American Indians of the Plains: Surviving the Great Expanse - Softcover

Jennifer Prior

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1493830708 ISBN 13: 9781493830701

Publisher: Teacher Created Materials, 2016

Synopsis

The Primary Source Readers series will ignite students' interest in history through the use of intriguing primary sources. This nonfiction reader features purposefully leveled text to increase comprehension for different learner types. Students will learn about American Indians of the Plains including the Cheyenne, Crow, and Comanche tribes, and many others. Text features include captions, a glossary, and an index to help build academic vocabulary and increase reading comprehension and literacy. This book prepares students for college and career readiness and aligns with state standards including NCSS/C3, McREL, and WIDA/TESOL.

About this title

About the Author

Jennifer Prior has written over 100 educational books for teachers and children, covering literacy, language arts, social studies, and early childhood education. Her instructional resources include Focused Reading Intervention, Targeted Reading Intervention, Exploring Nonfiction, Exploring Writing, and Write Time for Kids®, as well as her textbooks Family Involvement in Early Childhood Education: Research into Practice and Environmental Print in the Classroom: Meaningful Connections for Learning to Read.
For students, she has authored children’s informational books such as America’s Natural Landmarks, Rocky Mountain States, and Polar Regions Through Time, along with science and social studies titles in partnership with TIME for Kids® and recent works like Our Grand Canyon.
Jennifer’s books combine classroom-tested strategies with engaging, real-world connections. She is a former classroom teacher and has been a professor of education at Northern Arizona University for over 20 years.
Outside of writing, Jennifer enjoys creative, hands-on pursuits. She sings, cooks, crafts artisanal soaps, and makes pine needle baskets, which can be seen at the annual Flagstaff Open Studios art show. She lives in Flagstaff, AZ, with her husband, their dog Monica, and cats Mary and Chad.

Reviews

Gr 3–5—Each title covers four subjects as they relate to each group of Native Americans: their geographical region, how the region's resources influenced their culture, first contact with white settlers and its effects on tribal life, and tribal life today. The end of one chapter segues easily into the first part of the next chapter. For instance, in Plains, the second chapter, "The Hunt for Buffalo," ends with a description of ways in which the Comanche interpreted changes in nature as portends for finding buffalo. The next chapter, "Plains Culture," begins by elaborating on tribal religion. At times, the constant shifting from one tribe to another and back again is distracting. In addition, the tendency to group tribes together ("Many of these tribes exist today. Life has changed for them, and the tribes remain strong.") unnecessarily homogenizes the complex and diverse histories of each group. While a number of consultants are listed for each title, there are no tribal ones. In all titles, the writing is complemented by a bevy of paintings, maps, and photographs. VERDICT These general overviews provide very little new information. A supplemental purchase.

Edition details

• Publisher: Teacher Created Materials
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1493830708
• ISBN 13: 9781493830701
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32