Authors: Tori Keener & Dominic Hite – Consultant/Editor: Dr. Mary Beth Henning (henninma@mountunion.edu)
Grade Level: 4^th/5h grade
Subject: Northern Cheyenne Language & Culture: Inquiry

Context for Teaching/Learning:

• This lesson was taught to 26 fourth grade students at Alliance Intermediate School in Alliance, Ohio in the classroom of veteran teacher, Lorie Ann Osco. Over 25% of the students are non-White. All children receive free and reduced lunch.  The class included 15 girls and 11 boys, one student with a 504 plan, and six students with an IEP plan. The IEPs focus on word & sound recognition, reading fluency, comprehension, and writing meaningful sentences. One student with hearing issues sits toward the front of the room and can see the board well. The children in this 4^th grade class have articulated that they prefer working together rather than alone. Student groups are assigned to have at least one typical reader. The classroom is set up with 8 tables seating 3 to 4 students each facing each other for easy communication.
• Using the ahtove.org website provides students the benefits of using a primary resource to conduct their own research as well as learn new skills that are very different from anything they would learn from a classroom textbook. The students will be connecting the Cheyenne words to the Cheyenne culture and thinking about how language reflects culture.
• This lesson builds on John Dewey’s ideas of learning by doing to create a conceptual understanding of language and culture. In this lesson, the students get to interact with one another and the Cheyenne language through a primary source (Burt Medicine Bull). They are learning a new language and get to present their words and drawings to their peers.

Click HERE to view complete lesson plan.