Native Americans on Screen Today
Native Americans are becoming prominent in American film in the 21st century. Television series such as Rez Dogs and Dark Winds and movies such as Neither Wolf Nor Dog, Frybread Face and Me, and Rez Ball have recently highlighted the talents of young Native American actors. We will talk about how these offerings reflect Native American life today, learn about contemporary Native American actors, and watch film clips from recent series and movies. Teachers receive a resource list that includes books, movies, and teaching suggestions.
Audience: up to 100 teachers
Materials: none
Duration: 45-90 minutes
21st-Century American West
Do cowboys still exist? What is the life of a cowboy like today?
This session looks at the contemporary cattle industry in the US, including the day-to-day life of those involved in cattle care as well as those who participate in the traditional sport of rodeo. We will also consider why a drugstore cowboy may not know anything about cattle care and why a Dallas Cowboy has probably never been near cattle at all. Teachers receive a Resource List with suggestions for lesson planning.
Audience: 5-25 teachers
Materials: none
Duration: 45-90 minutes
Looking at Lyrics
Lyrics convey information in a compact and often poetic form. In this workshop, we listen to and take apart two or more hit songs to examine what they tell us about U.S. history and culture, English grammar, vocabulary and rhyme, and the American tradition of “tall tales.” Teachers use a series of questions to determine whether English lyrics their pupils are hearing this year lend themselves more to a discussion of culture, language use, or poetics.
Audience: 5-25 teachers
Materials: pen, paper or laptop
Duration: 45-90 minutes
Coming to Consensus
Our opinions are shaped by our experiences, our cultures, and our values as well as by the information available to us. How do we clearly say what we think in ways that aren’t offensive to others? This workshop introduces ways of disagreeing in speaking and writing, identifying biases and prejudices, and responding to the opinions of others. Teachers identify issues of concern to their students, consider potential biases and prejudices and how they surface in the classroom, and create a writing or debate prompt to use with their students.
Audience: 5-25 teachers
Materials: paper, pen or laptop
Duration: 45 minutes
Writing With Images
Bringing What You Know to What You See
Ekphrastic writing is the academic term for writing as a response to images or objects a writer sees. This session will consider how to choose engaging images and objects to evoke a written response, adjusting assignment requirements around students’ writing capabilities, and helping students expand their written responses beyond the actual image/object that is the prompt. We will draw inspiration from The River White by brothers Ken Hada (poet) and Duane Hada (watercolorist), which features paintings of scenes observed along the White River in Missouri and Arkansas during a summer camping trip and the poems inspired by those scenes. Teachers will receive a photo prompt to write about and have an opportunity to share their poems/stories with their groups.
Audience: 5-25 teachers
Materials: paper, pen, or laptop
Duration: 90-120 minutes
Contemporary American Regional Poets: Who is writing in the US today, and what are they writing about?
This workshop will explore some recent poetry anthologies to consider current topics and the poets who are focusing on them. These topics will include ecology, racism, and immigration, among others; the poets write from the perspectives of both mainstream and minority populations, including Native Americans. Teachers receive a book list and suggestions for lesson planning. This workshop can be organized around a specific theme requested in advance by the group.
Audience: 5-25 teachers
Materials: paper, pen
Duration: 45-90 minutes