[kids-lib] Children's Books on Common Core Standards, Appendix B (K-1)

[Katie Anderson]

Hi! I just sent the following email out on the Oregon Association of School Libraries (OASL) listserv and thought that many of you may be interested as well. To learn more about the Common Core Standards, which have been adopted in Oregon, check out the Oregon Department of Education's website: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=2860.


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Hello! I just received the following email about the portrayal of American Indians in the Common Core State Standards. The American Indians in Children's Literature blog is doing a series of posts regarding American Indian Children's Literature and the Common Core Standards, the first is for K-1st Grade.

Here is the link to the full blog post: http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2012/05/american-indians-in-common-core.html

Here are the key things I took away:

  *   Of the 53 books on the Common Core book lists for K-1, only Little House in the Big Woods has Native people in it.
  *   Little House in the Big Woods portrays Native people as "wild men" who Pa stalks and fights. While this might be an historical perspective worth discussing, imagine reading this aloud to young children and it being the only portrayal of American Indians they hear and discuss in school. Imagine how a Native child might feel hearing this read aloud.
  *   Here are three recommended books to read aloud:
     *   Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith--show children that Native children are part of today's society, and that our lives reflect modern American society and our Native societies.
     *   The Good Luck Cat by Joy Harjo--as you turn those pages, you see the girl's Native identity in visual markers throughout the book. Harjo is also Muscogee Creek.  You could pull out a map and show your students where the Muscogee Creek Nation is located. Head over to their website<http://www.muscogeenation-nsn.gov/> and learn all you can about them, and share it with your students.
     *   SkySisters by Jan Bourdeau Waboose-- two Ojibway sisters walk, in the night, to see the SkySpirits (Northern Lights).  As the girls are out, they view the things around them, not from a mainstream American perspective, but from their Ojibway perspective where a rabbit or deer or coyote is more than just an animal in the world.

Questions? Contact Debbie Reese, Ph.D.at  dreese.nambe at gmail.com<mailto:dreese.nambe at gmail.com>

Katie Anderson, Library Development Services
* Youth Services Consultant * Oregon Center for the Book Coordinator *
Oregon State Library, 250 Winter St. NE, Salem, OR 97301
katie.anderson at state.or.us<mailto:katie.anderson at state.or.us>, 503-378-2528
________________________________
From: Debbie Reese [dreese.nambe at gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2012 12:27 PM
To: School Library Media & Network Communications; alsc-l at ala.org; ISLMANET-L (ILLINOIS SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA ASSOCIATION Discussion
Subject: [alsc-l] Children's Books on Common Core, Appendix B

Almost every state in the nation has now adopted the Common Core State Standards. Earlier today, I posted the first of a series of posts in which I look at the books (by grade level), focusing on the portrayals of American Indians in those books. Today, I wrote about the K-1 set, and I provide a synopsis of three books that would greatly enhance the integrity of the list.

I've written it as a "Dear Teacher" letter that you can circulate to teachers in your schools.

http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2012/05/american-indians-in-common-core.html

Thanks,
Debbie
_____________________________________

Debbie Reese, Ph.D.
Tribally enrolled: Nambe Pueblo

Publisher of American Indians in Children's Literature <http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.net>
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/debreese<http://twitter.com/#%21/debreese>
Email: dreese.nambe at gmail.com<mailto:dreese.nambe at gmail.com>





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