Iñupiat Values Curriculum-Humility

73 Pages·2008·2.04 MB·English

by  Chrisann Justice

Iñupiaq Values Curriculum
Humility-Qiñuiññiq
North Slope Borough School District
Students will explore the value of humility.
This curriculum is being piloted for the 2006-07 school year. Please send any recommenda-
tions for changes or improvements to [email protected]
NSBSD • P.O. Box 169 • Barrow, Alaska 99723
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Table of Contents
Grade Level: Topic!! ! ! ! ! Page numbers
Introduction! 3
K3 & K4: I Don’t Always Have to Be the Best! 4
K: I Can Ask for Help! 6
First Grade: Humility & Boasting! 9
Second Grade: Humility & Forgiveness! 13
Third Grade: Humility & Service! 18
Fourth Grade: Humility & the Successful Hunter! 22
Fifth Grade: Humility & Being Teachable! 28
Sixth Grade: Collecting Stories about Humility! 33
Seventh Grade: Write a Children’s Book! 38
Eighth Grade: Make a Movie! 42
Ninth Grade: Great Quotes on Humility! 47
Tenth Grade: Forces that Humble! 52
Eleventh Grade: Humility & the Forces of Nature! 57
Twelfth Grade: Admitting Wrong-Doing! 59
Recommended Reading! 61
U.S. Resolution H.J.RES.3! 69
NSBSD • P.O. Box 169 • Barrow, Alaska 99723
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Introduction
The current Iñupiaq Christian base interprets humility as a dependence on and ac-
knowledgment of God’s power in our lives. Prior to Christian influence humility
was believed to be essential for success and survival because all of nature’s forces
(weather, animals, and earth) responded positively to a person’s humble attitude.
If a person was prideful the animals would not give themselves to him. If a person
was prideful the weather would show forth it’s greater power. Iñupiaq people rec-
ognized their dependence on forces outside of their control.
“We experience humility not because we have fought and lost but because
humility is the only lens through which great things can be seen-and once we
have seen them, humility is the only posture possible.”

Parker-Palmer
NSBSD • P.O. Box 169 • Barrow, Alaska 99723
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Humility
K3 & K4: I Don’t Always Have to Be the Best
Students will read a story that shows that humility brings happiness. They will
do an activity related to the story where each will have a beautiful final prod-
uct. They will appreciate the beauty of all of the final products.
Activity #1:
Read the book “Rainbow Fish.” After the reading show the students part of the book and
talk to them about how the rainbow fish was unhappy when he thought he was better than
the other fish. Talk about and show the pictures that show the difference in how he felt at
the end when he had shared his beauty with the other fish.
Activity #2:
Rainbow Fish Printing
Supplies:
Whole fish (it doesn’t matter if it has been frozen but thaw before use)
Paper or fabric (must be large enough to cover the fish)
Acrylic paints
Paintbrush
Newspaper to cover area
Aluminum foil
Process:
1. Cover work area with newspaper.
2. Lay the fish on the newspaper covered table.
3. Squirt a little of each color of paint onto a piece of aluminum foil or a paper plate.
4. Work with the students one at a time with the paint. Have the child paint the fish.
Make sure they paint every part of the fish (upper side or the part that is showing.
They won’t paint the part that is laying on the paper.) Let them paint any color
they choose in any spot. In my experience this age usually paints a lot of colors
over each other. When a lot of colors are used it usually mixes to green or brown
so this age usually comes out with a very realistically colored fish.
NSBSD • P.O. Box 169 • Barrow, Alaska 99723
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5. Once the child is finished painting the fish lay a piece of paper (or fabric) over the
fish.
6. Let the child help you to pat the paper down over every painted part of the fish.
7. Carefully pull the paper off and you have a fish print.
8. Hang the print up to dry.
9. Once the fish is dried you can glue a small piece of aluminum foil to make it look
like Rainbow fish or one of his friends after he gave away his scales. Let the child
decide where the aluminum foil scale is to be put on the fish.
I have also done this project onto t-shirts and they turned out beautiful. If you wanted
to try it on a t-shirt or fabric you could use silver paint to paint the “special” scale af-
ter it has dried.
When all of the fish are done admire them together. Make the point that all the fish are
different and all are beautiful.
NSBSD • P.O. Box 169 • Barrow, Alaska 99723
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Humility
K: I Can Ask for Help
Students will be read stories that teach us to be humble. They will learn that it
is O.K. to ask for help from others.
Activity #1
Generally children of this age are naturally humble and are not afraid to ask for help. We
want children to learn to be independent, to feel confident in their abilities and to be re-
sourceful. At the same time we want to make sure that they know that they can and
should ask for help. Encourage the students to see each other as resources for help. Find
out what things other students are good at doing and have them work up a panel of ex-
perts. Make a posters that show who students can go to for help with specific tasks. Ex-
amples are:
1. Names of children that already know how to tie their shoes.
2. Names of children that are good at zipping up difficult coats.
3. Names of children that can help with reading.
Activity #2
Read some of Aesop’s fables. Have the students pick one of the fables that relates to
pride or humility and have them re-tell it and illustrate it. You can find the fables at the
following website:
http://www.aesopfables.com/
The following website is created by a college teacher that has her students illustrate one
of Aesop’s fables. The site can serve for inspiration as well as information.
http://www.umass.edu/aesop/
Some of Aesop’s Fables that have to do with humility or pride are:
NSBSD • P.O. Box 169 • Barrow, Alaska 99723
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The Ass Carrying the Image
The Boasting Traveler
The Fighting Cocks and the Eagle
The Fox and the Mask
The Frog and the Ox
The Lamp
The Peacock and Juno
The Belly and the Members
Activity #3
Have the students read stories from the recommended reading list. The stories should
show the effects of either pride or humility or both. Discuss the stories and do related
activities with the students.
You can also get folk tales or myths to work from. The following is a good resource site:
http://www.storyarts.org/links/folktale/index.html
Following is a fun ways for interacting with the stories:
Puzzle Tale: Putting the Pieces Together
Make photocopies of the pictures of a story that the students are very familiar with. Give
out the sheets to students who each prepare to retell their small piece of the whole story.
Assemble the story by having each student retell his or her part in the plot's sequence.
Have students keep the flow going as the story is told so that the performance moves
along as though one person were telling it. Do a second round by giving students differ-
ent sections to retell. Notice how differently students retell the same sections!
This activity as well as others can be found at the following website:
http://www.storyarts.org/lessonplans/lessonideas/index.html#picture
NSBSD • P.O. Box 169 • Barrow, Alaska 99723
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State Grade Level Expectations Met through Activities:
Reading:
[K] 1.2.1 The student comprehends literal or inferred meaning from text by:
Answering who, where, and what questions after listening to a sentence, para-
graph, or story
[K] 1.4.1 The student restates/summarizes information by: Retelling or dramatiz-
ing a familiar story (not necessarily in sequence) with or without the use of props

[K] 1.4.2 The student restates/summarizes information by: Restating information
after listening to text
[K] 1.5.1 The student demonstrates an understanding of main idea by: Identify-
ing the most important idea of a text
[K] 1.7.1 The student analyzes content and structure of genres by: Listening to
and discussing fiction, non-fiction, and poetry

[K] 1.8.1 The student analyzes literary elements and devices by: Identifying the
setting (where) and important characters of a story
[K] 1.9.1 The student analyzes content of text to differentiate fact and opinion by:
Expressing own opinion about material read/heard
[K] 1.10.1 The student connects themes by: Making relevant connections be-
tween text and personal experiences
[K] 1.11.1 The student makes connections between cultural influences/events by:
Listening to and discussing stories representing various cultures and traditions
(e.g., storytelling, read-alouds, songs)
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Humility
First Grade: Humility & Boasting
Students will read stories that teach us to be humble. They will learn what it
means to boast and that it is unpleasant to be around people who boast.
Activity #1
Divide the students in half. Tell them that they are going to do an activity together. Half
the students will be boasters and the other half will not be prideful of their activities.
Have them come up with examples of boastful behavior. I would only do the activity for
about an hour. Remind everyone that it is all acting. After the time is up have a discus-
sion about how everyone felt about the bragging. Did the children that were bragging
feel that others were getting tired of it?
Activity #2
Read some of Aesop’s fables. Have the students pick one of the fables that relates to
pride or humility and have them re-tell it and illustrate it. You can find the fables at the
following website:
http://www.aesopfables.com/
The following website is created by a college teacher that has her students illustrate one
of Aesop’s fables. The site can serve for inspiration as well as information.
http://www.umass.edu/aesop/
Some of Aesop’s Fables that have to do with humility or pride are:
The Ass Carrying the Image
The Boasting Traveler
The Fighting Cocks and the Eagle
The Fox and the Mask
The Frog and the Ox
The Lamp
The Peacock and Juno
The Belly and the Members
NSBSD • P.O. Box 169 • Barrow, Alaska 99723
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Activity #3
Have the students read stories from the recommended reading list. The stories should
show the effects of either pride or humility or both. Discuss the stories and do related
activities with the students.
You can also get folk tales or myths to work from. The following is a good resource site:
http://www.storyarts.org/links/folktale/index.html
Following are some fun ways for interacting with the stories:
A Story Treasure Hunt
-A class selects a well-known fable or folk tale. The plot is simplified into a sequence of
events that can be transcribed onto cards with short sections of the tale on each. Students
hide the cards out of sequence throughout the school or classroom. A treasure map show-
ing the exact location where all the cards are hidden, is given to another class (Or, with
clues, one card can lead to the next). Groups of students must find the cards and assemble
them in correct order. The treasure is finding the WHOLE story. Two classes can trade
treasure hunts by putting the stories on two different-colored cards. The treasure hunts
can go on simultaneously and, when each class has found the other's story, they confirm it
by assembling it, learning the plot and sending representatives to retell it, or to act it out
as a skit to the other class.
Puzzle Tale: Putting the Pieces Together
Copy a folk tale from a printed anthology and cut it up into sections or scenes. Paste each
section on a separate page. Give out the sheets to students who each prepare to retell their
small piece of the whole story. Assemble the story by having each student retell his or her
part in the plot's sequence. Have students keep the flow going as the story is told so that
the performance moves along as though one person were telling it. Do a second round by
giving students different sections to retell. Notice how differently students retell the same
sections!
These activities and more can be found at the following website:
http://www.storyarts.org/lessonplans/lessonideas/index.html#picture
NSBSD • P.O. Box 169 • Barrow, Alaska 99723
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