Legends of the Elders Handbook: For Teachers, Homeschoolers, and Parents

Joan A. Lovisek, Ph.D., is a consulting anthropologist and
ethnohistorian in British Columbia.

Legends of the Elders Handbook is a guidebook of lesson plans designed
to assist young students when studying a series of four companion books
of legends. More Legends of the Elders is one of those books.

Legends of the Elders Handbook helps students to learn about
multicultural societies, and to gain a deeper understanding of
traditional Native lifestyles and lore. In their brief introduction, the
authors note that in traditional times legends were not just told to
anyone who asked, nor could anyone tell the stories. The bulk of the
book consists of one-page lesson plans. Each page identifies the
Aboriginal group, curriculum connection (e.g., language arts, drama,
social studies), and grade. Each lesson plan is divided into objectives,
background focus questions, and activities. The instructional notes are
brief but informative. The book contains a glossary of terms, Indian
Nations and culture areas (geographic), and suggested readings.

More Legends of the Elders is one of the four books that contain some
of the stories in the handbook. Twenty brief stories are divided into
three sections: “Entertainment Legends,” “Tribal Origin
Legends,” and “Instructional Legends.”

These books are well presented, although not elaborate. While both
books would have benefited from more background on Aboriginal culture
and communities, they are a useful tool for helping students see the
world through the stories of other cultures.