Lesson Key Facts

• Grade(s): K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
• Subject(s): Dance, English Language Arts, Health, Music, Social Studies, Native American, Tribe Approved
• Duration of lesson: Two sessions, 45 minutes each
• Author(s): Aldean Ketchum, Emily Soderborg, Rebecca O’Boyle

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The Ute Mountain Ute’s Tribal Council selected this lesson content in answer to the question, “What would you like the students of Utah to know about you?” Griselda Rogers, the Ute Mountain Ute Education Director, and Aldean Ketchum, Ute knowledge keeper, represented the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in crafting the lesson to provide expertise, accuracy, and authenticity. The lesson was then approved by the Ute Mountain Ute’s Tribal Council.

Before teaching this lesson, please explain to your students that there are many Indigenous tribes in the United States and that this lesson specifically focuses on the White Mesa Community of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and does not represent other Native American groups. It is the hope of the Ute Mountain Ute that other Native tribes will respect their choice to share these aspects of their history and culture.

Session 1: See, Think, Wonder

(8 minutes)

Open slides for this lesson. 

Teacher: We are going to watch and listen to a recording of music. As you watch and listen, I want you to find words to describe only what you see and hear. I don’t want you to describe what you think you see, or what you think you hear. Ready?

Watch Grandfather’s Song (Slide 2)

Teacher: What did you see and hear? Think of answers quietly to yourself. Now, turn to a partner and share your responses for this thinking strategy.

After the pair-share, discuss briefly as a group and document the students’ responses and post them in a place where all students can see them to encourage future consideration. 

Teacher: We are going to watch this song again. This time I want you to describe what this makes you think about? Describe what else you think is going on with this video besides what you are seeing and hearing in the moment?

Watch Grandfather’s Song again (Slide 2)

Teacher: What do you think about this video? What else is going on here? What do you hear and see that makes you say that?

Help move students away from giving unsupported opinions, encouraging them instead to use evidence to explain their thoughts. Spend 30 seconds individually, then have students pair-share, and follow that with a short whole group discussion.

Teacher: In the third step, I want you to now describe what this video makes you wonder?

Help students articulate what they are wondering by asking them what questions remain for them. 

Shared Reading: Aldean Learns to Make Flutes

(10 minutes)

Teacher: Let’s learn more about this piece of music by reading a story. Before reading, let’s first look at the cover of the story (Slide 3) and see if it gives us any additional ideas to add to our list. Next, what does the title tell us about the story? Now, describe the images or illustrations used on the cover. What clues might they give about the song and the story?

What do you already know about making flutes? What do you already know about the White Mesa Utes? Let’s listen to Aldean share this story as we read along with him.

Listen and do a shared reading with the recording of the story: Aldean Learns to Make Flutes (Slide 4) 

Teacher: Who was part of this story? Where did this story take place? 

Show a map of Utah, then a map showing the 8 Sovereign Nations within Utah. (Slide 5 and 6)

Teacher: In the notes of the book it says, “The White Mesa Utes, located in White Mesa, Utah, are members of the Ute Mountain Ute tribe. The Ute Mountain Ute tribal headquarters are located about 90 miles east, in Towaoc (TOY-ahk), Colorado.” The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is one of three tribes of the Ute Nation. It is also one of eight federally recognized sovereign nations found within Utah’s boundaries. The main part of the Ute Mountain Ute reservation is located in southwest Colorado and northern New Mexico, with tribal headquarters in Colorado. 

Show Google map of San Juan County. (Slide 7) Zoom out on the slide so students can see where White Mesa is in connection with surrounding areas as you share this next section.
 

Teacher: The White Mesa Community is reservation land that is a part of the larger Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. The White Mesa community is located 12 miles south of Blanding, Utah and 12 miles north of Bluff, Utah.
According to Ute tradition, the people of White Mesa came to the Four Corners area after the creation of the world. The people of White Mesa descend from a band of Southern Utes, the Weenuche, or the old Utes. (Slide 8) The Weenuche band resisted reservation life for many years, however in 1923 they were confined to small allotments in San Juan County, Utah. This made their traditional lifestyle impossible. Farming was unsuccessful, so they turned to raising sheep, cattle, and horses. Starting in the 1950s, the Utes started building houses on the land south of Blanding, which created the community known as White Mesa. The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is one of three sister tribes that make up the Ute Nation—two of which are still connected to Utah. (Slide 9) The Utes are one of the five tribal groups, but more importantly, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is one of eight federally recognized sovereign nations that can be found within Utah.

Teacher: Let’s think about the story again. (Slide 10) Can you remember what happens at the beginning of the story? In the middle of the story? At the end of the story?

Look through the book again as needed to answer questions from the text. 

Discuss the story.
Possible discussion questions:

• What do you think is the most important part of the story? Why?

• What principles, goals, and traditions did Grandfather share with Aldean? 

• How did Aldean help this happen too? 

• How did Grandfather teach Aldean to take responsibility for one’s actions and to take care of the world around him?

Again, go through pages of the book to answer questions from the text.

Aldean Plays the Flute

(10 minutes)

Teacher: Now that we have listened to this story and learned about the White Mesa Community of the Ute Mountain Ute, do you have anything new to add to what you see, think, or wonder about the song we listened to at the beginning? We’re going to learn a little more from Aldean about the Native American flute and the songs he plays.

Watch Aldean explain the flute and songs. (Slide 11)

Teacher: What stood out to you that Aldean taught us? 

Listen to student responses.

Teacher: Aldean not only became a master flute maker and learned the songs of his grandfather, he also was inspired to write his own songs. That makes him a composer! We’re going to listen and move to music that Aldean learned to play from his grandfather as well as his composed music that was based on things he experienced around him.
 

(Slide 12) Model how to use the title “The Eagle’s Cry” as a movement prompt and then invite the students to create a shape based on the title. 

(Slide 13) Encourage students to use various parts of their bodies, varying levels, different amounts of space, and so on as they make this first shape. Side coaching could include prompts such as, “How could you use your head or your back as part of your shape? Could you make your shape on a high level? A low level? Can you make a shape where your body is scrunched in tight, but is still interesting? What if you stretch out your shape?” 

Teacher: Sit right where you are, eyes facing front. Watch as Aldean explains a little more about the song he will play. 

Watch “The Eagle’s Cry: Background Information” (Slide 14)

Teacher: What words stood out to you as Aldean explained the importance of the eagle? 

Listen to student responses. 

Teacher: Words that stood out to me were “respectful” and “carry prayers.” Think about how we could include all of these ideas and words in our shape and how our bodies move. Find your starting “Eagle Cry” shape, and then add a movement, gesture, or phrase of movements that further explores “Eagle Cry” inspired by what Aldean taught us. Listen to the music to let it guide how you move. (Slide 15)

With the music practice what you have so far: shape, movement. Guide students to create a finishing shape. Put it together: shape, movement, shape. (Slide 16)

Teacher: We get to create our shape-movement-shape to Aldean’s music again. If you finish before the music, keep alternating between shape and movement until the song finishes. (Slide 17)

Play the video Eagle’s Cry while students move.

Teacher: What did you think about the music? How did it make you feel? What did you notice as you moved to the music? (Slide 18)

Quickly help students identify parts of the music that led them to these feelings. Side coaching questions will help students to describe the music. For example, “Was the music high or low? How did that impact your movement?” or “Were the notes held out for a long time, or did a lot of notes happen close together? What did that make you think of as you were moving?” This discussion shouldn’t take longer than a minute.

• high-low (pitch)

• long-short (duration)

• fast-slow (tempo)

• loud-quiet (dynamics)

Session 2: Additional Songs and Movement

(varies depending on the number of songs selected – 5 to 6 minutes for each song)

Discuss with students what they experienced last session. Encourage them to share things they learned.

Teacher: We get to create another shape-movement-shape, but with a new song played by Aldean Ketchum.

Using the same pattern as “The Eagle’s Cry” have students create shape-movement-shape with the following songs. 

• Create a shape based on the title.

• Listen to background information about the song.

• Encourage students to allow the music to guide movement.

• Practice Shape-Movement-Shape sequences with teacher side-coaching.

• Identify elements of the music that elicit specific movement.

  • high-low (pitch)

  • long-short (duration)

  • fast-slow (tempo)

  • loud-quiet (dynamics)

Chipmunk Song (Slides 20-24)

Hummingbird Song (Slides 25-29)

Courting Song (Slides 30-35)

Before having students create a shape for the “Courting Song,” briefly introduce courtship and listen to Aldean’s background information first. This will help students have enough background knowledge to successfully create their shape-movement-shape. 

Teacher: Do you remember how Aldean taught that the flute is a healing tool to help heal the inner spirit? He also shares that the flute was traditionally used for courtship. Courtship is the period when couples get to know each other prior to a possible marriage or relationship. This song is a song Aldean learned from his grandfather, rather than a song he composed, or made up.

Addressing Misconceptions

(2 minutes)

Teacher: We have been learning about the Native American flute today. Do you think all Native American’s play the flute? No. (Slide 36) If we thought that, we would be stereotyping. A stereotype is an idea or belief about a group of people that is based upon how they look on the outside, which may be untrue. Do you think Native American flute music is the only type of music being created by Utes today? How about other Native American peoples? (Slide 37) There are 574 federally recognized sovereign nations in the US, so would they all be making the same music? A quick google search shows us that there are many Native American musicians that create music in lots of different musical styles. (Slide 38) 

Teacher: There are also Native American musicians that have won important music awards. The Grammy Awards, or simply known as the Grammys, are awards to recognize outstanding musical achievements. They are regarded by many as the most significant awards in the music industry worldwide. (Slide 39) R. Carlos Nakai is an 11-time Grammy-nominated Ute-Navajo musician. He also plays the Native American flute, but the way he arranges it sounds different than Aldean’s traditional flute playing. Pay attention to what you hear and how you would describe it.

Listen to 30 seconds of R. Carlos Nakai’s “What Lies Beyond.” (Slide 40)

Identify elements of the music that elicit specific feelings or movement.

• high-low (pitch)

• long-short (duration)

• fast-slow (tempo)

• loud-quiet (dynamics)

Conclusion

(5 minutes)

Teacher: What was something new you learned today? What do you want to learn more about? Think about all the music we listened to in this lesson both this time and last time. Which song was your favorite? Why?

Teacher: On your exit slip today, write the name or draw a picture to represent the title of the song you liked best and include at least one reason why you liked that song best. (Slide 41) 
 

To help you, you can use any of the following sentence stems:

• I liked (draw a picture or write the title) best because… 

  • it sounded like…

  • it made me feel…

  • I was able to move…

  • I heard the music going…

    • High-low (pitch)

    • fast-slow (tempo)

    • long-short (duration)

    • loud-quiet (dynamics)

Teacher: Does the music you like have to be the same as anyone else’s preference? No. We all have different reasons for liking music.

Extension

What would you want to write a song about from nature? Would your song be:

• High-low (pitch)

• fast-slow (tempo)

• long-short (duration)

• loud-quiet (dynamics)

How would you create a shape-movement-shape for your own song?

• Learn about the White Mesa Community of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.
• Describe characters, settings, and important events in a story.
• Listen to and interact with Native American flute music while recognizing expressive elements.
• Make still and moving body shapes that show contrast.

This lesson can be used to meet standards in many grades and subject areas. We will highlight one grade’s standards to give an example of application.

Grade 1 Music

• Standard 1: M.R.1: Listen to and interact with a variety of contrasting music while recognizing steady beat, repeating patterns, and expressive elements.
• Standard 1: M.R.2: Describe feelings conveyed by a music selection, identify elements in a music selection that elicit feelings, show feelings conveyed by music through movement, and predict the use of a music selection.
• Standard 1: M.R.3: Identify which of two strongly contrasting selections of music is the favorite, and tell why by naming the element or feeling.

Grade 1 Dance

• Standard 1.D.CR.1: Demonstrate willingness to try new ideas when creating dance.
• Standard 1.D.CR.3: Express an idea, feeling, or image while improvising a dance that has a beginning, middle, and end.
• Standard 1.D.P.1: Demonstrate moving safely through the space using a range of activities and in and out of spatial arrangements while maintaining personal space.
• Standard 1.D.P.2: Make still and moving body shapes that show contrast.
• Standard 1.D.P.5: Recognize a steady beat and move to varying tempos.

Grade 1 English Language Arts

• Standard 1.R.5: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. (RL & RI)
• Standard 1.R.6: Read a variety of texts including those from diverse cultures to identify and retell the main idea and key details of a text. (RL & RI)
• Standard 1.R.7: Describe characters, settings, and important events in a story (RL) or pieces of information in a text. (RI)
• Standard 1.R.8: Identify specific words and phrases that express emotion, appeal to the senses, and/or determine the meaning of content-specific words within a text. (RL & RI)

Grade 1 Health Education

• Standard 1.HF.3: Demonstrate how to express gratitude, treat others with kindness, and respect differences.
• Standard 1.MEH.2: Demonstrate healthy ways to express needs, wants, and feelings.

Grade 1 Social Studies

• Standard 1.2.3: Use maps and globes to locate their local community, Utah, the United States, the seven continents, and the five oceans (that is, Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America; Antarctic [Southern] Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean).
• Standard 1.3.2: Identify the ways that people can function as members of a school and/or community by sharing principles, goals, and traditions.
• Standard 1.3.3: Explain how diverse community groups work together to accomplish common tasks, solve problems, and fulfill responsibilities.
• Standard 1.3.5: Demonstrate characteristics of responsible citizenship (for example, respect others’ property, treat people with dignity, find solutions to conflicts, take responsibility for one’s actions, take care of school grounds).

• Slide Presentation
• Projector
• Sound System
• Space to move around and/or between desks

This lesson was created thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Utah Division of Arts & Museums

• The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe’s website: https://www.utemountainutetribe.com/
• The Native American Indian Literacy Project
  • https://www.uen.org/americanindian/tribes/ute-mountain.shtml 
  • https://emedia.uen.org/courseware/lesson/4186/overview
•  Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs: Cultural Heritage Unit 
  This unit provides an in depth look at the cultural heritage of the Ute People. Students will explore the music and historic background of the Bear Dance in addition to a brief introduction to the ways in which the Ute People celebrate the seasons. Students will also study the art and music of the Ute People and how it is still part of Ute culture today.  
• We Shall Remain Curriculum: The Bear Dance as an Expression of Ute Culture 
  When using this lesson please remember that the intention of this lesson is to foster an understanding of Ute culture by considering the values and meanings expressed in the Bear Dance. You should not have your students perform an approximation of the Bear Dance as part of this lesson. The Bear Dance is a vital ceremony in the lives of Ute people and should never be performed without the permission of the Ute Tribe and guidance of Ute spiritual leaders.

Image 1: James Huston

Image 2: Ute Mountain Ute Tribe

Image 3: Aldean Ketchum

Image 4: Brenda Beyal

Images 5-6: Emily Soderborg