Handwoven basket with the word History showing the topic of the course.

O’odham Traditional Life – Part 1 History

The O’odham Traditional Life History Lesson (H1.1) lesson will compare and contrast the O’odham traditional life to the present day. Focusing on food, shelter, clothing, governance, children, and community. Additional map skills are covered when discussing O’odham regions. Students will investigate the rich history of the O’odham with a variety of learning methods and resources. There are additional resources to reteach and enrich the learning for all types of learners.

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Course Information

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State Standards: , , , , , , , , , ,

Course Instructor

Brenda Kilmurray Author

Brenda Kilmurray is a National Board Certified Teacher, currently certified in Arizona with 17 years’ experience in the classroom working with 3rd – 5th grade students.  Brenda was awarded Cochise County’s Arizona Rural Teacher of the Year (2017), The Air Force Association’s Cochise County STEM Teacher of the Year (2017), Sierra Vista Unified School District’s Elementary Teacher of the Year (2017), and The Arizona Educational Foundation’s Arizona Teacher of the Year Semi-Finalist (2018). Brenda brings her passion for the classroom and understanding of the Arizona Department of Education State Standards together to create engaging and developmentally appropriate lessons. These lessons incorporate differentiated reading, writing, and STEAM activities. The lessons featured here were reviewed and critiqued by content experts, including historians, archaeologists, other educators, many of whom are members of Indigenous communities. For a full list the advisors visit Our Contributor’s Page.

Special Thanks to Our Contributors

Amerind would like to thank Angelica Salcido, Angelina Saraficio, and Amy Spotted Wolf for reviewing this lesson. Their comments, advice, and guidance improved these educational materials significantly. We are truly grateful for Angelica Salcido, Angelina Saraficio, and Amy Spotted Wolf’s help. Any errors or oversights in these materials are solely the responsibility of Amerind.

Course Structure

This course is delivered in 4 parts.

  1. History – Includes all links and activities in the Orange column below.
  2. ELA Reading and Writing – Includes all links and activities in the Yellow and Green columns with the title ELA.
  3. STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) – Includes all links and activities in the blue column with the title S.T.E.A.M.
  4. Resources – This is a simple page with links for extended learning and study. These are found in the purple column labeled Resources.

The table below gives a quick view of the lessons and links that are found in each of the lessons. You can access this document here.

O’odham Traditional Life Curriculum Chart

History /Social Science Standard

Learning Objectives:

G2.1 We will explain how people modify and adapt to the Arizona environment.
H1.1 – We will utilize a variety of sources to construct a historical narrative exploring Arizona’s O’odham culture, civilization, and innovation. 
RI.1 We will ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text.
W.2 We will write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

History ActivitiesELA 
Crosswalk		ELA
Activities		S.T.E.A.M.Digital
Resources
1) O’odham Traditional Life Digital Notebook
2) O’odham Traditional Life Slideshow  
3) O’odham Traditional Life CLOZE notes		Reading Passages:
1) The Early History of the O’odham People
2) Tohono O’odham Nation
3) Tohono O’odham Tribal Land Facts
Writing Assignment:
1) Tohono O’odham of Arizona		1) Venn Diagram
2) O’odham Traditional Life Library 
3) O’odham Vocabulary
4) O’odham Important Dates Timeline		1) Basket Weaving Activity
2) Vaila music part of O’odham culture
3) O’odham traditional song		1) T-A:ga (Our Story): An Introduction to the Culture and History of the Tohono O’odham
2) An Interview with an O’odham Elder
3) O’odham Lesson from NPS.gov
4) O’odham Basket Weaving

Accessing the Course Content

This course is designed and presented with the goal that the material can be easily used by anyone. As a result, each lesson will present content in multiple ways to accommodate many different teaching styles and technology needs. For each lesson you will have the following options:

  • Website Content – The lessons/worksheets/videos will be available to view inside of the website. You can read and use the lesson from this site.
  • External Link – You will also have a link that directly links you to the resource (ie. Google Doc, Google Slide, YouTube Video)
  • PDF Download Link – If the content is a handout or document, you will have access to a link to download the .pdf.

* IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR GOOGLE DOCS AND SLIDES

If you go directly to a link to save a google document or slide, you must make a copy of the document and save it to your own account.