4th Grade Haida Animal Legends

Art/Writing

In connection with your IB planner “How We Organize Ourselves”

  1. Please see this website for other 4th gr student samples of writing, you may want to read or show to kids.
  1. This web site has examples of Haida legends and folktales:
  1. You may want to share this background info with the kids before you start your writing: Storytelling is very important to the Haida Indian culture. Storytellers pass down myths, legends, and traditions within their tribe. Students will understand the importance nature played in the lives of the Native American tribes like the Haida. Haida stories were traditionally passed down orally from one generation to the next. Storytelling in Haida art is heavily influenced by animals that are a part of the tribes’ everyday lives. Animals are given the star roles in the stories, both the actor and the main theme. The animals symbolize many things such as their beliefs or taboos of a tribe or clan. The stories are told about the marking of seasons, when the salmon come into the streams or when the moose lose their antlers. Some Haida stories are about transformers who change into different forms at will, sometimes to get out of a jam after they have behaved badly. The best-known transformer in Haida culture is the Raven, who is also a trickster.

Animals include:

Water animals; orca, dolphin, salmon, shark, halibut, seal, otter,

Flying animals; eagle, raven, owl, hummingbird, butterfly, bumble bee,

Land animals; wolf, bear, fox, frog,

Mythical animals:wasco (wolf with orca fin) and thunderbird (causes thunder to sound when it flaps it wings.)

Other: moon and sun

  1. Art/Writing Guidelines:
  • (Suggestion: Stories should have an introduction, problem or conflict, crisis, climax, reaction/solution, resolution/moral, conclusion)
  • The animals they pick will be indigenous to the Northwest region and their stories should be in the style of the Haida.
  • The length of the story should fit on one page and have a title, spelling and grammar checked. (All student writing will be on display)
  • Final pieces need to be typed in the format provided. Student may choose one of the three formats. Font size may be changed for the entire writing to fit on the entire page. If writing is short…make font size bigger to fit the entire page. If writing is long…shrink font. Do not change the style of font. (see attached) Please proofread before they print.
  • Print out writings and deliver the class stack of work to Mrs. Hulsey when finished. (They need to be flat and need for presentation purposes.)
  • The main animal in their story needs to be about the same animal they are drawing in art.

Subject matter:

-Their story should be either a tale about something specific to that animal’s characteristics,

-a moral tale,

- beliefs about how something came to be or why something is the way it is

-transformation, (ie, the raven turning into a man)

  1. Optional Science Connection: If you would like to go in depth with this you could also have students research their animal as part of a science lesson as preparation and research before writing about their chosen animal.
  2. Optional Social Studies Connection: Students can learn about the life and history of the Haida for Social Studies connection.
  3. Optional Character Development: Life lesson/character development opportunity is for students to learn about the HaidaPotlach (see attached PowerPoint), talk about sharing, giving,
  4. Optional Drama Connection: The Haida were known for acting out their legends, groups of students could do this as well.
  5. Optional Music/Dance Connection: Haida ceremonies often involved music and dance rituals.
  6. Optional: for further info on the Haida read more: About the Haida Indians | eHow.com This website has lots of info on the Haida:
  7. Optional: In case you really want to get into this these are unit examples from other teachers I found on the web you might find useful: