Lesson Plan Table of Contents

Leadership—Past and Present Lesson Plan

Content Introduction

Catlin painted Indians who were famous in American Indian history—men such as Black Hawk, the Sac and Fox chief, and vanquished leader of the so-called Black Hawk War; Kee-o-kúk, who replaced Black Hawk as chief of the Sac and Fox; Os-ce-o-lá, war leader of the Seminoles; the Mandan chief Four Bears; the Hidatsa chief Black Moccasin; Buffalo Bull's Backfat, head chief of the Blood Indians, and the Grand Pawnee leader, Horse Chief. In his Letters and Notes, Catlin described their generosity, hospitality, and politeness and their positions as chiefs and leaders with honor and integrity. Wilma Mankiller and W. Richard West are among the contemporary Indian leaders speaking in the campfire stories on this web site. Identifying past and present leadership qualities promotes understanding of leaders in traditional and contemporary societies. At the same time, it fosters development of personal leadership qualities.

Guided Practice

Begin by asking students the following questions: What is a leader? Do you know any leaders? Who are they? What are his/her leadership qualities? Why is being a leader important?

Next, choose one leader that the students mentioned and draw a web on the board with the leader's name in the center. Each strand extending from the center should lead to a quality or ability students identify with this person's leadership.

Independent Practice

Following the discussion, have students describe the personal and physical leadership qualities of a person of their choice by creating their own web, by drawing a picture, or by making a collage from magazine clippings.

Finally, have students research one historical Native American leader and one contemporary Native American leader to determine the various leadership qualities that each person exhibits. Students may then choose to create a web showing the leadership qualities of both Native American leaders. Following this, students should write an essay describing the similarities and differences in the two people's methods of leadership. They can do this by:

• Reading Catlin's descriptions of many historical chiefs in the "Chiefs and Leaders" section of this web site.
• Visiting the websites listed in the "Quiz Show!" lesson plan, which provide information on several past leaders.
• Reading the biographies of the Native American speakers on this web site.

Vocabulary

leadership, contemporary.

Standards

National Council of Teachers of English:

• Standard 5: Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
  
  
• Standard 7: Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
  
  
• Standard 8: Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
  
  
• Standard 12: Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Lesson Plan Table of Contents

Home | Site Info | Campfire Stories | For Teachers
Interviews | Search