Overview
Lesson 1: Introduction to Relationships between Humans and the Environment
Lesson 2: Berries in the Ecosystem
Lesson 3: Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Lesson 4: Historic versus Contemporary Landscapes
Lesson 5: Responsibility of Society
Standards
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
- EL.03.RE.07—Listen to, read, and understand a wide variety of grade-level informational and narrative (story) text.
- EL.03.RE.08—Demonstrate listening comprehension of more complex text through discussions.
- EL.03.RE.32—Ask questions and support answers by connecting prior knowledge with literal information found in, and inferred from, the text.
- EL.03.RE.34—Take part in creative response to text, such as dramatizations and oral presentations.
CD Segments to Play
Background
The native kinds of blackberries are very small and they grow very low to the ground. The blackberries that people think of are large patches of blackberries, which grow very high in big bushes. This kind of blackberries is considered an exotic species. When these blackberries start growing, they grow over the native blackberries that grow very to the ground, the non-native blackberries shade the smaller berries and drink all of the water and nutrients found in the ground. Non-native species are a very big danger to berries and to many other plants.
Suggested Strategies
- In preparation for today, if the season allows (or buy frozen) bring in some raspberries, blackberries and huckleberries (blueberries are similar to huckleberries and probably easier to find). Bring in enough so all the students can sample the berries.
Activities
1. Listen
Re-listen to Sacred Landscape segment, Wisdom of the Elders Radio: Series 3, Program 6, Warm Springs.
2. Discuss
Ask: Does anyone know what Judy BlueHorse-Skelton was talking about when she mentioned the three sisters, corn, beans and squash?
To the native people back east, these 3 plants were planted together. In addition to the nutrients provided to the people, the 3 sisters helped each other to grow. Seeds were planted together in the same mounds and they worked together to help each other grow: the corn provided a stalk for the beans to grow around, the beans provided nutrients to the soil and the squash provided a natural insecticide. Unlike these 3 sisters, the raspberries, blackberries and huckleberries are not planted in a garden and they don’t grow together in the same way; however, to the people of the Pacific Northwest they are very much as important.
Ask: What are some of the dangers to the berries?
Give each student a chance to share their answer with the class, either by showing their drawing or reading their homework assignment.
Tie the students’ answers to these known threats:
- Clear cutting (logging an area of all of the trees). While a clear cut does take an area backwards to secondary succession and allows shrubs, like the berries, the ability to come back, non-native (exotic) species are easily able to overpopulate an area
- Plants that don’t normally grow in an area are called exotic species or invasive species. These kinds of plants take over an area of land and don’t allow things like berries to grow. Blackberries are a good example of an exotic species if they live in your area.
Ask: Has anyone been blackberry picking? Where do you go?
- People who go out and pick berries for big factories are called commercial harvesters. These people are paid by the pound for the berries, so the faster they can pick the berries, the more money they make. These people aren’t worried about leaving berries for the birds and other wildlife and they don’t worry about if the plant is able to grow again next year with more berries. All they are concerned about is getting as many berries as they can so they can make money to feed their families. The companies that buy the berries are only worried about having enough berries to sell to stores.
- There are things called mechanical pickers. These are machines that go out and destroy the berry bushes. This is also part of the commercial harvesting. In some areas, there are laws that prevent the use of mechanical pickers because they know that mechanical pickers harm the berry bushes.
- People often hike in areas where berry bushes grow; some people trample the bushes so they can’t grow next year.
- Garbage and other pollution destroys the places where native berries grow.
Ask: Why is it important to save the native blackberries, raspberries and huckleberries? Write their answers on the board.
Ask: Is it important to save these berries for Native Americans? Write their answers on the board.
Depending upon their answers, Ask: Is it important for you to have Christmas? What if all the things that your family needs to celebrate Christmas were gone?
Remind the students about the special Huckleberry Feasts. Remind the students of the food web and the dependence that all things have on each other.
Ask: Whose job is it to make sure that blackberries, raspberries and huckleberries are able to grow. Whose job is it to make sure that in 100 years that berries are still here?
2. Handout
At this point, pass out enough berries so each student can sample all three. As they eat these delicious berries, have them draw a picture illustrating who should protect the berries.
By the completion of this series, the students should be able to discuss the importance of berries to people; to the food web and the environment, as well as the cultural importance that these berries have to the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.
EXTENDING THE LESSON/REFERENCES
Books
Cameron, Anne. Raven Goes Berrypicking. ISBN-10: 1550170368; ISBN-13: 9781550170368.
Carlisi, Alison. The Forest and the Fire. ISBN-10: 094123231X; ISBN-13: 978-0941232319
Huffmon, Betty and Teri Sloat (Illustrator). Berry Magic. ISBN-10: 0882405756; ISBN-13: 978-0882405759
