1. First Foods: Healthy Learning

(This is Lesson Plan 1 for Crystal Boulton-Scott and Joseph Scott’s curriculum, “Tribal First Foods: American Indian first foods, legends, and traditional ecological knowledge along the route of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery.”)

• First Foods Lesson 1 Supplemental Materials folder

Essential Questions

How can an educator convey to young learners the importance of making meaningful connections among place, self, and positive social interaction in creating a fun, safe, effective, and interesting learning environment? How can an educator contribute to the design of such an environment?

How can an educator illustrate the balance among physical directions, seasons, and elements, and impress upon young learners the importance of symmetry among these things when teaching and learning about tribal First Foods?

Healthy Learning Education Concepts Review

When an educator is ready to share one or more of the unit’s lessons, both educator and learner benefit from an explanation of some traditions honored by tribal youth and families in order to create an authentic and familiar learning environment. Behavior is tied to the health of a learning environment.  The addition of some features familiar to tribal people can enhance this health and provide some basic tools for a deeper understanding of the ways in which many Native American people view their place in the world and the ways First Foods are guided by the natural cycles and elements associated with cardinal directions. All living things are tied to these ways of knowing. Season, element, direction, and community may be particularly important as the educator seeks to share not only knowings, but WAYS of knowing. The associated colors and social features assist and enhance this knowledge.

For many tribes, the concept of the medicine wheel provides an insight and image of these knowings.  A vision of the medicine wheel can illustrate the connections among self, place, time, and element. For the purpose of these lessons, the wheel, and the associated elements, directions, seasons, and life concepts will be described and explored in some of the traditional practices of “Seasonal Rounds” found in the lessons. The medicine wheel can provide a visual representation of traditional ways of knowing the world, and the knowledge of seasonal, cultural, and spiritual practices in a continuum that includes not only the time and place of gathering but the endless quality of these practices.

Using culturally appropriate and culturally responsive tools in preparing educators and learners to participate mindfully, safely, respectfully, and diligently in upcoming explorations of tribal first foods will provide a fun and engaging environment for this to take place. Attention to detail in arranging a positive learning environment can encourage learners to be self-directed, motivated, and engaged in lessons to come. As an enduring understanding, the importance of Place in exploring First Foods is a repeating theme throughout the unit. A clear understanding of how human existence is shaped and guided by season, direction, element, and community lays a strong foundation for what comes next. Regardless of variations in the physical rendition of the Medicine Wheel found throughout Indian Country, concepts of Place and Self are central to the successful sharing of any and all lessons in this unit.

(Use “Lesson 1: First Foods Enduring Understandings” to guide teaching and learning for the Enduring Understandings words and concepts.)

Healthy Learning Enduring Understandings: Cultural Context: Season, People, Place, Cultural Components
The People	The Place	First Food	Cultural Components
Teachers, Learners, and Community.	Learning environment. This includes Westernized classrooms, homes, and any other place where teaching and learning take place.	An introduction to the study of First Foods should begin with a definition of the term in a tribal context, and a discussion of the First Foods of other cultures.	Effective teaching and learning benefit from an understanding of safety, respect, and diligence. (https://charactercounts.org/character-counts-overview/)

 

Healthy Learning Enduring Understandings: Encounters with the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery

The Corps of Discovery was a military mission, and as such members of the party were subject to the legal and social demands of military character and discipline. (https://www.historynet.com/decision-point-in-the-lewis-and-clark-expedition.htm). Obviously, it would be unacceptable to demonstrate the more physically consequential practices of military operations as they were at the time of the Corps of Discovery’s mission. The lesson for young learners is to better understand the importance of preparation, communication, collaboration, and compromise.

 

Healthy Learning Enduring Understandings: Preparing learners to explore First Foods Season, Direction, Element, Community, and Life Stage.* *When considering the season, direction, and element, in particular, the opportunity to study a few words from indigenous languages comes up. Consider regular changes to your learning environment using the included Supplemental Materials. At the change of seasons, select a language representative of the geographic area being studied in the First Foods lesson, and offer learners the opportunity to add tribal words to their vocabulary. Each printout includes room for examples of tribal words. Each tribal word offers an opportunity for new understandings of indigenous ways of knowing. (One quick example – in Siletz Dee Ni, the word for “west” [t’aa-nii~] is the same word for “ocean”. Consider sharing this, and asking learners why they believe this might be so.
Season
Fall	Winter	Spring	Summer
Direction
West	North	East	South
Element
Water	Air	Fire	Earth
Community
Communication	Continuity	Connection	Culture
Life Stage
Adulthood	Elder	Infancy	Youth

 

Healthy Learning Enduring Understandings: Key Vocabulary
Solstice	Equinox	Respect	Elder	Cycle
Summer solstice: The longest day of the year. Winter solstice: The shortest day of the year.	The day and night are the same length. In spring, it’s called “Spring Equinox”. In fall, it’s called “Vernal Equinox”.	The feeling that a person, place, thing, or idea is good, and deserves your kind attention.	A living being that has earned respect by reaching the age at which they are considered a “Wisdom Keeper”.	Things that are repeated in the same order through time.

 

Cultural Universals focus of Lesson 1: Healthy Learning
Food	Transportation	Entertainment	Government
Clothing	Science	Communication	Tools and Technology
Shelter	Medicine	Medium of Exchange	Family and Kin
World View	Arts

 

First Foods Environmental Teaching and Learning

The exploration of first foods goes far beyond the study of plants and animals crucial to the dietary needs of tribes encountered by the Corps of Discovery or, for that matter, anywhere. First foods embody a deep and sacred understanding of self and place. These understandings shape tribal societies and guide the rounds that tribal people have made since the beginning of time, as they pursue physical, cultural, and spiritual prosperity. Carried within these rounds are the laws of Creator, the values of the people, and an understanding that tribal people are not simply from a place. Tribal people ARE that place as much as any other part of the landscape. The knowledge of traditional foods is often where Western science and traditional ecology meet. In good times, first foods are plentiful, lush, and full of the nutrition that sustains old and new generations. This is a time for celebration. In hard times, the Human Beings know in their hearts that the Creator has a purpose and justification for sending a challenge. Tribal ways of knowing offer non-natives a science for the academic understanding of traditional knowledge.

When and where will this lesson take place?

In general, this unit’s teachings about first foods and the role they play in the health and well-being of human beings proceeds on an endless continuum. This is true of all of the lessons. They follow seasons that are often marked by the solar phenomenon of solstices and equinoxes. Lunar cycles are also often consulted and celebrated; and, these teachings will generally follow the sun. Once one solar cycle has passed, the next immediately follows. This has been the way since the beginning of time, and this will continue until the end. Learners should be introduced to this concept. While one full year consisting of four seasons can be described as a “Seasonal Round”, these rounds will usually integrate with both the previous and subsequent cycles, as the landscape is tended indefinitely over time. With these things in mind, learners can engage the “round” at any point on the continuum, explore and learn, then move on to another teaching. What is most important here is to stress that tribal people have had a reciprocal relationship with the landscape that began long before the unit’s lesson begins, and will continue long after.

With whom will you collaborate to make your project successful?

Where safe and appropriate, all of the following lessons and projects should be considered collaborative opportunities. Many tribes have individuals who will model both an understanding of a simple medicine wheel, and the songs, dances, and medicines used to honor their element focus.

• All of the included teachings offer chances for learners to contact and work with science clubs and with students and educators in both high schools and colleges/universities.
• Community non-profits and other organizations (watershed councils, parks departments, and youth clubs) provide environmental education programs, as well as STE(A)M learning opportunities.
• Local tribes have culture departments that may offer access to elders, experts in traditional ecological knowledge, and tribal research. (At the very least, all educators and learners should be able to quickly and easily identify the tribe or band that has traditionally occupied the land on which they now live, work, and study.)
• The partnerships and collaborations described here apply to the lessons in general. If there is a specific opportunity for an enhanced learning experience, it will be noted in that lesson plan section.

Entry Question(s):

After completing the project(s), what will students and instructors be able to do?

• Learn to start a teaching experience with a symbolic transition from “outside” to “inside”, and vice versa. (Using “inside voices”, students are settled, ready to think purposefully, and preparing to engage positively with fellow learners and educators.)
• Use ideals shared by many tribes regarding the relationship between educator and learner.
• Use culturally appropriate learning styles as are often employed by tribal people.
• Define “First Food”, develop an understanding of the term, and compare/contrast First Foods found throughout the world across cultures and time.
• Use a compass (or other orienteering tools) to find the four cardinal directions and identify these directions relative to the learner’s place.
• Identify and describe the four basic elements and provide examples of each.
• Understand and demonstrate the role elements play in the health and well-being of living things.
• Understand what solstices and equinoxes are, and locate them on a calendar.
• Use common household/classroom objects to help understand the connections among season, solstice, and equinox.

 

• Develop an understanding of patterns and cycles in the passage of time, focusing on seasonal change.
• Develop an understanding of the ways seasons and First Foods are connected.
• Expand understanding of the importance of tribal language in the expression of place and other ways of knowing (optional).

• Gain an understanding of how some tribal communities connect directions, elements, season, colors, and lifeways in a symbol described as the Medicine Wheel or Sacred Hoop.
• Understand that interpretations of the Medicine Wheel vary among tribes and bands within tribes.

For this lesson, the educator will need:

• Documents found in the supporting materials folder, printed, and placed appropriately throughout the learning environment. If there is no access to a printer, each sign can be replicated with art supplies, found objects, etc.
• A compass (homemade or otherwise).
• A room you can darken.
• A globe and light source.
• A calendar, several calendars, or the materials to make a calendar.
• An equal number of rocks, balloons, cups, and electric tea candles.
• PCVREQ cards arranged and placed for both educators and learners to see.

Lesson Procedures
(Use “Assessment 2: Cultural Activities Rubric to guide teaching and learning)

• Part 1 – Learning Place: The learners are given a general introduction to the lesson’s core concepts through an introduction to the Medicine Wheel—direction, season, element, and associated visualization color. Focus on the four life stages, and describe how individuals relate to and interact with each other based on their life stage.  Emphasize that these relationships are based on the traditions of many cultures, and they can guide how each generation interacts in a prosocial manner. Ideally, learners will be able to make the connection to the learning environment. A good “transition” habit is for both educators and learners to orient themselves to face each of the cardinal directions for a few seconds, striving to internalize the associated element, life stage, colors, and anything else a participant might associate with the given direction.
• Part 2 – Learning Self: Share “The Three B’s”. (Ambitious educators can use tribal language as an additional incentive to learn the concepts, as described in Healthy Learning Enduring Understandings: Preparing learners to explore First Foods). Ask the learners to share examples of positive behavior that contributes to a healthy and safe learning environment as related to the three B’s. Refer to these behavior guides when necessary/appropriate.
• Part 3 – Life Experience: The learners are provided a rock, balloon, cup, and candle. The learners discuss among themselves what each object could represent. The learners should ultimately conclude that filling the cup with water, it represents that element. (They might fill the cup with dirt, right?) The same goes for the balloon, and so on. Once the elements are identified, learners can arrange them according to their associated Medicine Wheel direction by consulting the Medicine Wheel image, aligning with the given element, direction, color, season, life stage, and cultural concepts.
• Part 4 – Learning Direction: The educator reviews the four cardinal directions, and uses visuals to illustrate where these can be found relative to the learner in the learning environment. This is a chance to refer back to the Medicine Wheel and the other things associated with these directions. Additionally, this is an opportunity to explore fractions, shapes, colors, etc.
• Part 5 – Learning Season: Educators and learners collaborate to recreate the earth’s tilted axis and the relationship between this tilt and the change in seasons. A dark room, globe, and light source are adequate materials to create a model of this movement through time. Learners should be encouraged to begin using their skills at predicting, connecting, visualizing, reviewing, evaluating, and asking clarifying questions.
• Part 6 – Learning First Foods: What follows is a simple definition offered by American Indian people of what exactly “First Foods” are:  “First foods have provided sustenance and promoted health in native communities for countless generations”. As the educator proceeds through the First Foods lessons found in this unit, a more elaborate definition will likely emerge, and both educator and learner should be prepared to memorize this basic definition and be able to add details through the lessons. In particular, learners should develop a thorough understanding of the close and crucial connection between the seasons and the cultivation and/or gathering, preparation, and trade of first foods, and the traditional ways of knowing that make these connections particularly apparent to tribal people.

Lesson Extension Ideas:

• The learner uses understanding of direction to create a set of instructions for navigating from one point to another.
• The learner uses understanding of direction and season to describe details of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery journey, such as their direction of travel, their customary seasonal needs, and so on.
• Learners can explore orienteering techniques and use the materials at hand to assemble a compass.
• Learners can be provided “sidewalk chalk” and use it to create a giant compass and/or clock.
• Learners can speculate about the reasoning behind some tribes’ use of particular colors, life stages, and cultural factors as symbols associated with things such as season, direction, and element.
• Learners can create a sundial out of founding objects and explain how it works.
  Students can create personalized calendars that mark solstices and equinoxes, planting and harvesting seasons, and other cultural activities.
• The class can create songs, poems, or chants translated into tribal languages offering guidance on the proper way to prepare to be an engaged learner. “Come in and Sit Quietly” (Xaa-wan’-t’i, daa-sin-da’, chuu-’in’tlh-’i~) Use a drum as accompaniment.

Conclusion

While access to many resources is available by way of the Internet, one cannot assume that reliable and consistent access to electronic media is a given. All of the tribes and bands addressed by these lessons offer resources beyond those found electronically. Printed and recorded language teaching and learning materials are available directly from tribes, as are similar tools related to culture and history. Most tribes have in their possession—or have access to—primary documents describing their encounters (and/or the effects of these encounters) with the Lewis and Clark expedition or with other Europeans or Euro-Americans who first entered into Native homelands.

• First Foods Lesson 1 Supplemental Materials folder