Lessons from Turtle Island: Native Curriculum in Early Childhood Classrooms - Softcover

Jones, Guy W.; Moomaw, Sally

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1929610254 ISBN 13: 9781929610259

Publisher: Redleaf Press, 2002

Synopsis

How do you help young children learn more about Native Americans than the cultural stereotypes found in children's books and in the media?

Lessons from Turtle Island is the first complete guide to exploring Native American issues with children. The authors—one Native, one white, both educators—show ways to incorporate authentic learning experiences about Native Americans into your curriculum. This book is organized around five cross-cultural themes—Children, Home, Families, Community, and the Environment. The authors present activities, from children's books they recommend, to develop skills in reading and writing, science, math, make-believe, art, and more. The book provides helpful guidelines and resource lists for selecting appropriate toys, children's books, music, and art, and also includes a family heritage project.

"[A] marvelous tool that should be in every American school."—Joseph Bruchac, author of Heart of a Chief and The Winter People

Guy W. Jones, Hunkpapa Lakota, is a full-blood member of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation. He is a co-founder of the Miami Valley Council for Native Americans in Dayton, Ohio.

Sally Moomaw teaches at the University of Cincinnati. She is the co-author of the More Than . . . curriculum series published by Redleaf Press.

About this title

About the Author

Sally Moomaw is professional development coordinator and adjunct instructor at the Arlitt Child and Family Research and Education Center at the University of Cincinnati. She is also the co-author of the "More Than...Series" and Lessons from Turtle Island: Native Curriculum in Early Childhood Classrooms.

Reviews

Using an accessible, nonjudgmental tone, the authors examine the depiction of Native American peoples in early childhood and primary programs and books. In five chapters, they concentrate on providing suggestions for appropriate literature, materials, and strategies for including contemporary Native cultures in the curriculum. Suggestions underscore the differences and similarities in people. For example, the unit on dance suggests teaming Cynthia Leitich Smith's Jingle Dancer with Karen Ackerman's Song and Dance Man or Kate Waters's Lion Dancer. The book also encourages adults to learn more about cultures so that they can understand the significance of traditions and artifacts before incorporating them into art projects. (It is very easy to introduce activities that mock the very traditions that well-meaning individuals attempt to honor.) Black-and-white photographs and line drawings help clarify the concepts and tasks. There is a short section on "problem" books like Susan Jeffers's Brother Eagle, Sister Sky. Team this valuable, informative resource with Beverly Slapin and Doris Seale's extensive (but somewhat dated) Through Indian Eyes: The Native Experience in Books for Children (Univ. of California, 1998) and Karen Harvey and Lisa Harjo's excellent How to Teach about American Indians: A Guide for the School Library Media Specialist (Greenwood, 1995).
Dona J. Helmer, College Gate School Library, Anchorage, AK
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Redleaf Press
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1929610254
• ISBN 13: 9781929610259
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208