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The renaissance of American Indian literature that began in the late 1960s offers a gateway to understanding. The present generation of Native American poets address many of the identity issues uppermost to the universal teenager who is beginning to ask the questions “Who am I? How do I find out? How do others?” The poets selected for this unit answer these questions by exploring issues of family, tribe, place, history and tradition. The five major themes for the structure of this unit are: 1) the voice of quest, as the poets begin their personal journeys of individuation; 2) the voice of exile, as they express a sense of alienation and loneliness; 3) the voice of the tribe, as they turn to their roots; 4) the voice of the heart, as they recognize their place in the tribe and; 5) the voice of the world, as they acknowledge their role in the larger community.
The strategies for this unit are shared inquiry and cooperative learning. This approach parallels the Indian Medicine Wheel in which all members of the tribe contribute to the creative process. This unit has been designed for eighth-grade students at Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School, but it can be adapted for students from grades 6 - 12.
(Recommended for English and Reading, grades 6-12)
Native American History Literature Poetry