Inquiry Design Model (IDM) Blueprint™
Winter Counts
NDNAEU 2 “Learning & Storytelling”, NDNAEU 7 “Native Identity”
Compelling QuestionWhat can we learn by looking at a picture? 
Standards and PracticesUS.6_12.1 Analyze primary and secondary sources with
attention to reliability, impact, and purpose.
US.6_12.2 Examine the impact of multiple perspectives on
social, political, and cultural development.
US.6_12.3 Explain the relationship of events focusing on the
link(s) between cause and effect.
US.6_12.4 Compare how historical elements change over time.
US.6_12.5 Analyze the significant contributions of people,
policy, and the influence on an era.
US.6_12.6 Connect the past to the present using current
events.
Staging the QuestionHow did the Indigenous People of North Dakota record important events?
How do Winter Counts align with European accounts of historical events? 
Supporting Question 1 Supporting Question 2 Supporting Question 3 
What are Winter Counts? Who was in charge of recording the Winter Count? What events in a specific Winter Count correlate with a Western account of history? 
Formative Performance TaskFormative Performance TaskFormative Performance Task
Read the “Winter Count Overview” tab and the “Pictures and Materials” tab.
Make a poster with 2 sides: 1. Winter Counts Are…
2. Winter Counts Are Not…
On each side of the poster, write at least 2 things that Winter Counts are/are not based on the reading.
Present your poster/findings to the class. 
Read the “Winter Count Keeper” tab.
Summarize the information from the reading about the keeper by writing 3 things you learned about the keeper of the Winter Count.
Would you have wanted to keep the Winter Count? Why/why not? (at least 3 sentences)
Click “View Winter Counts” Choose a specific year and look at the pictures from that year’s Winter Count. Record the year and one picture that you chose.
Now research the history of the United States during that same year of the Winter Count you chose earlier. Do any of the same events match up?

Why/why not?
Featured SourcesFeatured SourcesFeatured Sources
Watch “Oral History & Ledger Art” with
Donald Montileaux

https://www.wolakotaproject.org/oseu-5-oral-history-ledger-art-with-donald-montileaux/
SUMMATIVE PERFORMANCE TASK: Supported Claim (written/spoken) or Demonstration of Process (project-based)Which way do you learn best – words, pictures, or both? Why? After studying Winter Counts, which type of account, (words, pictures, or both), do you believe gives the best description of an event? Why? Provide 2 examples to support your answer. 
SUMMATIVE PERFORMANCE TASK: ExtensionCreate a Winter Count of your life- one event for each year. Remember that the event does not have to be the most important event that year, but just the most memorable. (If you are 12 years old, you would have 12 events.) These can be events that you remember, or events that you have heard about through stories. (Of course you probably don’t remember much about your first two or three years of life.) You cannot use the same event more than twice. Draw a symbol for each event. On a separate sheet of paper, write a 2- 4 sentence summary of each event that you choose. What is this event? Why was it memorable? You may share with the class if you like. You may want to use a crumpled paper bag for your Winter Count to get the same effect as an animal hide. Cut one edge of the paper bag so it lays flat like a sheet of paper. Crumple up the bag, being careful not to tear it. Then smooth the bag out. Draw/color the bag. 
Taking Informed Action / Real World ApplicationChoose a current event article from the newspaper or TV news website. Print/cut out the article. Write a summary of that event in 5-7 sentences (who, what, when, where, why, how). Now use that summary to make a Winter Count of that same event. Include 3 of the most important pieces of information about that event. (You will have 3 pictures.) Include the original article with your Winter Count. 
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