Lesson Plan 1Meghan Byrnes

SOLs

• VS.3 • The student will demonstrate knowledge of the

first permanent English settlement in America by:• g) describing the interactions between the

English settlers and the native peoples, including the contributions of Powhatan to the survival of the settlers.

• Dance.15 • The student will identify reasons for dancing,

including the use of dance as a form of expression, communication, ceremony, and entertainment.

Objectives

• Students will explain in writing the Powhatan’s reaction to the settlers arriving in Jamestown.

•Given a description of Powhatan dance, students will participate in a dance with similar structure.

Pre-Test

• Short answer questions.

• 1. What Native American tribe lived in the land around Jamestown when the settlers arrived?

• 2. What did this tribe do for ceremonies?

• 3. Describe what a dance by this tribe would have looked like.

• 4. What is one reason that they performed a dance?

Pre-Test

• 16/19 answered 1 correctly• 13/19 answered 2 correctly• 2/19 answered 3 correctly• 9/19 answered 4 correctly

•Many left blank

The Lesson

• Read students the excerpts from The Powhatan Indians of Virginia: Their Traditional Culture to teach about structure of traditional Native American Dance• Features information from first hand accounts

John White Painting

Discussion

• What are the people doing in the narrative? (objective)• What are the people doing in the painting? (objective)• How would you feel if you were a settle who just arrived in

Jamestown? (reflective)• How would you feel if you were a Powhatan Indian seeing

the settlers? (reflective)• Why do you think the Powhatans decided to dance for the

settlers? (interpretive)• How can you relate to the dance? (decisional)

Discussion

• Students were not used to the structure of discussion• Were able to stay focused and on task, though a

little bit loud. • Thoughtful answers, especially to the reflective

questions• Many differing answers: scared to interested

• Confusion to how can you relate to dance• “I don’t like dancing.”

Review and Dance

• Ask students to explain step by step how the Powhatan welcome dance would have looked. • Tell students that they will be recreating a Powhatan

dance with the information they have learned• Many students say “I don’t know how to dance”

or “I don’t like dancing.”• Students were more comfortable when I told them

that I would be dancing with them

Dance

• The students seemed to really enjoy the dance• Especially hyper because we were outside

• Afterwards, students asked if we could do it again

Post-Test

• Same questions as pre-test• Students scored much higher. • Every student did better than their pre-test• Lowest score was a 2/4•Majority scored 4/4

•No question was missed more than twice

Student Data

• All students did better on the post test.

• Question 3 had the largest jump in number correct.

• No students left questions blank on the post test

  1 pre

2 pre 3 pre 4 pre Total X

1 post

2 post

3 post

4 post

Total X

1     X   1         02     B   1         03     X   1         04   B B B 3         05 X X X X 4     X   16     X X 2         07       X 1       X 18     X   1         09         0         010   X X   2         011     B B 2         012     X   1         013     X   1         014     X X 2         015   B B B 3   X   X 216     B B 2         017 X X X X 4 X       118   X X X 3     X   119 X   X   2         0

Reflections for Future Use

• Divided lesson over two days to include more of the initial interactions between the settlers and the Native Americans• Introduce discussions earlier in the year• Film dancing to make evaluations easier