By: Dionne L' Shepard

1
Dzil Biyiin
By Dionne L. Shepard
dee1993_at_hotmail.com

• Standard Benchmarks
• Teaching Process
• Extensions
• Evaluation
• Module Classification
• Resources

Diné jiliigo éí táá áté náhásdzáán bikáágo éí
diyin náhálingo baa nitsídzíkees. Táá áltso baa
ajooba dóó biyiin dóó bitsodizin hóló.
2

• MODERN, CLASSICAL, AND NATIVE LANGUAGES
• COMMUNICATION Communicate in Languages Other
  Than English - Receptive Skills
• (Listening, Observing, Reading)
• CONTENT STANDARD 2
• By listening, observing, reading and discussing,
  students will comprehend and interpret oral,
  written, and visual messages on a variety of
  topics.
• BENCHMARKS 5-8
• Students will
• comprehend information on topics of concern and
  interest to them, their school and their
  community and recognize and interpret more
  complex forms of cultural expression.
• comprehend information on topics of concern and
  interest to them and to others and recognize,
  interpret and compare forms of cultural
  expression.
• After completing this lesson on Traditional
  Teachings from the Home, students will
  understand
• The importance of listening and learning at home,
• Respect for the earth, parents, Navajo tradition,
  and philosophy,
• The importance of the earth and her geological
  features
• The traditional philosophy that supports our
  culture

Ya
StandardsBenchmarks/Teaching Process/Extensions/E
valuation/Module Classification/Resources
hooghan
3
Teaching Process
Each student will have a different level of
knowledge of the Navajo culture, beliefs, and
language. For this reason each child will work
at their own choice and choose to research a
topic more familiar with them and their family.
In order to keep the student on pace you should
have a rubric and a time line composed for them
to follow. PROJECT LENGTH 6 weeks MATERIALS (r
esearch) notebook, drawing paper, pen/pencil,
tape recorder, cassette tapes, camera, digital
camera, photos, reference materials i.e., text
books, internet, community members (portfolio)
binder, plastic paper protectors, scanner,
pencils Students who are familiar with Microsoft
PowerPoint, Paint, Excel, or other computer
applications will have the opportunity to create
their portfolio on the computer. PREPARATION Tak
e some time before assigning this project to
teach the children as much as they need to know
about Navajo culture. Begin teaching them simple
terms colors, numbers, days of the week,
season, etc. Introduce them to the culture by
telling stories about Navajo History, the
creation stories, about common Navajo beliefs.
BenchmarksStandards/Teaching Process/Extensions/E
valuation/Module Classification/Resources
hooghan
4
Teaching Process continue . . .

• Grandparents or other elderly people are a great
  source! Use them as your resource and as
  presenters. Field trips to historic sites or
  monuments, and old trading posts will help the
  students understand that long ago was a reality.
• TASK
• Student will choose and cultural topic, object or
  belief to research. This should be something the
  family is familiar with. You may want to give
  examples to help the students begin. They should
  acquire a picture or drawing of their project to
  insert into their portfolio. Begin collecting
  photos, or creating illustrations
• Ask the students to make a list of questions they
  have about their research topic. This list
  should be added to their portfolio. Each day the
  students should answer on of the questions they
  asked about their topic. They should keep a
  journal and keep a daily reflection log about
  what they learned or realized as they researched
  their topic that day. This is very important!
  Please ask them to do it daily!
• Any presentation should have summary and reaction
  page.
• Students should do one recording of a person
  talking about their cultural project. The
  student should write down several interview
  questions for the person or ask them to tell a
  story or a brief history of the project. The
  student should listen to and write a manuscript
  of the interview.
• Students will present their portfolio orally.

BenchmarksStandards/Teaching Process/Extensions/E
valuation/Module Classification/Resources
hooghan
5
Extensions
S?
Have the students EXPERIENCE a Navajo traditional
ceremony by taking them to a site or having a
person do a presentation on Hózhóójí (Blessing
Way). Dine College has a good collection of
books on Navajo Ceremonies. They also have
instructors who have knowledge of the culture.
As an outside project, ask the students to DIG
DEEPER to find information from texts and through
the internet or other programs. Many students and
adults dont understand the purpose of our
ceremonies or beliefs. We were told not to do a
certain thing, but were never told why. Make a
list of questions that might be asked about
Navajo ceremonies, philosophies, and culture.
QUESTIONING and INQUIRING about unfamiliar topics
is a great way to learn, but you may run into
barriers! A wonderful way to finish this unit is
to role play. PLAYING out a role as a Navajo
person or family is a fun way to show how much
you have learned and the knowledge you gain is
priceless!
StandardsBenchmarks/Teaching Process/Extensions/E
valuation/ Module Classification/Resources
hooghan
6
BenchmarksStandards/Teaching Process/Extensions/E
valuation/Module Classification/Resources
Evaluation
Tsébíta
Students will be evaluated by participation in
oral discussions, daily reflections, completed
portfolio, show and tell presentations, and
final portfolio presentation. Students will be
evaluated by their portfolio portfolio will
contain the following documents daily
reflections, presentation reactions,
pictures/drawings, answers to all the
questions presented at the beginning of the
project, Neatness and Effort
hooghan
7
jóhanaaéí
Module Classification
Díí tiis át é.

• This module includes the following
  characteristics
• Coaching-vocabulary, directions, and situations
  need a lot of overseeing and guidance
• Articulation-pronouncing Navajo words and
  identifying what part of the mouth creates the
  sound
• Reflection-students will do reflections at the
  end of each lesson
• Exploration-students will search their family,
  internet, library, and community people for
  explanations

StandardsBenchmarks/Teaching Process/Extensions/M
odule Classification/Resources
hooghan
8
Resources
Dzil dah nizhóní dóó bichi tsodiilzin
Online Dine College- http//www.ncc.cc.nm.us/ Na
vajoland-http//navajoland.com/ Text Álchíní Baa
Hane I, II, Navajo History, The Creation
Story Interpersonal Community
Members Family Culture Instructors Traditional
Healers
StandardsBenchmarks/Teaching Process/
Extensions/Evaluations/Module Classification/
Resources
hooghan
9
Cultural Connections
The Navajo people are a philosophical people who
believe the earth and the heavens are a greater
spiritual power. The Holy people who exist in
our culture appear at dawn in the horizons to
hear the prayers and song of the people. For
this reason, we rise in the early dawn, and offer
prayer to the east. Each one of these slides
represent the sky at different times of the day,
either early morning or late evening. Respect
should be given to the sky for the sky is the
home of our spiritual entities. The title of my
project, Dzil Biyiin is a cultural ceremonial
song. Our teachings at school are geared toward
the well-being of our students. Care, pride, and
respect should be put into each lesson because a
childs mind is precious and ready to receive all
kinds of information. It is our job as teacher
to ensure those minds are guided and nurtured
while they are in their school years. Dzil
Biyiin is a beauty way song that stabilizes the
balance in ones life and organizes the knowledge
and spirituality, this is what we hope to achieve
as educators. Dionne L. Shepard, Bilingual
Teacher
BenchmarksStandards/Teaching Process/Extensions/E
valuation/Module Classification/Resources
hooghan
10
BenchmarksStandards/Teaching Process/Extensions/E
valuation/Module Classification/Resources
Vocabulary
Dzil mountain dah are Biyiin its
song nizhóní good, beautiful Yá sky wonder
ful, nice, etc. Hooghan home dóó and S? star
bichi to, toward, in the Tsébíta Shiproc
k Peak direction of Díí this tsodiilzin pra
y to Tíís tree, cotton wood tree
Jóhánaaéí sun Áté is, it is Page one
translation We believe, as Diné, all things
that are on this earth is a spiritual power.
They all deserve care and compassion and have a
prayer and a song.
hooghan