Yup’ik Song 1

Title of Unit Subject

UbD Unit Template

Yupik Song, Dance and Story

Grade Level

8-10

Music/Technology/Composition

Time Frame

3 +/- class periods

Developed By

Heidi Brook

Unit Synopsis

In this lesson, students learn about Yup’ik song, dance and storytelling while creating musical themes for each of the characters in the quliraq (Yup'ik legend) the Hungry Giant of the Tundra.

Stage 1 - Identify Desired Results Learning Outcomes What relevant goals will this unit address? National Art Standards: • MU:Re7.1.1a Understand historical and contemporary role of arts in Alaska, the nation, and world. • MU:Cn11.0.1a Demonstrate an understanding of the relationships between music, other arts, other subjects, varied contexts, and daily life. • MU:Cr3.2.8 Present a composition, song, or arrangement, using craftsmanship and originality to demonstrate the application of compositional techniques to convey expressive intent. Content Standards: • SL.11-12.1.c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. Cultural Standards: • A. 3. Hands-on learning of cultural knowledge and skills • D. 4. The teaching of local heritage and language. • E. 3. The use of culturally significant music to reinforce the student’s sense of cultural identity and belonging. Enduring Understandings

Essential Questions

Students will understand that... When Yup’ik dance was forbidden communities lost more than just an art form. The suppression of Yup’ik dance meant the disintegration of some core cultural values, and the loss of something that brought Yup’ik people together as a community.

FNMI, multicultural, cross-curricular: Is there something in your life that would deeply affect your community if taken away?

Related misconceptions… Song and dance are universal human activities that express emotions and tell stories. Today Yup’ik drummers, singers and dancers continue use music to tell stories; passing on important knowledge to younger generations.

Content specific: How can we use music to pass on cultural knowledge?

Yup’ik Song 2

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence Performance Task GRASPS Elements of the Performance Task Goal: In groups students will use music and technology to create a soundtrack for each character in the quliraq, the Hungry Giant of the Tundra. Role: The students’ be in charge of passing on the quiraq to younger students. In Yup’ik culture songs are used to tell stories. In this unit, high school aged students will create a music resource to share the quiraq with elementary school students. Audience: The class will create a resource to be used by elementary teachers. It could be used in many content areas including; arts, drama, social studies and/or language arts. Situation: Not long ago missionaries forced Yup’ik people to stop dancing; deeply impacting many communities in west coast Alaska. However, their songs, and dances are not lost because the Yup’ik recognize the importance of passing on their stories through music. Today, Yup’ik culture continues to evolve and the Yup’ik people continue to pass on stories. As a class, students will make use of cultural knowledge and technology to create music that continues the tradition of passing on stories Product: Students will create a webpage. On the webpage will include: combined responses from group activities to present a summary of the Hungry Giant of the Tundra, student reflections on the embedded cultural knowledge and a soundtrack for each character of the story. Standards & Criteria: To create music that is useful for elementary school students and reflective of the story, the Hungry Giant of the Tundra. Other Evidence:

Student Self-Assessment

Formative Assessment: Active Participation: Group work, discussions, and/or written responses.

Formative: High school students can continually assess if the project is developmentally appropriate for use by elementary school students using a Readability Calculator.

Summative Assessment: As a class of the Webpage. As a group of their soundtrack. As an individual their role in creating the soundtrack and webpage.

Summative: Reflection on final project and its usability.

Yup’ik Song 3

Stage 3 – Learning Plan Set up: By engaging in the historical and contemporary context of Yup’ik song, dance and storytelling students will uncover for themselves the relationship between the arts and their daily life. Through indigenous ways of teaching and learning, such as; group work, indirect teaching and storytelling students will develop the skills and techniques needed to create their own way of sharing a Yup’ik legend with younger students. Explain to students that they will be creating a musical resources to be used in elementary classrooms. Anticipatory Set: Present the children’s story Lucy’s Dance by Deb Vanasse. In a Yup’ik fluent classroom present the original Yup’ik version, Lugiim Yuraa. Play the album I Sing You Dance by I am Yup’ik as the soundtrack to the story. This creates a multi-sensory experience where students can hear the Yup’ik music, visually see the illustrations while listening to and read the words to the story. As follow-up students respond to the following prompt: • Is there something in your life that would deeply affect your community if taken away? After the discussion students record their answer in the Notepad application on iBooks. The answers can be submitted to their teacher, or even to the author of this lesson plan (she would love that)! The catch: students are expected to write their answers as if writing to an elementary school student. Thus, all writing should be written in the way that they would explain it to a sibling, relative or friend who is is elementary school. What events will help students experience and explore the enduring understandings and essential questions in the unit? How will you equip them with needed skills and knowledge? # 1

Lesson Title Working as a Group:

Lesson Activities Present the image: ‘Yup’ik Men Dancing in Abandoned Warehouse.’ In groups, students come up with responses to the following: • What is going on in the picture? • Why are they dancing in a warehouse? Students record their answers in Notepad; again as if writing to a student in elementary school. Teacher’s note: this photo was taken in 1944 during WWII. Yup’ik dancing was banned at the time which explains why they were dancing in a hidden place.

2

Indirect Teaching:

Elder or Culture bearer demonstrates or teaches a song or dance to the class Emulation. Alternatively present the video “Yup'ik Blackfish Dance.” Students explain the story of the dance to an elementary school student on the Notepad application.

Materials/Resources Image from Alaska State Library: https://drive.google.com/file/d/ 0B9jpku-4D5Xd0stNGR3aVJEZDA/view? usp=sharing

Blackfish Dance is available here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=nrxnQWYVLWM

Yup’ik Song 4 4

All-senses Experiential Learning:

Students are provided with access to background information, instructional videos and an example of a similar project which was created by Terry Hunt at Mountain Sound Digital Media for a theatrical production by the Methow Valley Elementary School.

Model of character soundtracks: http://debvanasse.com/totemtale/

Students are placed in the following groups based on characters in the story, The Hungry Giant of the Tundra retold by Teri Sloat:

The Hungry Giant of the Tundra: http://www.terisloat.com/books/ thehungry.html

• • • •

the the the the

children parents crane giant

In groups they will to work in Garageband to create soundtracks. Students have many options for their role in the group. Examples include; collecting sounds, importing music, recording instruments, organizing files, and/or mixing tracks. If necessary, the teacher could model or assign roles to encourage positive interactions and group work.

Garageband tutorials: https://blog.udemy.com/ garageband-tutorial-abeginners-guide-to-garageband/ One creative commons music site: http://freemusicarchive.org/ curator/creative_commons/

Students are required to use only recorded music/sounds, digital instruments and materials from the creative commons. 5

Use of Storytelling to pass on Cultural Knowledge

After completion of the soundtrack on Garageband, groups will know their character very well as they will have created a musical depiction of their character. Groups are tasked to discuss their character’s role in the story. The final Notepad submission will be a response to the following prompt written to an elementary audience: • Tell the legend from the perspective of your character? What is the moral of the story?

6

Accomidations/ Extensions

*For a more technology based lesson the teacher could lead students through the process of exporting their soundtracks onto SoundCloud and designing a website. For a more musical based lesson the students could spend more time developing musical elements of their soundtracks and the teacher could compile responses, design the website and upload the final songs.

Tutorial for uploading GarargeBand songs onto SoundCloud: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=2vmuSVblfWU

*This unit could be used by music teachers anywhere in the world to share their local songs and stories. *For a more social learning experience, two classes could indulge in this project at the same time and communicate throughout the project.

From: Wiggins, Grant and J. McTighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, ISBN # 0-87120-313-8 (pbk)