English III—August 20, 2015• Daily Warm-up: Complete and Simple Subjects • A complete subject is a group of words that names what a sentence is about.

– Example: The tall boy out in left field made a great diving catch. • A simple subject is the main word (noun or pronoun) in the complete subject.

– Example: The tall boy out in left field made a great diving catch. • Read the following sentences. Underline the complete subjects, and circle the simple

subjects. – 1. A slice of apple pie is my ideal dessert. – 2. The little black dog chased our car down the street. – 3. The lady across the street baked us cookies when we moved in. – 4. My sister Tiana knows how to make jewelry. – 5. Anthony was late to class today.

• Homework:– Study for Lesson 1 Vocabulary Quiz– Native American Legend due tomorrow.– Reading Plus assignments due Sunday by 11:59 (you may come in today and tomorrow during lunch to use computers if you wish).– $5 lab fee due Monday.

Native American Literature

• Myth—the purpose of a myth is to seek to explain or rationalize one or more aspects of the world or a society (to instill awe, to explain the world, to support customs, to guide people).

• Myths usually have religious or supernatural elements and have a character that is immortal.

• Origin myth—a myth that explains how something began.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3XoYZgvEH8

Creation Myths

• Many cultures around the world have stories about creation. What are some creation myths you can think of?

• Three Native American creation myths:– The Earth on a Turtle’s Back (Onondaga)– When Grizzlies Walked Upright (Modoc)– Navajo Origin Legend (Navajo)

Oral Language

• The languages of Native American tribes were never written down before the English arrived from Europe.

• Their stories were passed verbally from generation to generation.

Forgotten Language• The population of the native civilizations of the current territory of the

United States fell from about 20 million to the present level of less than 2 million.

• Beyond the shrinking size of the ethnic populations, the languages have suffered due to the prevalence of English among those of Native American ancestry.

• Most Native American languages have ceased to exist, or are spoken only by older speakers with whom the language will die in the coming decades.

Language Locations SpeakersNavajo AZ, NM, UT 148, 530

Cree MT, Canada 60,000

Ojibwa MN, ND, MT, MI, Canada 51,000

Cherokee OK, NC 22,500

Dakota MN, MT, Canada 20,000

Apache NM, AZ, OK 15,000

Blackfoot MT, Canada 10,000

Choctaw OK, MS, LA 9,211

Only 8 indigenous languages of the area of the continental United States currently have a

population of speakers in the U.S. and Canada large enough to populate a medium-sized town.

Only Navajo still has a population of greater than 25,000 within the U.S.

The Earth on a Turtle’s Back

• Time period and literary style:– Legend that was written by the Onondaga tribe.– Displays the emphasis the tribe placed on dreams.– Most likely written before Europeans came to America in the

late 1400s.• Purpose of legend:

– Describes the creation of the earth.– Demonstrates that smaller/weaker animals can accomplish

things that bigger/stronger animals fail to complete.– Teaches that with determination nothing will stand in your

way.

When Grizzlies Walked Upright

• Time period and literary style: – Legend that was written by the Modoc tribe.– Explains how the Sky Spirit created earth and Native Americans.– Most likely written before Europeans came to America in the late

1400s.• Purpose of legend:

– Explains the creation of Mount Shasta and the land and animals nearby.

– Tells how the daughter of the Sky Spirit marries a bear and their children become the first Native Americans.

– The Native Americans living around the mountain would never kill a grizzly bear because of this legend.

The Navajo Origin Legend

• Time period and literary style:– Legend passed down orally from generation to

generation.– Most likely written before Europeans came to

America in the late 1400s.• Purpose of the legend:– Examines the creation of the human race.– Tells how marriage began.

Illustrate a Creation Myth

• Choose either “The World on a Turtle’s Back” or “The Navajo Origin Legend” and illustrate each paragraph.

English III—Lesson 1 Vocabulary• Haughtiness• Abate• Turbulence• Plausible• Solitude• Discern• Mentor• Reconcile• Inevitable• Embark