How to Teach about American Indians A Guide for the School Library Media Specialist

Subjects:

• Library & Information Science » Children's & Young Adult School Services
• Library & Information Science » Children's & Young Adult School Services -- Curriculum & Instruction

Reviews:

• Very thoughtful and useful, [this book] is intended for school library media specialists to assist K-12 teachers and students in assessing, selecting, and using accurate and authentic instructional materials regarding American Indians and their treatment. As a catalyst, it will also help media specialists and teachers develop more coordinated instructional methods, materials, and activities designed to overcome the repetitious, inaccurate, and stereotypical curricula about American Indians found in many schools. Encouraging multicultural, interdisciplinary, and critical approaches, this guide offers topical chapters on Indian lands, environments, peoples, cultures, religious and spiritual practices, celebrations, literatures, histories, tribal governments, Indian policies, contemporary lifestyles, and community resources. With a good list of American Indian organizations, substantial references, and a useful index, this book is a cornucopia of sources, materials, and activities. Essential for current and future library media specialists and K-12 teachers.
  —
  Choice
• ...excellent.
  —School Library Journal January 2003
• Written for school media specialists (K-12), this book offers guidelines for assisting teachers in planning instruction about North American Indian culture, history and current events, including tribal government...scholarly and well-written...
  —The Book Report
• A valuable reference tool to move a school toward a coordinated curriculum, without gaps or overlaps, while providing general knowledge about American Indian cultures and history...Attitudes and behaviors of both teachers and students should change as a result of the lessons in this book. A wealth of current information gathered together by experts, including practical aspects of how to select instructional materials and how to create interdisciplinary units, makes this an invaluable tool to end inaccurate teaching of stereotypes and misinformation, from elementary to high school settings.
  —
  Emergency Librarian
• This important, long-overdue book points out that Hollywood created an image that still exists, but that, by utilizing the information found in this excellent source, we can change the stereptypical image of the American Indian....This book will inform students about the American Indian in a truthful manner, while maintaining the dignity of an Native American students who may be in a class, much as sensitivity workshops do....Although the title indicates that this resource is a 'guide for the school library media specialist'...it also belongs in college and university libraries with ethnic studies programs.
  —MultiCultural Review

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
• The Role of the School Library Media Specialist
• A Model for the Educator: What Is Worth Teaching
• Guidelines for Selection of Instructional Materials
• Guidelines for Instructional Activities
• An Interdisciplinary Approach to Teaching About American Indians
• The Land, the Environment, and the People
• Teaching About Culture: Arts, Crafts, Music, Games, Dance, Homes, and Foods
• Teaching Religion and Spiritual Practices
• Teaching Holidays
• Teaching and Using Literature
• Teaching History
• Teaching Government and Indian Policy
• Teaching About Contemporary Life
• Using Community Resources
• Epilogue