A Teacher's Guide inspired by Traditional Pow Wow
The Pow Wow Trail Teacher’s Bundle was created upon Treaty One Land. Treaty One Land is the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabeg, Ininiwak, Anishininiw, Dene, Dakota Oyate, and Red River Metis. This bundle was created in honour of all First Nations communities of Turtle Island. The Pow Wow Trail Teacher’s Bundle was created in the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation. The hope is to invoke thought, reflection, and growth in all educators and students who interact with the lesson plans.
In the Pow Wow Trail Teacher’s Bundle, Students will learn about the celebration of life that is Pow Wow. Students will build a deeper understanding about the significance of the dances, the stories in the Regalia and importance of the Drum. Students will have opportunities to build connections to one another, to their community, and to the Land. Pow Wow is pedagogy. It provides connections to protocol and Creator. It is filled with oral tradition, storytelling, and traditional knowledge. It is premised on a community and strength-based approach on relationships and kinship. Pow Wow is good medicine.
Through oral tradition, students will embark on a journey where they will read and listen to stories about Muskegon (Mus-kay-gon). Muskegon is a young Anishinaabe boy who is journeying to his first Pow Wow with his grandfather. Readers will learn about important aspects of Pow Wow such as protocol, the agenda of events, the stories behind the dances, and more through the eyes and heart of Muskegon. Students will also learn about Pow Wow through a video series.
The lessons are rooted in Heartwork. Heartwork is intentional and meaninful work that is done through the Spirit.
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About the Author
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Marika Schalla (she/her) is an award-winning educator, author, curriculum developer and mother of two from Winnipeg’s North End. Marika and her family come from the Métis community of Saint Laurent, Manitoba. Marika has an inherit passion for storytelling, land-based learning, and language revitalization. She has dedicated herself to Indigenous education and teaching the truth about Indigenous resilience and brilliance. She strives for real change in our school systems. Her work reflects meaningful reconciliation that engages youth and provides them with Indigenous cultural and traditional connections, and opportunities to make a difference.
Students will be introduced to the celebration of life that is Pow Wow. Students will explore Pow Wow through listening to singing and Drumming and watching an instructional video. Students will reflect on their new knowledge through partner discussion and answering question one in their Trail Journals. Throughout the Pow Wow guide, students will be presented with new learning that they will be able to create responses too. This journal is designed as if they were travelling down the Pow Wow trail documenting their experiences.
Students will be introduced to the celebration of life that is Pow Wow. Students will explore Pow Wow through listening to singing and Drumming and watching an instructional video. Students will reflect on their new knowledge through partner discussion and answering question one in their Trail Journals. Throughout the Pow Wow guide, students will be presented with new learning that they will be able to create responses too. This journal is designed as if they were travelling down the Pow Wow trail documenting their experiences.
Students will be introduced to the celebration of life that is Pow Wow. Students will explore Pow Wow through listening to singing and Drumming and watching an instructional video. Students will reflect on their new knowledge through partner discussion and answering question one in their Trail Journals. Throughout the Pow Wow guide, students will be presented with new learning that they will be able to create responses too. This journal is designed as if they were travelling down the Pow Wow trail documenting their experiences.
Students will be introduced to the celebration of life that is Pow Wow. Students will explore Pow Wow through listening to singing and Drumming and watching an instructional video. Students will reflect on their new knowledge through partner discussion and answering question one in their Trail Journals. Throughout the Pow Wow guide, students will be presented with new learning that they will be able to create responses too. This journal is designed as if they were travelling down the Pow Wow trail documenting their experiences.
This is a non-exhaustive list of curricular outcomes that each of the lessons may help teachers work towards in their learning spaces.
This bundle is a researched and curated set of 16 lesson plans set for Kindergarten to Grade Twelve about Pow Wows. Readers will find six lesson plans for each grade level. Some lessons are made for multiple grade levels. Many of the lessons are complemented with printable student worksheets and activities. The lesson plans are comprehensive and offer low floor high ceiling learning opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.
The Pow Wow Trail Teacher’s Bundle is separated into seven themes and sixteen lesson plans. Teachers are encouraged to follow the lesson plans in grade-level order. The lesson plans are created so that Teachers may even teach a single lesson or focus on a specific theme and the learning will still be cohesive, intentional, and meaningful. At the bottom of the table of contents,
there are two outlines that organize the themes into lesson plan order. There are seven themes that Pow Wow Trail is based upon.
The learning in the bundle will teach foundational information about Pow Wows and the Protocol surrounding Pow Wows. The historical background is taught with the innocence of children in mind (Every Child Matters). The Bundle’s lessons
feature a progression model of learning about the impacts of colonialism as students get older. Most of the historical background and Current Day Impacts in this Bundle focus on the brilliance and celebration of Pow Wows. The table of contents features a suggestive order to teach the lesson plans with accordance of the respective grade levels of which the lessons are geared towards.
Many of the lesson plans offer low floor, high ceiling learning. Teachers at all grade levels may use any of the lesson plans. The grades outlined in each lesson plan are suggested levels. Educators know their students best and can choose which lessons are going to create the most impactful learning for students.
Pow Wow Video Series
Community members Ray Coco Stevenson, Patricia Big George, Rhonda James, Wayne Ruby, and Wes Nelson bring viewers on a journey that teaches about the basics of Pow Wow, importance of the different Regalia, and the stories behind Jingle Dress Dancing, Women’s Traditional Dancing, Grass Dancing, and Men’s Traditional Dancing.
Episode 1 – What is Pow Wow
Episode 2 – Jingle Dress Dance
Episode 3 – Womens Traditional Style Dance
Episode 4 – Grass Dance
Episode 5 – Mens Traditional Style Dance