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Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

• Make text-to-self connections.
• Analyze patterns in Navajo loom weaving. 
• Choreograph dances through the abstraction of ideas and sources.
• Relate the pattern in the weaving to movement.
• Ask and answer questions about the history of weaving by Navajo Peoples.
• Identify patterns and color arrangements in various weavings.
• Perform a dance for an audience.

Standards Alignment

National Core Arts StandardsNational Core Arts Standards

Common Core State StandardsCommon Core State Standards

Recommended Student Materials

Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu. Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google Slides with students.

Books

• First Laugh: Welcome, Baby! by Rose Ann Tahe and Nancy Bo Flood

Teacher Background

Teachers should have a working knowledge of Navajo Peoples culture, history, arts, and . 

Student Prerequisites 

Students should be familiar with the ways cultures represent themselves artistically.

Accessibility Notes

Modify movements as needed. Allow extra time and space for dance movements. 

Engage

1. Read the book First Laugh: Welcome, Baby! by Rose Ann Tahe and Nancy Bo Flood to students.

2. Discuss key details from the book. Ask students to recall the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Write “beginning”, “middle”, and “end” on separate sheets of chart paper or an interactive board and have the students list matching story elements under each. Ask students: What traditions are carried on in the story? 

3. Tell students that in Navajo tradition, families celebrate a baby’s first laugh. Ask students: What are some of your family traditions? Why are traditions important to one’s own culture?

Build

1. Discuss the importance of cultural traditions. Tell students that many Navajo traditions have been carried on for generations, including Navajo weaving. Show the to explore patterns.

2. Choose a simple pattern to analyze. Draw it on the board (or have it prepared in advance). See this example of which correlates patterns with movements. 

3. Discuss the pattern as a class. Ask students: What do you notice about the Navajo blankets? Can you find a pattern in the way the colors repeat themselves? Where does the pattern begin and end? How many times is the pattern repeated? What is the last color? What happens at the end of the weaving? Count the stripes. How many colored stripes are there? How many repeating patterns are there?

4. While seated, have the students perform the movements listed on the right of the weaving that goes with the color stripe. Allow time for students to practice. 

5. While standing, have groups of students perform the movement pattern in place. Allow time for students to practice.

6. Have groups of students walk in space (travel) while performing the movement pattern. Allow time for students to practice.

Apply

1. Tell students that their performance task is to create a new movement pattern that relates to the pattern of weaving. See the example of a . 

2. Divide students into small groups to collaborate on a movement pattern. Model and provide feedback to groups. 

3. Students will model their patterns to the class. Allow time for groups to perform again and have the class follow along. 

4. Put the patterns together. Once all patterns have been performed create a complete dance. You may wish to create a four-part pattern that can be interspersed in the dance.

Reflect 

1. Lead a class discussion. Ask students: What role do the arts play in society? Consider dance, music, visual arts, and literature. What do the arts tell us about other cultures? What do the arts tell us about the past?

2. Have students select a form of art that best represents themselves: dance, music, visual arts, or literature.

3. Assess students’ knowledge by having them create a dance, song, poem, or drawing that describes who they are as a person.