Day 1

Joy Harjo

Note: There are suggestions for possible differentiation and accommodations listed after the Summative Assessment section after Day 2.

Intro

Teacher will project the Hook Question onto the board.

Hook Question

What do we know about indigenous people in the US? (Students will most likely discuss historical examples—if so, the teacher could add the followup question: “What do we notice about our knowledge of indigenous people?”).

The Teacher will allow students time to discuss either in partners or in table groups about their thoughts on the question before a full class shareout. Then the teacher will project the questions below and allow for similar discussion:

1. “How have you seen poetry used in school or outside of school? What makes poetry different from other forms of writing?”
2. “How can poetry and art be a form of protest?”
    

The teacher will then introduce Joy Harjo. (Paraphrased/quoted from the National Women’s History Museum biography below).

Suggested Opener

Joy Harjo became the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States in 2019. She is a mem­ber of the Mvskoke Nation and belongs to Oce Vpofv (Hick­o­ry Ground). She was the first Native American Poet Laureate. Originally named Joy Foster, she changed it to Harjo which was her Mvskoke grandmother’s family name. Harjo grew up in Tulsa Oklahoma where she grew up surrounded by artists (her mother wrote songs, and her grandmother and aunt were both painters). She was surrounded by creative women. She also experienced challenges like her father’s alcoholism and then, after her father left her mother, her stepfather’s abuse. At 16, she attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She painted, performed onstage, and wrote songs for an all-native rock band. Initially planning on studying Pre-med, she switched her major to art and then to creative writing where she began her exploration of poetry. She has published several poetry collections along with some books for young audiences and has released seven award-winning albums.

From there, the teacher will then introduce the first poem—“She Had Some Horses”—to be used for direct instruction. Note: This poem mentions “rape” so please prepare students appropriately with a trigger warning.

Activity

Modeled after the Library of Congress “Observe, Reflect, Question” protocol.

Before going forward with the poem, the teacher will review or teach proper annotation techniques for this activity. They will stress the importance of underlining, emphasizing certain passages with a star or question mark, but teachers can adjust depending on what they want to emphasize in their classroom. A good starting point for annotation is here.

1. The teacher will then project “She Had Some Horses” for the class to see. Students should also have personal copies of the poem, preferably on paper for them to use annotation techniques, but the poem can be made accessible online in an editable format for students who wish to access them online.
2. The teacher will prime the students by asking them to make note or observe of anything in the poem that tells them something about indigenous identity. This will lead to a final discussion of how poetry connects to Indigenous civil rights.
3. The teacher will annotate the first half of the poem, then ask students to annotate the rest of the poem in their table groups. The teacher will circulate during this time to answer any questions that students might have.
4. After 10 minutes, the teacher will return to the front of the class and ask students to share their observations and point to specific points in the text that led them to that observation. Next, the teacher will ask if students have any questions about the reading. “What was confusing?” “What would they want to know more about?” This poem is abstract at points, so it is okay if the teacher needs to guide students to certain answers—but always direct the conversation back towards indigenous culture and identity.
5. Before releasing students for independent practice, present the specific discussion questions that students should consider while reading:
   1. “What does each poem tell us about indigenous culture and identity?”
   2. “How does language shape your observations?”
   3. “How is poetry an effective tool to learn about indigenous identity?”
   4. “How could poetry, as written by Joy Harjo, be used in the Indigenous Civil Rights movement? Or more broadly, how does art play a role in Civil rights?”
6. In groups, students will choose two other Harjo poems and work together to dissect their meanings. Students should annotate their poems and be given a notes sheet to write down their thoughts, questions, and observations. A suggested notes sheet is attached to this lesson plan.
7. Teachers should give students 20 min to complete this assignment. The teacher should circulate during this time checking in and making sure students stay on task.
8. After most groups have completed their discussion, the teacher will hold a larger class discussion with shareouts from each group. Groups can choose which poem to discuss or they can share about both. The emphasis should always be on what they were able to figure out about indigenous culture and identity. The teacher should encourage students to point to the parts of the poem as evidence for their thinking.

Closure

The teacher will then give 5–10 min for students to write a short paragraph applying the question: “What does this tell us about indigenous identity and/or culture”? They must quote 2 pieces from their selected Harjo poems to back up their claims. This will be a formative assessment/exit ticket and will be collected. (A version to use is included in this lesson plan).

After students have completed the assessment, the teacher will bring everyone back together to share out their feelings on the final discussion question: “How could poetry, as written by Joy Harjo, be used in the Indigenous Civil Rights movement?” Or more broadly, “how could art play a role in Civil rights?”
 

Day 2

Amanda Blackhorse

Intro

Teacher will first review quickly what was learned last class about Joy Harjo and Native American Identity by asking this priming question:

Hook Question
“What are some things we discussed last class?”

Then the teacher will ask a more broad question and ask students to raise their hands: 

“How does how we talk about others affect how we perceive them? Think about how words spoken towards others can shape their identity.” (Ex: Calling someone a “nerd” or the teacher can prompt the discussion towards how slurs enforce stereotypes)

Then the teacher will get more specific by asking:

“When you hear words like ‘redskin’, what do you think about?”

Note: It is incredibly important that you treat the word “redskin” as a slur and make sure to set expectations surrounding respect and use of that term. If the teacher feels uncomfortable allowing students to talk amongst themselves, they can hold a more guided class discussion.

Secondary Note: The teacher also does not need to speak this specific word out loud. It can be projected on the screen but not spoken. “R-word” is encouraged to be substituted for “redskin” when speaking.
 

Give students a chance to discuss in partners/table groups. Then the teacher will identify and activate background knowledge.

1. Brainstorm prior knowledge: “what do we know about the history of the Washington Commanders? What teams do you know are related to indigenous people?”
2. Students will be expected to discuss in partners or groups and then there will be a class shareout.

Then the teacher will introduce Amanda Blackhorse (paraphrased/quoted from the National Women’s History Museum biography) and then the teacher will introduce the case in a 2–3 sentence summary:

Suggested Opener

Amanda Blackhorse is a member of the Navajo Nation—she received her associate degree from Haskell Indian Nations University before getting her bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas. While at the University of Kansas, she joined a protest group called “Not in Our Honor” that ended up protesting a Kansas City Chiefs/Washington Football Team game. They were met with slurs and violence from fans who were attending the game. After this protest, Blackhorse, with the help of Suzan Harjo (President of the National Council of American Indians, former Congressional liaison for Indian Affairs) became the named plaintiff in the case Blackhorse et al vs. Pro-Football inc that sought to challenge the Washington Football Team’s trademark of their mascot, claiming it denigrated Native Americans.

Activity

The teacher should project this definition of “redskin” from the Oxford dictionary:  “used as an insulting and contemptuous term for an American Indian.”

The teacher should ask students to discuss in their groups the effect of a word like “redskin” could have on indigenous groups. Note: Teachers should encourage students to not say the word “redskin” but rather use the “r-word” instead. Later, Students will learn the history of the word in the Amanda Blackhorse news video.

The teacher should then ask, “Why do you think the Washington Football Team/Commanders would want to keep the original r-slur name?” Students should share in their groups then share with the class.

1. The teacher will then share a timeline of events describing the Blackhorse trial proceeding.
2. The teacher should then review annotation techniques and project the First Amendment of the Constitution and the Lanham Act. Students should also be given copies to annotate themselves. These are to be interpreted by the students themselves. The teacher should emphasize specifically the concept of Freedom of Expression/Speech.

• The First Amendment
• The Trademark Act of 1946 / Lanham Act
   

1. Based on these two resources, the teacher will allow students to discuss amongst themselves the question: “Should the Washington Football Team be forced to change their name? Why?” There will be no full class shareout yet. The teacher should encourage students to interpret what the law states and whether the Washington Football Team violates them. Even though they know what the board and the district court decide— encourage them to investigate whether they agree or disagree with the decisions.
2. Next the teacher will share some some short documents for students to explore. In groups, students will read excerpts of a couple of texts that will further help them to answer the question. They should annotate the documents and jot notes down on their notes sheet as needed.

• Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s Decision
• Decision of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board
• Appellant’s Opening Brief

After students have explored the resources (students should be given 15-20 min), play the following video: Amanda Blackhorse: Seeing Red(skins).

1. Students should take notes with their notes sheet on the video.
2. After the video, students in their groups or partners should discuss what arguments Amanda Blackhorse made in the video. Once they have identified her arguments, then they should discuss and identify which arguments from all the documents they feel are the most effective. Encourage them to identify why they think one argument is more effective than another.

Finally, have a class shareout; the teacher should bring up these discussion questions:

1. “What could this lawsuit mean for the future of indigenous rights in America?”
2. “Based on what we have read today is there any way that a sports team could ethically be named after an indigenous adjacent idea or group?”

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Closure

The teacher will then wrap up by having students make connections between the two:

1. “How does art/poetry and legislation relate to each other?”
2. “What do you think is the most important when it comes to advocacy for Indigenous Civil Rights?”