Language Arts Teacher Ms. Harper wanted to take her Junior Language Classes on a journey. She wanted to place inside their minds some understanding of the Native American History. She wanted her students to have a better understanding of the Indian stories they had been reading in class. So Ms. Harper brought in someone who is very dear to her heart--her mom, Stephanie Harper.

Each of the Junior classes used their period to experience some exciting history, taught by Mrs. Stephanie Harper who loves learning about U.S. History and the history of the Native Americans. "I have always been interested in the United States history, but I am fascinated by the Native Americans. I think we are so similar but incredibly different," she explained. "There is something about the the Native Americans. They were able to live off the land for many generations--hard workers and just good people."

Mrs. Stepahnie Harper said, "The tribes were filled with solidarity--they all got along so well. I loved there was no sense of ownership. The tribe owns things, but as a collective tribe family the ownership of the tribe excels the ownership of an individual." Mrs. Harper came and brought her insight to enlighten the students to really give them a chance to put themselves in what the Natives did, and how they lived their lives every day.

She started out by having all the students gather in a circle around a nice warm "fire" while she shared her myth she made about why the coyote howls at a full moon. Then she had some Native American artifacts to show the students. After that she had some plants and herbs the Indians would use. Some of the plants and herbs were for eating purposes and others for health reasons. Then Mrs. Harper gathered all the students to bring them outside to teach them a couple of ways the Indians would make fires with a bow and then flint and steel. The first way was not easy. In the time period the students had they were not able to start the fire, but the second one took some arm muscle and it was started in no time. Last Mrs. Harper took the students back inside and showed them an instrument and pictures of Indian emblems. To the students' disappointment, the bell rang after that.

The lesson was not wasted. Students loved what they saw and heard. Some top favorites were her myth and the fire starting.

Junior Jamie Fitzwater said, "My favorite part was when we went outside and started the fires because it was really neat to see how she did that and how there were two different ways, the flint and the steel and with the bow. I also loved the herbs and the artifacts. The one artifact I really liked was the drum. To me it was really neat to feel the hide and how tight the weaving was on the back." She also said she loved Mrs. Harper's myth and thought it to be really creative. Students themselves had just finished writing their own myths and delivering them in class.

For some being able to start the fire was a really awesome feeling.

Junior Huston Jack, who started the fire for his language class, said, "It wasn't easy to start the fire but we finally got it going. I thought it was interesting, once they got the charcoal paper lit they had to pick the pile of kindling to blow on it."

With all that work some think it wouldn't be to hard to live back then. Junior Lena Jones said, "Some of the things they did seemed really easy, and the way they just were so much calmer back then. One thing that would be really challenging was they would wear animal fur and I don't like wearing animal fur so for me that would be really hard."

The lesson was able to tie together history and English in a package students could appreciate. Mrs. Stephanie Harper said, "I think young men and women need to learn about history. If they don't learn from the mistakes before they are just going to have to learn it over and over again."

The lessons learned from Mrs. Harper will be embedded inside the students forever. It was a chance for the students to really get a feel for the Native Americans and how important they are to this world today. There ways were different from the ways the world is now, but who knows? Maybe this world could learn a few things from the Native Americans.