Many cities and states around the country are choosing to honor the resiliency and contributions of indigenous peoples to United States history in place of the legacy of Christopher Columbus. It is especially important for classrooms to allow space for this conversation in October and November, as the legacy of Columbus as well as the prevailing myth of Thanksgiving take up space and time in the national narrative.
Here are some resources for classroom discussions and literacy lessons.
Younger Grades
In addition to the many books above, including some Spanish books, check out Nina Jaffe’s The Golden Flower: A Taíno Myth from Puerto Rico. There are videos of the book being read aloud online for these remote learning times.
Anne also recommends leading a read-aloud from Jane Yolen’s Encounter. This challenging book offers an excellent lead into the idea of perspective-taking, and its figurative language offers students good practice with the strategies of questioning, visualizing, and inferring.
Older Grades
For older grades, consider honoring Indigenous Peoples Day and looking at the history of holidays in the U.S. and how national historical narratives are created over time. Centering the discussion on the indigenous peoples who shepherd the land today as well as in the past is essential in order to avoid the impression that Native American life and contributions were merely a thing of the past. Share articles like this one about the recent fires in California about the leadership role that indigenous groups continue to play in land stewardship and ecological conservation.
Another option is setting up a “flash debate” on the topic of Indigenous Peoples Day or Columbus Day. Students can listen to one of the multimedia links below to build background information, then read and identify evidence for each argument using this Newsela article, and then prepare their own points for a flash debate the next day in class.
Reading Is Thinking 