Origin Story

Eric Wright Origin Stories Activity Objectives: Students will create a Youtube Account. Students will create a Blogger account. Students will upload a video of themselves reciting a personal origin story from memory or notes, and they will post the video to their blogger. Teacher will connect students on the class website

Target grade level(s) 11-12

Standards correlations MCS ELA W. 11-12.6 Activity Plan In the previous class students read and analyzed “Skywoman Falling”, a Native American origin story by Robin Wall Kimmerer in her book Braiding Sweetgrass. They were then asked to contemplate their own origin story and commit it to memory in keeping with the oral tradition.

During this period, the class will discuss questions about the chapter that students were asked to read. The teacher will give a tutorial on Youtube and Blogger and students will create their own account on each. Once students have created their account, they will individually be given permission to go to a quiet, separate area and recite their origin story for upload to Youtube. The pace of the class will be slower, and as the students take turns, the teacher may play an album of significant cultural value, while the other students discuss their origin stories with each other for feedback or create artwork for the room. As each student completes their video, uploads it to Youtube, and posts it to Blogger, the teacher will copy the link to the class website.

For homework, students will be asked to post comments on two of their classmates' origin stories. Check Progress Progress will be deemed satisfactory if the students have demonstrated their ability to create and upload a video, as well as post it to their blog and provide feedback to two of the classmates.