CDKC Extension Service develops Cheyenne Coloring Book

 

Henry Thompson, Chief Dull Knife College (CDKC) Extension Service Director and quintessential gardener, and his team, student interns Taibree Bearchum and Kyla Kwandibens, together with the CDKC Cultural Center, created an informative coloring book for K–12 schools to use with their science curriculum. This collaborative effort also incorporates the Cheyenne Dictionary throughout by using QR codes. It is a state-of-the-art, descriptive, and highly teachable resource with an impressive variety of positive attributes.

The first 25 pages of the book include realistic drawings of traditional plants for children to color, along with the English and Cheyenne spelling of each plant and a barcode linking to the Cheyenne Dictionary. Pages 3–19 provide the Cheyenne word directly; then, in the best of teaching practices and gradual release of learning, the next six pages ask the reader to find the Cheyenne word. A super way to get people using the dictionary.

For example, scan the barcode with a cell phone, select “Y” for yarrow, and voilà—find he’haéheséeo’.tse, the Cheyenne spelling. This is an informative, fun-filled, and very quick way to use the book. Just imagine how much fun our students will have (and probably their parents and grandparents as well) using this book for a variety of reasons.

The next ten pages, 26–36, help reinforce the entire plant growth cycle through writing prompts. What is especially impressive is how the creators used Cheyenne values and traditions to teach the growth cycle of plants, a rich resource in the classroom, and now accessible to every person on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Henry notes that you can contact the Extension Office at CDKC and they will try to get you a copy (until they run out; after that, they hope to print more, with possible updates). Exciting. (406) 477 6215.

Coloring. Writing. Learning Cheyenne language, traditions, and norms. Learning science: plants, growth cycles. Having fun. Imagine if every tribe in America had such a resource.

Thank you to the CDKC Extension Service crew for developing this wonderful learning tool.

(Contact Clara Caufield at acheyennevoice@gmail.com)

The post CDKC Extension Service develops Cheyenne Coloring Book first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

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