The five Big Five middle school outcomes and the five Essential Questions, each with a WALT, an I can statement, and four levels in student language. Import these as their own group so they stay separate from the state standards.
These outcomes come from the John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in
Washington State curriculum, published by the OSPI Office of Native Education in partnership with
Washington’s federally recognized tribes and licensed
CC BY 4.0. Teaching it is required in all
Washington common schools under RCW 28A.320.170. The
curriculum
itself lives at OSPI and is free.
The Big Five are the outcomes OSPI sets for the end of middle school. The five Essential Questions
frame inquiry across a unit rather than grading a single task, so treat them as unit level.
The four level descriptors below are local wording, not OSPI’s. STI is place based by design, so
the strongest version of these names the tribes nearest our schools. Talk with your building or
district STI lead before using them to grade.
STI.MS.1Big Five
Understanding why treaty rights outrank state law
Official standard text
Understand that, according to the U.S. Constitution, treaties are "the supreme law of the land"; consequently treaty rights supersede most state laws.
The Big Five, by the end of middle school
STI.MS.2Big Five
Explaining what tribal sovereignty rests on
Official standard text
Understand that Tribal sovereignty has cultural, political, and economic bases.
The Big Five, by the end of middle school
STI.MS.3Big Five
Explaining which laws reach tribal nations
Official standard text
Understand that Tribes are subject to federal law and taxes, as well as some state regulations.
The Big Five, by the end of middle school
STI.MS.4Big Five
Recognizing that sovereignty differs from nation to nation
Official standard text
Understand that Tribal sovereignty is ever-evolving and therefore levels of sovereignty and status vary from Tribe to Tribe.
The Big Five, by the end of middle school
STI.MS.5Big Five
Tracing how tribal nations defend sovereignty in court
Official standard text
Understand that there were and are frequent and continued threats to Tribal sovereignty that are mostly addressed through the courts.
The Big Five, by the end of middle school
STI.EQ.1Essential Question
Investigating how geography shapes Northwest tribal life
Official standard text
How does the physical geography affect Northwest Tribes' culture, economy, and where they choose to settle and trade?
The Five Essential Questions
STI.EQ.2Essential Question
Comparing the legal status of tribal nations
Official standard text
What is the legal status of the Tribes who negotiated or who did not enter into United States treaties?
The Five Essential Questions
STI.EQ.3Essential Question
Explaining what forced the treaties
Official standard text
What were the political, economic, and cultural forces that led to the treaties?
The Five Essential Questions
STI.EQ.4Essential Question
Explaining how tribal nations protect their ways of life
Official standard text
What are the ways in which Tribes respond to the threats and outside pressure to extinguish their cultures and independence?
The Five Essential Questions
STI.EQ.5Essential Question
Explaining how tribal nations meet their communities’ needs today
Official standard text
What do local Tribes do to meet the challenges of reservation life; and, as sovereign nations, to meet the economic and cultural needs of their Tribal communities?