Water Song Lesson (Lesson 3)

Created Feb. 6, 2024 by Natasha Verhulst


WISELearn Grant Lesson Plan 
Title: Water Song LessonAuthor: Natasha Verhulst
Subject(s):  Music
Grade Level(s): 3-5Total Time: 30-45 Minutes

Overview / Description: This lesson talks about the importance of water in Native culture, how it can be protected, and the significance it holds.

Learning goals/objectives: Students will identify the significance of water, song, and language in Native culture. Students will demonstrate the ability to sing the Water song by Doreen Day. 


Workplace Readiness Skill: 

 x   Social Skills  x Communication 
x    Teamwork    x      Critical Thinking
x    Attitude and Initiative    Planning and Organization
   Professionalism    Media Etiquette

Content Standards:

Wisconsin State Standards

  • Perform
    • MG2.P.10.i: Investigate music from aural traditions
  • Connect
    • MG4.Cn.5.i: Compare the historical and cultural aspects of music with other disciplines.
    • MG4.Cn.6.i: Explain how music relates to self, others, and the world.
    • MG4.Cn.7.i: Examine and evaluate musical connections, similarities, and differences.
    • MG4.Cn.8.i Describe roles of musicians in various music settings and world cultures.

Social Justice Standards

  • Justice
    • 12. Students will recognize unfairness on the individual level (e.g., biased speech) and injustice at the institutional or systemic level (e.g., discrimination).
    • 13. Students will analyze the harmful impact of bias and injustice on the world, historically and today.
    • 14. Students will recognize that power and privilege influence relationships on interpersonal, intergroup and institutional levels and consider how they have been affected by those dynamics.
    • 15. Students will identify figures, groups, events and a variety of strategies and philosophies relevant to the history of social justice around the world.
  • Action
    • 16. Students will express empathy when people are excluded or mistreated because of their identities and concern when they themselves experience bias.
    • 17. Students will recognize their own responsibility to stand up to exclusion, prejudice and injustice.
    • 19. Students will make principled decisions about when and how to take a stand against bias and injustice in their everyday lives and will do so despite negative peer or group pressure.


Materials


Learning Activities:

WHO (T=Teacher Focus Lesson; WG=Whole Group\; SM=Small Group; I=Independent)

Learning Activity Task                                                WHO is responsible
for this step?		Approximate time
for task
The teacher will welcome the students and complete their beginning of class duties (attendance, direct students to seat, etc). T1 Min
The teacher will begin by reading the book Nibi’s Water Song. WG7-10 Min

  1. After the book is read, the teacher will ask the students about their thoughts about the book and facilitate student-led discussion. 

    1. Why might some places not have clean water?

    2. What clean water sources are there around our state?

    3. How can music relate to water?

    4. What did you notice in the book that we’ve already discussed?

WG/SG5 Min
The teacher will again show the map of the tribal nations in Wisconsin and connect Nibi as an Anishinaabe word like Bowwow Powwow. T1 Min
The teacher will also point out the Great Lakes touching Wisconsin on the map. T1 Min
 The teacher will clarify to the students that water is significant to tribes, and protecting the water is very important. Ask the students what tribes might be protecting the water from?  WG 3 Min
 The teacher will play the clip of Doreen Day’s Nibi Song.T  2 Min
 The teacher will read the story of where the song came from to the students.  T 1 Min
 The teacher will read the translation to the students.  T 1 Min

  1. The teacher will help the students learn the Anishinaabemowin words for Nibi Song by saying the word and having the students repeat it.

 		 WG 5 Min
 The teacher will aid in the learning of the song by playing the recording for the students to listen to and learn part by part.  WG 10 Min
 The class will practice singing the song to the water.  WG 5 Min
 The class will discuss what water they pass that they might sing this song to in their lives. WG/SG 5 Min
   
   

Assessment: The teacher will listen to student discussions and offer feedback on the pronunciations of the words in Anishinaabemowin. (The teacher will not focus on the Western elements of intonation, vowel shape, etc. As they are not the center of this lesson, nor applicable to the cultural tradition.)

Wrap-Up: The teacher will bring the class together recapping examples they heard from the group discussions about what water students pass, and end by asking the students to sing the song they learned to water. 

Extension Activity (for intervention or enrichment): Have students look up information on Water Keepers/Water Walkers in tribes across Wisconsin and the US. The student can put together a report and share it with the class. 


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