For those of you who have made use of the lesson plans on the Talking Feather ESL site, we’ve added new material to the original lessons for the Cherokee Tribe (now called The Cherokee Part I) and added an entire new section entitled The Cherokee People Part II.
New additions for Cherokee Part I: Exercise 1 Vocabulary Practice: 10 new vocabulary words (11-20) have been added from the reading The Cherokee: A Concise History.
In exercise 2, Discussion Questions for Comprehension, there are 3 additional questions (4-6). Exercise 4 Research Activities contains 3 new items of interest for students to research.
Cherokee Part II: Two new sections, entitled Cherokee Culture Then, and Cherokee Culture Now. The first reading describes how the Cherokee community lived and survived before and during the 1800s. The second reading discusses how the People live today. Information includes dress, food, politics and religion. There are also complete activities for both sections.
*Teachers’ Guide and Answer Key: provides suggestions for teaching activities and answers for all Cherokee lessons Parts I and II.
*We’ll be researching and adding new material for all of the current tribes, in addition, several new tribes will also be added, so keep checking the site! You can use the RSS feed to follow site updates.
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Significance of The Talking Feather / Talking Stick
There are legends about how the Talking Feather came to be, and many tribes take credit for these stories, so there are several versions.
Traditionally, the American Indians used the Talking Feather or Talking Stick as a method to insure organization during important council meetings among the tribes. The materials used for both Feather and Stick were important. The Sacred Feather was usually from an Eagle representing truth, freedom, wisdom, and keen insight. Some tribes believed in using the Feather from an Owl which represented protection, wisdom, and strong insight into truth. The Sacred Stick was made from the bark of trees such as the Oak (strength) the Elm (wisdom) and others. There were also embellishments and adornments made from the skins or hides from animals such as Elk (physical ability), Deer (gentleness), Buffalo (abundance) and the Rabbit (ears for listening) and several other animals the various tribes felt were sacred. Color played an important role in the creations. Certain tribes attached different meanings to each color. For example, red symbolizes blood of life, white symbolizes truth, purity, blue is for healing and so forth.
Each member was guaranteed a chance to speak their thoughts. The Feather or Stick was passed to each person, and while the speaker held this object, they could not be interrupted. Each member listened carefully to what was being said. Indian children were taught to listen carefully when someone speaks.
Today, one of the most important skills we can teach our young children is that of listening. This method is still used in many American schools, especially with very young children. Although the object the speaker holds may not always be a Feather, or a Stick, it is something equally symbolic to the children. It is effective as a tool to teach children the benefits of listening to others.
As teachers we are constantly listening to our students. It was by listening to my students the idea of this site was created.
Tags: cherokee, Lesson Plans
