Native Americans, Seminole Lesson Plan for Teachers - Animal Spirits

Class Activity:

Brainstorm a list of problems on the white board that your students might face in their daily life. Give them some examples if needed: A school bully, too much homework, a best friend who is not speaking to you. Get a list together of about 10 problems that are broad enough that many students might experience these problems at one time or another.

Brainstorm a list of animals that live in the Florida Everglades.
Group (or Individual) Activity:

Have each group select one problem and one animal guide from the class created lists of their choice.

Direct students to write a short story about the problem they selected and their animal guide's helpful advice offered to solve that problem. Do not end your story. Do not tell what happens next.

Additional Instructions: Helpful suggestions from their animal guide must fit the animal. For example, if their spirit guide is an ostrich, their animal guide might recommend they ignore the problem. Or, a panther, no matter how hard he tries, cannot fly; however, he can leap great distances, so leaping would be fine.

Give groups (or individuals) some time. Then...
Class Activity:

Tell the class that they are now the "Old Ones". They are the wise elders of the village. Have each group present their problem and their guide's helpful advice. The "Old Ones" are to offer advice of their own. Don't forget your manners! Be sure to thank the "Old Ones" for their guidance.
Group Activity:

After each group has had a chance to present their story, and the "Old Ones" have added their advice, have each group finish their story. Direct each group to add an illustration of their animal spirit guide. Don't forget - the Seminoles loved tall tales. Have fun with your story.

Have each group present the ending of their story orally to the class. Do not yet present their illustration. If groups wish, and stories are short enough, have them read their whole story.

Ask the class: Whose advice did they take? Their own, their spirit guide's, or the advice of the Old Ones? (Get some answers.)

Say: The Seminoles did not share the identify of their personal animal spirit guide with anyone. Today, we are going to make an exception. Ask: What animal do you think was the spirit guide for this group? Get some guesses. Have each group identify their spirit guide animal orally and by showing their illustration.

Post each group's story on the walls of your classroom, along with their illustration of their animal guide.
Activity Conclusion:

Say: The Seminoles believed that it was important to get advice on a problem that concerned you. It gave you something to think about, and time to think. Seminole teachings say: But ultimately, no matter how sound or unsound the advice, what you do and how you handle your problem is up to you, and so are the repercussions of your actions.

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Native Americans for Kids

Native Americans for Kids

Native Americans in US, Canada, and the Far North

Early people of North America (during the ice age 40,000 years ago)

Northeast Woodland Tribes and Nations - The Northeast Woodlands include all five great lakes as well as the Finger Lakes and the Saint Lawrence River. Come explore the 3 sisters, longhouses, village life, the League of Nations, sacred trees, snowsnake games, wampum, the arrowmaker, dream catchers, night messages, the game of sep and more. Special Sections: Iroquois Nation, Ojibwa/Chippewa, The Lenape Indians. Read two myths: Wise Owl and The Invisible Warrior.

Southeast Woodland Tribes and Nations - The Indians of the Southeast were considered members of the Woodland Indians. The people believed in many deities, and prayed in song and dance for guidance. Explore the darkening land, battle techniques, clans and marriage, law and order, and more. Travel the Trail of Tears. Meet the Muscogee (Creek), Chickasaw, Choctaw, Mississippians, Seminole Indians and Cherokee Indians.

Plains Indians - What was life like in what is now the Great Plains region of the United States? Some tribes wandered the plains in search of foods. Others settled down and grew crops. They spoke different languages. Why was the buffalo so important? What different did horses make? What was coup counting? Who was Clever Coyote? Meet the Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Comanche, Pawnee, and Sioux Nation.

Southwest Indians - Pueblo is not the name of a tribe. It is a Spanish word for village. The Pueblo People are the decedents of the Anasazi People. The Navajo and the Apache arrived in the southwest in the 1300s. They both raided the peaceful Pueblo tribes for food and other goods. Who were the Devil Dancers? Why are blue stones important? What is a wickiup? Who was Child of Water?

Pacific Coastal Northwest Indians - What made some of the Pacific Northwest Indian tribes "rich" in ancient times? Why were woven mats so important? How did totem poles get started? What was life like in the longhouse? What were money blankets and coppers? How did the fur trade work? How did Raven Steal Crow's Potlatch?

Inland Plateau People - About 10,000 years ago, different tribes of Indians settled in the Northwest Inland Plateau region of the United States and Canada, located between two huge mountain ranges - the Rockies and the Cascades. The Plateau stretches from BC British Columbia all the way down to nearly Texas. Each village was independent, and each had a democratic system of government. They were deeply religious and believed spirits could be found everything - in both living and non-living things. Meet the Nez Perce

California Indians - The Far West was a land of great diversity. Death Valley and Mount Whitney are the highest and lowest points in the United States. They are within sight of each other. Tribes living in what would become California were as different as their landscape.

Native Americans of the Far North: What trick did the Kutchin people use to catch their enemies? How did these early people stop ghosts from entering their homes? Why was the shaman so powerful? What is a finger mask? Play games! See and hear an old Inuit myth! Enter the mystical world of the people who lived in the far north in olden times. Algonquian/Cree, Athapascan/Kutchin, Central Canada, Inuit, The Shaman

Myths & Symbol Stories

The Importance of Baskets

Many Types of Homes

Canoes & Horses

Pow-wow & Potlatch

Medicine Man & Religion

Dream Catchers

Totem Poles

Native Americans Art

Native American Holidays

Some Principal Tribes

Comparison Chart (Europeans & Indians)