Origin Stories Lesson Plan 1
1ORIGIN STORIES LESSON PLANWhere did we come from? It’s a question that stretches back to the earliest of human histories, and one that many cultures throughout time have tried to answer. Compare origin stories from around the world with your students using these resources.OverviewLength: Two multi-day lessons. Learning Objectives• Compare the different stories that cultures have used to answer the big questions in human history• Use historical inquiry to understand the development of scientific thought that has produced our own, evolving understanding of our Universe’s origins.
2Lesson 1: Old QuestionsLesson objective:Compare the different stories that cultures have used to answer the big questions in human history..Description:Learning about origin stories helps us better understand the kinds of questions humans have always asked, why they have asked them, and the different answers they have produced. In Big History, we tell a long—13.8 billion years long—story that attempts to explain where we all came from. The Big History narrative is supported by scientific evidence, but it’s not the only way to answer the big questions. Societies across the world and throughout human history have found ways to explain the origins and direction of their communities. Opener: Draw Your Origin StoryWhere do you come from? What are the histories, memories, places, and people that are vital to understanding your life? In this activity, it’s time to draw the origin story of your life.Activity: Introduction to Origin StoriesEvery culture has different answers to the Big Questions. Big History offers a 13.8-billion-year story of humanity’s origins. In this activity, students are introduced to the concept of origin stories by reading “A Big History Origin Story”.Activity (multi-day):“Origin Stories Article Collection”Students should now break into small groups and each read one of the following origin stories and report back to the class, using the Origin Stories graphic organizer: Chinese, Judeo-Christian, Iroquois, Mayan, Greek, Zulu, and Efik. Closer: Draw Your Origin Story Pt. 2Look back on your drawing from the beginning of your lesson. • How does your origin story compare to the ones you read in this lesson? Write a list of three similarities and three differences. • What sorts of questions are each trying to answer? • Who—or what—were the important factors in the story? • Next, redraw your personal origin story, but push the story back further in time. How far back can you go? What changes about your personal origin story when you increase the time scale?Telling stories by the fire.