ARCHIVED NDNAEU LESSON

Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back

Elementary (K–5) · Social Studies · NDNAEU 1, 2, 7

This lesson is preserved from Teachings of Our Elders. Its original standards and instructional content are historical; review alignment, source availability, cultural protocols, and suitability for your learners before use.

[link unavailable; checked 2026-10-15] Inquiry Design Model (IDM) Blueprint™

Thirteen Moons on Turtles Back

NDNAEU 1 “Sacred Relatives”, NDNAEU 2 “Learning & Storytelling”, NDNAEU 7 “Native Identity”

Compelling Question	How can you keep track of time if you don’t have a watch or calendar?
Standards and Practices	ND Social Studies Standards: H.K_2.1 Compare perspectives of people in the past to those of people in the present. G.K_2.1 Describe how the physical environment affects people and how people affect the physical environment.
Staging the Question	How did early Indigenous people keep track of time?

Supporting Question 1	Supporting Question 2	Supporting Question 3
Read the book, Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back by Joseph Bruchac. What does each legend have in common?	Can you locate the geographical region of each “moon” tribe based upon clues within the legend?	Why did some Native people use a turtle’s back as a calendar?
Formative Performance Task	Formative Performance Task	Formative Performance Task
Using a Venn diagram, choose two legends and list differences in each legend plus commonalities.	Find the geographical location of three of the legends using clues held within the legend. Use a search engine to confirm your hunch and bookmark the website or copy and paste the link into a document.	Read “A Note About This Book” on the last page of Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back. Using a search engine, find other moon legends or names that may not have been listed in Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back. Write a short summary about one of the stories that you find using your own words or make a list of other moon names and state the tribe.
Featured Sources	Featured Sources	Featured Sources
https://www.amazon.com/Thirteen-Moons-Turtles-Back-American/dp/0698115848/ref=sr_1_1?crid=26XGWENG6ER8&dchild=1&keywords=thirteen+moons+on+turtles+back&qid=1595963478&sprefix=thirteen+moo%2Caps%2C192&sr=8-1 [link unverified; checked 2026-10-15]	None	https://www.wwu.edu/planetarium/a101/indianmoons.shtml#Sioux

SUMMATIVE PERFORMANCE TASK: Supported Claim (written/spoken) or Demonstration of Process (project-based)	Which moons legend originated in North Dakota? State the legend and support your reasoning with facts.
SUMMATIVE PERFORMANCE TASK: Extension	Create a calendar using symbols from the thirteen moons listed in Joseph Bruchac’s book.
Taking Informed Action / Real World Application	Compare and contrast the Indigenous moon names to the current lunar calendar. https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/phases/

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