Navajo Night Chant

	Tales of a Teacher Weekly blog – 10/21/18
			The Navajo Night Chant Welcome back fellow teachers! This week we are going to dive into more culturally inclusive material! We will be discussing “The Navajo Night Chant.” This is a traditional healing chant of the Navajos performed only in the fall and winter. The Native American culture has so many beautiful chants that show how connected to nature and the earth they truly are. This is something that we do not get to see very often unless we are a part of that culture. So, I think this is a marvelous work to bring into the classroom. We’ll start with talking about… Theme Although this isn’t a fictional work, it still has a theme. The theme of this chant is “healing and restoration” as is the chant’s intended purpose. It develops throughout the entire chant as the speaker specifically includes words of “restoring” and “recovering.” This can be a hard theme to include in the classroom because it is presented in a form that we are not typically familiar with. So then how would one teach this theme? How to Teach this Theme This is going to seem like a very young resource to access, but I would teach this using Rapunzel, specifically the Disney movie “Tangled.” In the movie, Rapunzel has magic hair, and when she sings a specific song, or “chant,” her hair heals whatever it is touching. This is a very straightforward, relatable, pop culture example to connect this Navajo Night Chant to. Although the movie is fictional, it is still a good example to use. Plus, high schoolers are always down to watch some cartoons. Here’s the Gist This Navajo Chant is a great work to bring into  the classroom. Its new to the students, culturally inclusive, and has ties to stories they are familiar with. The students will love learning about  another culture, especially when presented this  way! _______________________________________ I would love to hear about your experience  teaching “The Navajo Night Chant!” Shoot me an email through the link on the left or catch me at  the “Teachers for a Cause” event in San Antonio,  Texas this December!
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Last week’s blog:  The Tale of Ghenji www.taleofghenji.blog.net