Pocahontas: Analyzing Myths & Stereotypes

Pocahontas is just one figure out of American History whose story has been shaped and reshaped by events rather than facts.

In an effort to teach Middle School students an integrative history curriculum while encouraging their academic as well as personal growth, I have compiled the following curriculum based on analyzing the Myths versus Realities of the story of Pocahontas.

This lesson plan allows for students to investigate a historical figure in depth and then analyze why there are several accounts of the same story.

Students are encouraged to consider social expectations and beliefs such as stereotypes in American history and then ponder whether these same stereotypes are acted upon in society today.

Overview:

1) Once in teams, students will each analyze one historical point of view about the story of Pocahontas.
2) Teams will debate a series of discussion questions based on their "prior point of view" research.
3) Together, the class will contemplate the differeing origins of points of view of each team.
4) Students will spend time journaling alone and then reflecting as a group as to how historical lenses, i.e., points of view
influence stereotypes.
5) Students will view the Disney film "Pocahontas."

This curriculum will incorporate four main aspects that are helpful for teaching at the Middle School level:

1) Group/Team work allows for all students to participate, but also interact and voice opinions.
2) Students will analyze the significance that the source of information plays.
3) Reflection time/Group Advisory is essential in discussing stereotypes (ex.: Native Americans as savages).
4) The lesson will culminate with a viewing of Disney's Pocahontas. Students will evaluate the historical accuracy of the film and discuss its potential impact on audiences.

Subject: Pocahontas
- Analyzing several opinions about the story of Pocahontas' life.
- Considering how point of view determines a historical analysis of a figure or event… how does point of view sway stereotypes?

Time: Approximately Six Days

Day #1: Introduce the topic of study in general: Pocahontas

a) What are students' impressions of this historical figure? Who, what, where, when, why, how?
b) From where have they obtained their opinions?
c) Use KWL chart… What you Know/What you Want to know/What you've Learned

Day #2: Break the class into four teams

a) Native American Opinion
b) Encyclopedia description
c) University Research
d) Historian/guru

- Introduce students to the website from which they will be working.
- Read through lesson format.
- Allow students to browse through their websites and get acclimated with using the computer as a research tool.

Day #3: Teams spend time answering the questions that have been outlined for their research.

Day #4: Have teams share their answers to research questions in a class discussion/forum

a) What do students notice about the answers from various teams? Do they correlate with each other?
b) What might account for these findings?
c) What research may we accept as factual?

Day #5: ** Begin discussion of the significance of point of view on stereotypes represented.

- From where do these stereotypes descend?
- Include Paintings, website portraits in discussion.
- Spend time journaling and then in Small group advisory discussing roots of stereotypes.

Day #6: Watch Disney movie "Pocahontas" (81 minutes)
a) Students will journal for no more than five minutes and make predictions as to what historical evidence the film will support and what they believe will be falsified or left out.
b) Have students keep a list of accurate versus inaccurate pieces of information presented (2 columns on loose-leaf paper.)
c) As a class, rate the movie for entertainment value versus historical accuracy.

Standards Fulfilled:

How might this movie impact an audience's understanding of Native American history?
- An in depth analysis of European colonization of the New World including the following topics:
a) Purpose for colonizing.
b) Impressions of Native Americans.
c) Goals for and purpose of civilizing Native Americans.
- Allowing for Native American viewpoints of this historical time story.
- How might this movie impact an audience's development of stereotypes?
d) Present Native American view points during this period rather than simply European viewpoints.
e) Truth about relationships between Native American's and European colonists.

Materials:

1) Four computers with Internet access.
2) Disney's film, "Pocahontas" and a TV/VCR.

Motivation & Prediction:

- My purpose for choosing this lesson was to provide students with the opportunity to test out historical inaccuracies and determine for themselves what they will believe.
I wanted to encourage self-development at this critical adolescent age. The topic of stereotyping is essential to conquer.
- It is my prediction that students will become excited about working in groups, actively accessing sources off of the internet, and stay consumed in class discussion because the topic is unique to other history lessons:
It challenges what they learn rather than preaches what they learn.
- I hope that students will indulge themselves in the small group advisory and pose heated discussions pertaining to stereotyping and how it is significant to United States history in general as well as to this event. - I hope students will think inwardly about what they have learned and will learn and question the source of information and how it applies to their opinions.

Procedure:

1) Once in teams, students will each analyze one historical point of view about the story of Pocahontas.
2) Teams will debate a series of discussion questions based on their prior "point of view" research.
3) Together, the class will contemplate the differing origins of points of view of each team.
4) Students will spend time journaling alone and then reflecting as a group as to how historical lenses, i.e., points of view influence stereotypes.
5) Students will view the Disney film Pocahontas and evaluate its historical value versus its entertainment value. (Prior to viewing the film, students will make predictions in their journal as to what historical evidence the film will support and what they believe will be falsified or left out).

Follow-Up:

- Students will be expected to consider the origins of opinion presented about each major historical figure in class discussion.
They will consider what events prior to or following that person's life determined points of view about the figure.
- This lesson may be integrated into other portions of the curriculum as well:
a) Science: Was the Disney movie's presentation of Virginia accurate for the time period in which Pocahontas lived?
What made European colonists reliant upon the Native Americans, i.e., diseases, food shortage, etc.
b) Math: Distance, population, size of ships, perimeter of forts, circumference of Native American villages might all be applicable to math formulas.
c) English/Language Arts: Poems and Stories by Native American authors would be appropriate to give students background in a point of view rarely presented or read in school classrooms.

Team #1 (Native American Opinions)
http://www.powhatan.org/pocc.html
http://www.k2nesoft.com/powhatan/
http://indy4.fdl.cc.mn.us/~isk/poca/pocahont.html

Team #2 (Encyclopedia)
www.encyclopedia.com/articles/10315.html
http://www.apva.org/history/pocahont.html

Team #3 (University Research)
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/POCA/Pocanew3.html

Team #4 (Historian/guru)
http://www.univie.ac.at/Anglistik/easyrider/data/pages/pocahontas/histomyth.htm
http://www.theweboftime.com/Issue-1/Poca/OPCAHO~1.html
http://www.geocities.com/matoaka1595/poca_main.html

Each team must search their web sites and discuss the following questions based on the point of view expressed on the web sites:

1) What was Pocahontas' real name?
a) What did her real name mean?
b) From what tribe did she identify?
c) What other name was Pocahontas later called (prior to getting married)?
- Why? What are the origins of this name?

2) Who was John Smith?
a) What adjectives are used to describe his personality?
b) Why did he travel to the New World?
c) How long after he was "saved" by Pocahontas did Smith write of this account?
d) Where else has the story of Smith's rescue by Pocahontas been documented?

3) Who was John Rolfe?
a) Did John Rolfe fall in love with Pocahontas or did Pocahontas fall in love with John Rolfe?
b) What did John Rolfe demand/request Pocahontas do before they wed?
c) Why did John Rolfe make this demand/request? To benefit whom?

4) Where and with whom did Pocahontas travel around the age of 20?
a) Who asked her to travel?
b) What was the purpose of her journey? Did it benefit Native Americans or Europeans?

5) Why was John Smith to be executed?
a) Why did Pocahontas cover his body and, therefore save his life?
b) What were relations like between Native Americans and Europeans following this event?
c) Why was Pocahontas captured?
d) What resulted between Native Americans and Europeans?

1) Why might each source have a different explanation for the events surrounding the life of Pocahontas?
http://www.lehigh.edu/~sat4/poca/pocahontas.htm

2) Why would Rolfe not wish to marry Pocahontas until she was baptized?
- Did she choose to convert to Christianity or was she forced? Consider European efforts to civilize/Christianize.
3) Why is the image of Pocahontas being baptized displayed in the capitol? Why not any other image?
- What does this image represent for Americans?
http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/rotunda/baptism_pocahontas.htm

After viewing the Disney film "Pocahontas":
1) Why might United States history want to paint a picture that Native Americans and Europeans were friends?
- Consider the origins of John Smith's execution (was it ritual or real?)
- In the last scene, the dog and the racoon swap clothing.
- Pocahontas (and others) carry food to the Europeans prior to Smith leaving.

2) In the scene where John Smith calls Pocahontas a "savage," how does she respond?
a) Why does John Smith say that she needs to be civilized?
b) How might Native Americans have been civilized?
- religion (Christianity versus spirit-based)
- clothing
- education

3) What does it suggest that the film portrays Smith as a "friend of the Indians?" Was he?
- Previous class discussion

STEREOTYPES
Refer to the following link to further class discussion/Advisory
http://bellproject.educ.queensu.ca/tint/postmodernism/pocacrit.html