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Teaching guides & curricula

 

Buffalohead, Priscilla, Inside the Culture Series. 1988, b/w illustrations.
The goal of these workbooks is to provide students with a better understanding of the contributions of American Indian peoples to the collective intellectual achievements of humanity. The four richly illustrated workbooks include teacher guides and student handouts and activities.

American Indian Astronomy
pb 6.00

 

American Indian Communication Systems
pb 6.00

American Indian Timekeeping Devices
pb 6.00

 

American Indian
Toys and Games
pb 6.00

Designed for fifth-grade students, these can easily be modified for other grades. This series was developed for the American Indian Language and Culture Education Program, Anoka-Hennepin School District, Minnesota State Department of Education, and is illustrated by Red Lake Ojibwe artist Robert DesJarlait.


Buffalohead, Priscilla, Plants and Their Uses by the Chippewa Indian People
Designed for upper elementary students, this booklet can be used to supplement basic science and social studies concepts. But more important, students will gain understanding of how culture influences the ways in which plants, animals and humans are related to each other.

student booklet, pb 6.00
teacher guide, pb 6.00


Buffalohead, Priscilla, Grandmother Spider's Web Series. 1991, b/w illustrations, grades 7-up.
Designed for the secondary level, each of these four workbooks includes a teacher guide, student readings, student activities and bibliography.
Grandmother Spider's Web: Incorporating American Indian Themes into the Secondary Curriculum
pb 11.00
Modern Indian Issues: Repatriation, Religious Freedom, Mascots and Stereotypes, Tribal Sovereign, Tribal Government, Tribal Enterprises, Treaty Rights
pb 11.00
Ojibway Family Life in Minnesota: 20th Century Sketches
pb 11.00
Traditional Indian Stories: Selections from the Ojibway, Cherokee, and Hopi Nations
pb 11.00
This series was developed for the American Indian Language and Culture Education Program, Anoka-Hennepin School District, Minnesota State Department of Education, and is illustrated by Red Lake Ojibwe artist Robert DesJarlait.

Caduto, Michael, and Joseph Bruchac (Abenaki),
Keepers of the Animals: Native American Stories and Wildlife Activities for Children. 1991, b/w photos and illustrations.
pb 20.00
Keepers of Life: Discovering Plants through Native American Stories and Earth Activities for Children. 1994, b/w photos and illustrations.
pb 22.00
Keepers of the Earth: Native American Stories and Activities for Children. 1988, b/w photos and illustrations.
pb 22.00
Keepers of the Night: Native American Stories and Nocturnal Activities for Children. 1994, b/w photos and illustrations.
pb 20.00
Native American Gardening: Stories, Projects and Recipes for Families. 1996, b/w photos and illustrations.
pb 17.00
The “Keepers” books for Native-centered science curriculum —suitable for young (elementary) and older (late middle school) children—include stories that lead to an awareness that all things are related; followed by hands-on activities and discussion that complement the stories. Gardening, also Native-centered, is packed with excellent school-science gardening projects, with explanations of traditional Native gardening practices and several designs for traditional Three Sisters (corn, beans, squash) gardens. These books are highly recommended, especially for classrooms with some gardening space outside.

Desjarlait, Robert, Ni-mi-win: A history of Ojibwe Dance
Beginning with how songs and dance were given to the people and going through the contact period, the reservation period, and the contemporary period.
pb 11.00


Jones, Guy W. (Hunkpapa Lakota), and Sally Moomaw, Lessons from Turtle Island: Native Curriculum in Early Childhood Classrooms. 2002, b/w illustrations.
There are many “multicultural” resource books on the market, and many classroom activity books targeting Native Americans. Most are garbage that teach non-Native kids to “play Indian” by making vests out of paper bags and headdresses out of feather dusters. Here, two long-time educators examine the problems, present clear alternatives, and encourage teachers to include appropriate materials and strategies in countering deeply held stereotypes about Native peoples. Focusing on five cross-cultural themes—children, homes, families, community and environment—the authors discuss cultural similarities and differences, and discuss appropriate and inappropriate children’s literature and activities. For each recommended literature selection they suggest activities in the areas of dramatic play, art, music and cooking, as well as literacy, math, and social studies. Finally, they include guidelines for selecting class guests, literature, materials and toys; a bibliography and discussion of recommended and not-recommended books and materials; and an excellent resource list. After reading this book, we hope that teachers will take careful inventory of what they use in the classroom, think of different things to do with their recycled feather dusters, paper bags and toilet paper rolls, and throw out the garbage that oppresses Indian children.
pb 30.00


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Martinez, Elizabeth (Chicana), and Judy Zalazar Drummond (Pala/Chicana), ¡Viva La Causa! Teaching Kit for Elementary and Secondary School Teachers. 1995, b/w illustrations, grades 5-12.

For use with 500 Años del Pueblo Chicano/500 Years of Chicano History in Pictures and video, ¡Viva la Causa! 500 Years of Chicano History. Seventy pages, divided into 12 themes, each with a synopsis and sample lesson plan that will motivate students to participate in discussions and activities aimed at learning about the Chicano experience. Included is a reading list and other resources. Teaching kit includes book, videos, and two curriculum guides.
set 120.50


Seale, Doris (Santee/Cree), and Beverly Slapin, eds., A Broken Flute: The Native Experience in Books for Children. 2005, b/w illustrations.

A Broken Flute deals with the issue of cultural appropriation in books for children, and evaluates hundreds of books for children and teenagers published from the early 1900s through 2004.

“[A Broken Flute] is as close to comprehensive as a bibliography on a given subject can get, and more brutally honest than anything else out there. Seale, Slapin, and their reviewers and commentators—noted storytellers, poets, fiction writers, scholars, teachers, and student and community activists—take on Newbery and Caldecott medalists and reading-list perennials for their simplistic, stereotype-filled, condescending, and outright false portrayals of American Indians. The reviews are acerbic and entertaining to read. Far longer than those in most journals and bibliographies, the reviews show why a given book succeeds or fails, with quotations from the text followed by extensive analysis. The bulk of A Broken Flute consists of reviews arranged alphabetically. However, preceding this are bibliographic essays on a variety of subjects—the Thanksgiving myth, photo-essays, the Indian boarding schools, buffalo, Coyote, Raven, and dreamcatchers, among others. Equally valuable are the reflections of the reviewers and their children, in the form of essays and poems, about the negative images perpetrated by mainstream society and its educational system as well as their own efforts to make their voices heard. Here, we see concerned parents and grandparents and strong Indian children who have grown up with the good examples that ultimately stand out in this book.”—Multicultural Review

A Broken Flute is the winner of a 2006 American Book Award and a 2006 Skipping Stones Honor Award.
hc 60.00, pb 37.00

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Seale, Doris (Santee/Cree), Beverly Slapin, and Carolyn Silverman (Cherokee/Blackfeet), eds., Thanksgiving: A Native Perspective. 1998 edition, b/w illustrations, all grades.

For Native peoples, thanksgiving comes not once a year, but always, for all the gifts of life. All Native nations have celebrations of the harvest that come from very ancient tradition. The U.S. holiday celebrates and perpetuates a myth which has almost nothing to do with reality, and is a bitter reminder for all Native people of 500 years of betrayal returned for friendship. This sourcebook of essays, speeches, poetry, stories and activities will help teachers and students think critically about what has been, and continues to be, taught as the “first” thanksgiving.
pb 15.00


Slapin, Beverly, ed., CURE Analysis: Houghton Mifflin History/Social Science Series, 1991. 1995 edition.

As part of their argument against the adoption of the Houghton Mifflin history/social science textbook series in 1991, a group of parents, students, educators and community activists calling themselves Communities United against Racism in Education (CURE) analyzed the kindergarten through fifth-grade texts. In an easy-to-read format, this analysis uses quotes from the texts and discusses both blatant and subtle biases and distortions inherent in these passages. We have made this 91-page analysis available in the hope that others will find it useful as a model.
pb 10.00


Slapin, Beverly, and Jean Ishibashi, Classroom Activities and Discussion Guide for Gold, Greed & Genocide: The Untold Tragedy of the California Gold Rush. 2003, grades 6-up.

In the mid-1800s hundreds of thousands of settlers—would-be millionaires—invaded the territory that is now called California. No one was safe from the onslaught. These miners, working for large corporations, blasted away mountains, polluted lakes and streams, massacred, raped, and enslaved the people who lived there. The DVD Gold, Greed & Genocide is told mostly from the perspective of California Indian people whose lives have been and continue to be impacted by the California Gold Rush. The Classroom Activities and Discussion Guide is a companion to the videotape, and is designed to encourage critical thinking and research skills.
pb 10.00, DVD 20.00, set (book and DVD) 30.00


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Slapin, Beverly, and Doris Seale (Santee/Cree), eds., Through Indian Eyes: The Native Experience in Books for Children. (1987), 2006, b/w illustrations.

“[Through Indian Eyes is a] superb collection of articles that together function as a guide to the murky world of ‘children’s books about Indians.’ Poetry, personal recollection, and reviews of books from a Native perspective lead the librarian, teacher and parent to an understanding of the often subtle stereotypes and mythology that abound about Native Americans in children’s literature.”—American Indian Library Association

“It’s an absolutely wonderful resource, containing lots of insights not available in standard reference tools. The format and layout make it very easy to use.”—Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Through Indian Eyes is the winner of a 1999 Skipping Stones Honor Award.
pb 25.00


Slapin, Beverly, Doris Seale (Santee/Cree), and Rosemary Gonzales (Ojibwe), How to Tell the Difference: A Guide for Evaluating Children's Books for Anti-Indian Bias. 1996, b/w illustrations.

Reproduced from Through Indian Eyes: The Native Experience in Books for Children, the goal of this 30-page book is to make it easier for parents, students, teachers or librarians to choose undistorted books about the lives and histories of indigenous peoples.
pb 11.00


Written for the Indian Education Program of the Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School District by classroom teachers, Indian education program staff, and tribal resource people, these 12 units are specific to Northwest California nations.
Book Cover Image

Supahan, Sarah, ed., Indians of Northwest California History/Social Science- and Literature-Based Curriculum Units. 1992, b/w photos and illustrations, grades k-5.

Activities can be used to compare and contrast with other Native peoples, and work well across cultures. Subjects include tribal law, education, technology, housing, and traditional foods. With maps, illustrations, worksheets, games, and student assessments, units correspond to educational frameworks. Five units center on California tribal stories, and corresponding video versions of three stories, Why Coyote Has the Best Eyes, How Panther Got Tear Marks, and Karuk Basketmakers, A Way of Life are available.
curriculum alone, 45.00
curriculum and videos, 120.00

Supahan, Sarah, Points of View vs. Historical Bias: Recognizing Bias in Texts about Native Americans. 1999.
Beginning with a suggested introductory discussion about history textbooks, perspective and bias, this excellent integrated thematic unit provides an opportunity for students to analyze textbook material, alter written texts to change the identified bias, and change the way they learn history.
pb 10.00

Supahan, Sarah, Theft of Fire Curriculum Unit. 1992, b/w illustrations, grades 6-8.

This curriculum-and-video unit uses the traditional Yurok story about stealing fire from the sun to teach about the properties of fire. Activities highlight the complex Native technology of creating fire without matches and the use of fire for land management.
Curriculum and VHS 40.00

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Supahan, Sarah, A Time of Resistance: California Indians During the Mission Period, 1769-1848. 1997, b/w illustrations, grades 4-8.

This integrated thematic unit is essential for fourth-grade teachers with the task of teaching about “California Indians.” It is the only curriculum unit that tells how the Native peoples of what is now called “California” resisted and survived Spanish colonialism.
pb 15.00