke leaders of today including historian Joe Medicine Crow, educator Janine Pease, tribal chairman Carl Venne, attorney Majel Russell.