EXTENDING THE LESSON
Class assignments for secondary school students.
Each of the following suggested activities requires a careful reading of the documents in this project and any additional sources that are available.
 | Letter writing: Imagine that you are a student at the
Southern Ute Boarding School at the beginning of the 20th century.
Write a letter to your best friend describing your daily routines. Try
and include as much detail as possible and make your descriptions as lively
and as vivid as possible. |
| Editorial Cartoon: Imagine that you are a
either a student or a teacher at one of the Ute Schools. Create an
editorial cartoon that expresses your feelings about this experience. |
| Front page of the Newspaper: Divide students
into small groups of 3 or 4 students. Have the students create the
front page of the Ignacio, Colorado paper telling of the various activities
that are taking place at the school. Each
student will be responsible for 1/4 of the page. The front page should
include news stories, notices about community events and advertising.
Remember to keep advertisements in the appropriate historical period. |
| Class debates: Divide the class into small
teams which will them hold a series of debates on the following topic:
The reservation system and reservations schools were/were not a failure.
Consider in this debate the effect of the system on family life, on Native
American culture and values, and economic impact. Use a video camera to tape
the debates so the students can evaluate their work. |
| Board Game: Working with a partner create a
board game that illustrates the lives of the students at the Indian
schools. When the game is completed, trade games with another
partnership and test out each other's game. |