Story, Pattern, Voice

Overview

Today’s lesson explores Navajo (Diné) art, language, and history through respectful storytelling, visual patterns, and a short creative task. Students will connect what they learn about another Indigenous people to the broader idea that communities protect knowledge through art, language, and histories.

Learning intentions

• WALT describe how Diné art reflects stories, identity, and connections to place.
• WALT practise a few basic Diné language phrases and use them appropriately in short role-plays.
• WALT explain key ideas about Diné history (past and present) using a timeline and simple evidence from sources.
• WALT create a simple textile-style pattern using a safe, traditional-inspired technique (e.g., yarn/thread weaving or patterned paper-making).

Success criteria

• I can name at least two features of Navajo art and say what they might represent.
• I can say and use 2–3 basic Diné phrases with a partner.
• I can retell one Diné history idea in my own words and place it on a timeline.
• I can create a simple pattern that shows careful steps and respect for the purpose of art.

Curriculum links

• Te Ao Māori framework (TMOA-TAOM-Aotearoa): learning through Indigenous worldviews, stories, identity, and knowledge passed through art and language.
• Social sciences focus: understanding people, cultures, and societies (identity, traditions, and ways of knowing) and communicating findings to others.
• Assessment through observation, student explanation, and a short written/oral check-in that shows understanding.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome & respectful focus. Teacher shares lesson purpose and expectations for respectful learning about Indigenous peoples; students turn-and-talk: “What makes a community’s stories important?”

2. 5–15 min · Hook media: art + story. Teacher shows 2–3 images and a short video segment of Diné art (e.g., woven textiles, jewellery motifs, sandpaintings—shown carefully and respectfully). Students record “I notice / I wonder” on a two-column sheet.

3. 15–25 min · Direct teach: Diné art techniques (traditional-inspired). Teacher demonstrates a safe, hands-on technique inspired by weaving/patterning (e.g., cardboard loom with yarn, or patterned paper “weave” strips). Students follow step-by-step, practising consistency and counting patterns.

4. 25–35 min · Diné language for connection. Teacher introduces 4–5 basic phrases (oral practice only):

• “Yá’át’ééh” (hello / greeting)
• “T’áá íiníl” (thank you / appreciation—teacher-selected age-appropriate phrasing)
• “Baa / Nił” (I / you—choose one simple form your class can pronounce confidently)
• “Nizhóní” (beauty / precious—used respectfully as a concept)
• a simple question like “What is your name?” (teacher modelling; students practising a reply) Students practise in pairs with a quick “greeting circle” and teacher feedback on pronunciation and respectful use.

5. 35–45 min · Overview of Diné history (timeline). Teacher explains a simple, kid-friendly overview using a teacher-made timeline:

• long-standing Diné presence and connection to land
• changes through contact and new challenges
• resilience, community knowledge, and cultural continuity today Students work with a timeline card set, placing 3–4 events in order and choosing one sentence to match each event.

6. 45–55 min · Create: pattern artwork (artist statement). Teacher releases materials: loom weaving or patterned paper; students create a simple repeating motif pattern. Then students write or dictate a 1–2 sentence “artist statement”: what their pattern shows (e.g., careful steps, identity, story idea).

7. 55–60 min · Share & quick assessment. Students present to a partner: one art feature, one language phrase, and one history idea. Teacher collects the “I notice / I wonder” sheets and checks phrases and timeline accuracy.

Resources

• Images of Diné woven textiles and motifs (teacher-printed)
• Short video clips showing patterns/creating textiles (no lengthy viewing)
• Teacher-made timeline cards with 3–4 Diné history ideas
• Pronunciation cue cards with the 4–5 target Diné phrases
• Cardboard looms and yarn (or patterned paper strips and glue sticks)
• Paper, pencils, coloured pencils for recording “I notice / I wonder”
• Student activity sheet: timeline + artist statement boxes
• Teacher demonstration tools (sample completed pattern)

Assessment

• Formative observation during weaving/patterning: correct steps, focus, respect for process
• Teacher listens during pair role-plays for use of 2–3 Diné phrases and confidence in pronunciation
• Timeline check: students place cards and explain one event using sentence stems
• Exit check (final 5 minutes): partner share using a simple rubric (art feature, language phrase, history idea)

Differentiation

• Support:
• Provide sentence starters for “I notice / I wonder” and the history retell (e.g., “I learned that…”, “This shows…”)
• Use fewer timeline cards (3 instead of 4) for students needing extra scaffolding
• Offer visual supports for Diné phrases (icons for greeting, thanks, question)
• Extension:
• Challenge students to add a second repeating pattern section and explain how it links to their “story idea”
• Ask students to compare “how art and language carry meaning” in two communities (one Diné example and one familiar local example)
• EAL/SEN:
• Allow oral responses instead of writing where needed
• Practise phrases in choral repetition before partner work
• Keep instructions short, with visual steps shown on the board
• Ensure respectful engagement:
• Teacher sets clear expectations for appropriate language, handling resources carefully, and not treating cultural items as “costumes”