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Dakota Life | Educational Resources

Welcome to the Dakota Life Educational Resource Page. Below, you will find activity ideas, lesson plans, and other resources to extend our Dakota Life series into the classroom. Depending on the amount of time available, you could have your class create a video, or if you have less time, have them complete an activity like making an infographic.
Dakota Life features historical and current stories about interesting South Dakota people, places, and things. New episodes are on TV and online on the second Thursday of each month, September - June.

— Educational Resources —

Activity Idea: Below is an interactive book made with Book Creator.

  • Like the producers of Dakota Life, your students can highlight your school, community, or region during this activity.
  • They should create an interactive book using a program like Book Creator. Features like photos, text, links, audio, and video should be included.
  • First, they should select a specific historical fact or location in their region and design and create a book.
  • Or, they can keep it more open and generic by featuring many things about your location.

Book Creator is an online tool used to design and create a book. There are many resources available on the site for you and your students. Below are a few places to start.

Activity Idea: Create an Infographic

Dakota Life infographic with three pictures, one of two two-metal horse sculptures, the second of a train by Miller, SD, and the third of an antique metal plow. The infographic includes the following text: SDPB's Dakota Life is a television show that explores the unique people, places, and things that make South Dakota special. For over 25 seasons, Dakota Life has featured stories about various aspects of South Dakota, including its history, culture, arts, and sports. CREATE AN INFOGRAPHIC - Like the producers of Dakota Life, you can highlight your school, community, or region. Create an infographic using a program like Canva. Select a specific historical fact or location in your region and create the infographic. Or, keep it more open and generic by featuring many things about your location.

Don't have enough time to create a book in your classroom? Then have your students make an Infographic.

  • Like the producers of Dakota Life, you can highlight your school, community, or region. Create an infographic using a program like Canva.
  • Select a specific historical fact or location in your region and create the infographic.
  • Or, keep it more open and generic by featuring many things about your location.
  • Canva Courses
  • Canva Education
  • Example Infographics from PBS NATURE

A Traditional Way to Tell a Story

Photo of Red Horse winter count from the Buechel Memorial Lakota Museum in Saint Francis, South Dakota.

Waniyetu Wowapi (winter count) A winter count is a pictographic record of historical/memorable events for a tiospaye (community). Like SDPB's Dakota Life series, the winter count preserves history. Significant events are recorded for future generations. The pictures, which are used as mnemonic devices, are arranged in chronological order. Learn more about winter counts and create a Class Winter Count (lesson plans) in your classroom.

Editing Photos

Photo of a bleached buffalo skull in the Badlands of South Dakota. The ground beneath the skull is cracked. The photo was taken by Arthur Rothstein in 1936. Photo in the Library of Congress Archives.
Arthur Rothstein/Library of Congress

Editing Photos: Great Depression Skull Photo Still Sparks Debate: Producing a video series like Dakota Life requires editing photos.

During this activity, your students will learn about Farm Security Administration photographer Arthur Rothstein’s famous 1936 bleached steer skull and other staged/edited images and then use a photo editing program or other techniques to manipulate a photo to convey a given feeling or expression.

Video Project

A wood sign that says My Dakota Life is sitting on the grassland.
SDPB

Example Educational Resources:

My Dakota Life Video Project: There are many Dakota Life episodes below; select a few to view with your class. Discuss how the producers tell a story by incorporating features like photos, music, interviews, B-roll (supplemental video footage edited with the main video), text, graphics, and transitions.

Your students will create a 1-2 minute video about your community. It can be about a historical event, a local hero, a celebration, or any topic they want to highlight. Like the Dakota Life episodes, the videos could include features like music, text/voiceover to convey the message, interviews, an opening and closing, and transitions from one frame to the next.

There are many free video editing programs available online. You can even use a program like PowerPoint to make videos. Please check with your school's technology department for advice on selecting the best program for your class.

Many educational resources for making classroom videos are available on SDPB's PBS LearningMedia (examples left).

Watch the latest episodes of Dakota Life
Greetings from Eureka
We travel to Eureka for this episode of Dakota Life
Dakota Life Honors South Dakota Veterans
The Dakota Thunder Air Show, Lakota Code Talker and sculptures Sheri Treeby and Lee Luening.
Greetings from Newell
SDPB travels to Newell to learn the history of this town and the people that make it a great.
Yellow Jacket Rodeo
Yellow Jacket Rodeo "A Gritty Bunch"
Doodle 4 Google Winner
Ten-year -old Bria Neff from Sioux Falls won the South Dakota Doodle 4 Google Art Contest
Watch the latest Dakota Life stories
Watch more stories from Dakota Life
Past Seasons of Dakota Life
Click to watch past seasons of Dakota Life!