dream catcher lesson plan

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Woven Dream Catcher Lesson Plan “While there is much to be said for purity and remaining true to ancient custom, it could also be argued that by widening the applications and uses of the dream catcher, by sharing the dream catcher with all who are

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Dream Catcher Lesson Plan

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Woven Dream Catcher Lesson Plan

“While there is much to be said for purity and remaining true to ancient custom, it could also be argued that by widening the applications and uses of the dream catcher, by sharing the dream catcher with all who are instinctively attracted by its beauty and its deeper meaning, it has become a living and familiar symbol of human striving for goodness and inner peace.” – Julie Black

“My little dream net spoke of many things to me, of love for children, of tolerance and the intangible qualities which give warmth and meaning to life. When I accepted it, I did so with humility because for me it was a symbol not only of trust and acceptance by my Indian friend, but a hint of the long past and a world of dreams most moderns have forgotten.” – Sigurd Olson

Your Name: Sarah Skidmore Grade Level: 5

Subject: Art

Lesson Title: Dream Catcher Lesson Plan

Materials Needed: Plastic lids, scissors, yarn, plastic tapestry needles, beads, feathers,

Prerequisite Skills: Cutting, wrapping, weaving, knotting

Standard(s): 4. Content Standard: Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and culturesAchievement Standard: Students a. know that the visual arts have both a history and specific relationships to various cultures b. identify specific works of art as belonging to particular cultures, times, and places c. demonstrate how history, culture, and the visual arts can influence each other in making and studying works of art

Lesson Objective(s): The fifth graders will learn about the legend of the dream catcher and use a woven radial design in the center to create their own. This lesson will be an introduction to Native American culture and their ways of thinking and living.

Provide objectives: (What are students going to learn?) Students will learn about some of the traditions of Native American Indians in their making of dream catchers and what they thought them to be useful for in their lives. Students will learn what materials were traditionally used, but also how cultures throughout history have started using different materials and different ways of making dream catchers, like we are by creating the woven center (not traditional to Native American dream catchers). They will learn or be given more practice with double knots and also wrapping, warping, weaving, and embellishing their own dream catchers.

Time: 5 minutes

2. Demonstrate knowledge or skill: (Input/Modeling by the teacher) Begin the lesson by talking about how dream catchers originated from Native American culture and were believed to trap bad dreams that are floating in the air while you are sleeping, much like a spider’s web catches insects that fly into it. Both good and bad dreams would be caught by the web, but only the good dreams could slide down the feather (traditionally used in dream catchers) to the child’s head laying below it, while the bad ones would not know the way and would be destroyed by the first rays of morning light. The Ojibway tribe was the first to design these. In Lakota tradition dream catchers were thought to remind individuals of the cycle of life.

Beads and feathers are often used to decorate the dream catcher and both have special meanings associated with them. One bead in the center may represent a spider on the web, whereas, a few beads scattered about the web can symbolize good dreams that have been caught during the night. The feather, a symbol of breath or air, is traditionally attached so that it hangs from the center of the hoop. It may entertain a baby who watches it dangle overhead, but it has also been used to symbolize the value of good air.

Reinforce the creativity aspect. Let students know that their dream catcher should not and will not look like my examples. I want them to practice making artwork, not duplicates. Emphasize that this activity is designed for each dream catcher to be different.

This activity could potentially be challenging if students do not have a good understanding of how the actual weaving is suppose to be done. I will need to make sure that I focus on the importance of the weaving.

Time:10 minutes

3. Provide guided practice: (Guided practice with the teacher) Students will have the opportunity to practice ties with me, along with the sheet printed off for them with a dark colored string and a light colored string to resemble the handout. They will also be given a plastic ring that they will practice tying onto as a group before we split up into our individual work time.

Time: 5 minutes

4. Check for understanding and provide student feedback: (How will you know students understand the skill or concept? How will they know they “get it?”)? I will let students practice and let me know any questions or concerns as they all practice the initial knots. If some are getting it and others are not, I will try and give the students who do get it a chance to teach the others. This will keep them all from coming to me all class asking for me to individually help them. When class is ending I will reinforce that we are making a reinvented version of a dream catcher and that we will be focusing on weaving, and then next class periods that we will be working on these I will have them recap what we are working on, why, and how we are doing so. These chances to verbalize their learning and experiences will reinforce that students understand the techniques, materials, and processes we are learning through our creation of these dream catchers.

Time: 5 minutes while learning/practicing knots. 5 minutes at end of class. 5 minutes at beginning of 2nd and 3rd class period working on dream catchers for students to provide a recap.

5: Provide extended practice and transfer: (Independent practice of the skill) Individual student work time for the majority of 3-4 class periods.

Time: 35-40 minutes of each 50-minute class dedicated to individual work time and individual questions and one-on-one help from the teacher.

6. Assessment / Closure: (How do you evaluate student progress or provide closure to this lesson?) Observe students as they make their dream catchers. Are they being creative? Ask them why they think humans use arts and crafts to express themselves. Ask the students to compare and contrast their own heritage with Native American heritage. Have them summarize the importance of the dream catcher in Native American spirituality. Finally ask them to list reasons for non-Native Americans practicing Native American crafts.

Time: 10 minutes

7. Plans for differentiation:

Because of the diversity in the classroom, I must make accommodations for various groups of students. For students who are advanced, I will have them help the students that are struggling and possibly have more materials for them to add to their

dream catcher or have enough materials to create another one. These students can also read the books brought in about the dream catchers. Another option for students is to draw a dream catcher or write about the experience they had. These ideas help integrate the other subjects into the curriculum.

For students who have limited fine motor skills, I will have several dream catcher frames already been started for them. I will also be available for one one one help if they are having troubles wrapping, knotting, warping, and weaving.

For students who have limited English speaking, I will have several examples of dream catchers for them to see. By having a variety of examples, they will be able to understand what the activity is and they will be able to complete it on their own. I will also be around to assist them in getting started and if one of the other students finish early they can also assist helping some of the students who are taking a bit longer

TOTAL LESSON TIME: 3-4 50 minutes periods

8. References Consulted (Curriculum books in Drake SOE curriculum lab, teacher resources, websites, etc.):Dawn of the Dream Catcher

Throughout history, nearly every person and culture has placed importance on the meanings of their dreams. Today, dreams are still a powerful force in many people’s lives, particularly because of the meanings that can be found in them. Whether dreams are good or bad, they can inspire, confuse, or upset the dreamer. In the Ojibway tribe, night visions, or dreams, were so important that children were not given a name until after a person designated as the “namer” of that child had a dream as to what he/she should be called. The “namer” might give the child a charm woven to look like a spider’s web in order to protect the baby’s dreams. Along with other toys, such as shells, bells, and leather pouches, this “dream catcher” was hung from a hoop on the child’s cradleboard.

The Origin of the Dream CatcherSpider web charms, or dream catchers, are believed to trap bad or unimportant dreams that are

floating in the air, much like a spider’s web snares the insects that fly into it. The Ojibway were the first to design these decorations to protect their babies against bad dreams that might come along in the night.

Both good and bad dreams would be caught by the web, but only the good dreams could slide down the feather to the baby’s head, while the bad ones would not know the way, and be destroyed with the first rays of morning light. Read this Ojibway legend aloud to the class. It describes how the people began making dream catchers.

Long ago in the ancient world of the Ojibway Nation, the Clans were all located in one general area of that place known as Turtle Island. This is the way that the old Ojibway storytellers say how Asibikaashi (Spider Woman) helped Wanabozhoo bring giizis (sun) back to the people.Asibikaashi took care of her children, the people of the land, and she continues to do so to this day. When the Ojibway Nation dispersed to the four corners of North America to fulfill a prophecy, Asibikaashi had a difficult time making her journey to all those cradle boards. So, the mothers, sisters, and Nokomis (grandmothers) took up the practice of weaving the magical webs for the new babies using willow hoops and sinew or cordage made from plants. They are in the shape of a circle to represent how giizis travels each day across the sky. The dream catcher will filter out all the bad bawedjigewin (dreams) and allow only good thoughts to enter into our minds when we are just abinooji (babies). You will see a small hole in the center of each dream catcher where the good bawadjige may come through. With the first rays of sunlight, the bad dreams would perish.

When we see little Asibikaashi, we should not fear her, but instead respect and protect her. In

honor of their origin, the number of points where the web connected to the hoop numbered 8 for Spider Woman’s eight legs or 7 for the Seven Prophecies.

To this day, Asibikaashi will build her special lodge before dawn. If you are awake at dawn, as you should be, look for her lodge and you will see this miracle of how she captured the sunrise as the light sparkles on the dew that is gathered there.

Legend of the Dream Catcher (Lakota)Today Native American artists from many Nations make dream catchers. The Lakota are just one

group that has incorporated the dream catcher into their heritage, and they tell a slightly different story of the how this ornament came to be.

Long ago when the world was young, an old Lakota spiritual leader was on a high mountain and had a vision. In his vision, Iktomi, the great trickster and teacher of wisdom, appeared in the form of a spider. Iktomi spoke to him in a sacred language. As he spoke, Iktomi the spider, picked up the elder’s willow hoop, which had feathers, horsehair, beads and offerings on it, and began to spin a web. He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life; how we begin our lives as infants, move on through childhood and on to adulthood. Finally, we go to old age where we must be taken care of as infants, completing the cycle.

“But,” Iktomi said as he continued to spin his web, “in each time of life there are many forces, some good and some bad. If you listen to the good forces, they will steer you in the right direction. But, if you listen to the bad forces, they will steer you in the wrong direction and may hurt you. So these forces can help, or they can interfere with the harmony of nature.” While the spider spoke, he continued to weave his web.

When Iktomi finished speaking, he gave the elder the web and said, “The web is a perfect circle with a hole in the center. Use the web to help your people reach their goals, making good use of their ideas, dreams, and visions. If you believe in the great spirit, the web will catch your good ideas and the bad ones will go through the hole.” The elder passed on his vision to the people, and now many Native American people hang a dream catcher above their bed to sift their dreams and visions. The good is captured in the web of life and carried with the people, but the evil in their dreams drops through the hole in the center of the web and is no longer a part of their lives.

How to Tie On

How to Make a Square Knot(use blue for dark thread (x) and yellow for light thread (o))