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American Indian/Alaska Native StudentsWisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Resource List7/18/2008 (Draft)

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RESOURCES FOR WORKING WITH AMERICAN INDIAN/ALASKA NATIVE STUDENTS

RESOURCES

American Indian Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

"The American Indian Studies Program works to foster an environment in which the university community can discover, examine, and appreciate the cultures, traditions, and values that reflect the many contributions American Indians have made and continue to make to the quality of life in contemporary society. The program provides information, referral, and consultation to students, faculty, staff, and citizens throughout the state. A major focus of the program is to facilitate the development of leadership among Indian students to enhance their academic success and assist them in becoming involved in contributing to their communities. An essential component of our mission is to focus attention and direct the resources of the University of Wisconsin to improve the lives of Wisconsin Indian people."

American Indian Studies Program at WI DPI

The American Indian Studies Program at the Department of Public Instruction exists primarily to assist with the implementation of the curricular requirements in the areas of American Indian history, culture, and tribal sovereignty. The program is also responsible for American Indian Language and Culture Education.

American Indians: Answers to Today’s Questions. Jack Utter. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, OK. 2001

[excerpted from Amazon.com] Who is Indian? Who is a Native American? What are Indian self-determination and sovereignty? What defines an Indian tribe? These and more than one hundred other questions are asked and answered in this critically acclaimed overview of Indian country. The second edition of Jack Utter's classic work covers the hottest issues facing Indians today: tribal sovereignty, gaming, water rights, treaty rights, cultural rights, and the evolving history of federal Indian policy. Available for $21.95 plus s/h through University of Oklahoma Press at

American Indian Tribal Government. 1990. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Set of 3 units, $9/set.

Three secondary-level units describe the organization and operation of American Indian tribal governments; the history of cooperation, conflict, and cultural exchange between American Indians and European settlers; federal Indian law, treaties, tribes, and tribal membership; and the concept of "Indian Country." American Indian Tribal Government contains 12 teacher resource units and advice on using the book over two class periods. Current Federal Indian Law and Its Precedents and Indian-White Relations: Historical Foundations includes narratives to explain concepts and activities. For information on ordering a copy, please contact Publication Sales at 800-243-8782.

Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) at the US Department of the Interior (formerly known as the Office of Indian Education Programs – OIEP)

The Bureau of Indian Education is the office responsible for coordinating the education services of the Bureau of Indian Affairs schools (both tribal grant and bureau schools).

Classroom Activities on Chippewa Treaty Rights. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. 1991This publication helps students learn about different interpretations of events in historical and current North America. Designed to be used in conjunction with other available history studies, these activities introduce students in grades 4 through 12 to the Chippewa Indians' treaty rights to hunt, fish, and gather. Nine activities at each level cover the U.S.-Indian relationship during the treaty-making era, the establishment of reservations, the erosion of Chippewa rights and culture in the 20th century, court decisions upholding Chippewa rights, and the current roles of the six bands. $27. For more information, please contact Publication Sales, (800) 243-8782.

Classroom Activities on Wisconsin Indian Treaties and Tribal Sovereignty. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. 1996.

Classroom Activities on Wisconsin Indian Treaties and Tribal Sovereignty enables teachers to present the highly complicated topic of Indian sovereignty at the state and national levels. It offers extensive materials about the 11 tribes and bands in Wisconsin with Indian commentary from the time of each treaty. The book also includes public documents that reflect the changes in the traditional lives of Wisconsin Indians. Essays, dozens of historical photographs, and illustrations enrich the text. This Wisconsin Library Association award-winning publication offers teachers solid ideas and potential lessons for the elementary, middle, and high school levels. $54. For information on ordering a copy, please contact Publication Sales at 800-243-8782.

Collected Wisdom: American Indian Education. By Linda Miller Cleary and Thomas D. Peacock. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. 1998

[excepted book description from Amazon.com] This book captures the collected wisdom of nearly 60 teachers of American Indian students, their frustrations, joys and challenges. It provides in a very real way, a portrait of the issues that challenge these students, as well as the successes some teachers have in working with American Indian students. It provides new and fresh perspectives on learning styles and literacy issues. It is also the first book to confront issues of historic oppression and its impact on contemporary Indian education [end excerpt]. Around $50, depending upon which bookstore or online bookseller you use.

Connecting Cultures & Classrooms: K-12 Curriculum Guide. Developed by Sandra Fox. Montana Office of Public Education and the NationalIndianSchool Board Association. 2006.

A K-12 curriculum guide developed for teachers in Montana as a resource for implementing Montana’s Indian Education for All, the legal provision that requires the inclusion of aspects of Montana Indian cultures into the K-12 school curriculum. Tied to Montana’s state content standards, the guide promotes the use of Indian literature as an instructional tool. Patterned after the Creating Sacred Places curriculum developed by the National Indian School Board Association. Free download. 197 pages.

Creating Sacred Places Series. By Sandra Fox. NationalIndianSchool Board Association (NISBA).

A series of books comprising a culturally relevant curriculum, covering a variety of grade ranges that provide teachers with the background, materials and activities for science-based, social studies/history-based and language art-based thematic units. A separate book for math-based units for grades 9-12 is also available. A rich series of resources for classroom teachers and curriculum directors. $25 per book, plus shipping/handling. Order form available from NISBA by calling 406-883-3603 or by going to

CREDE Resources on Native American Education

  • School/Community Co-Constructed School Reform: Upscaling from Research to Practice in a Native American Community

Expanding the Circle (Transition Curriculum)

A program developed to help American Indian students transition from the K-12 education system to further post-secondary education. Originally developed with an OSEP grant. Includes a structured process and a set of culturally relevant activities that will facilitate successful transition for American Indian high school students.

Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council

[Excerpt] Supports member tribes in expanding self-determination efforts by providing services and assistance. GLITC will use a broad range of knowledge and experience to advocate for the improvement and unity of tribal governments, communities, and individuals…provides services to Native Americans in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota.

Indian Nations of Wisconsin: Histories of Endurance and Renewal. Patty Loew. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Historical Society Press. 2001.

[Excerpt] This important book presents the history of the Native peoples living in Wisconsin from their own perspective…Elders and tribal historians in each of these Native communities participated in the development of this work, making suggestions and offering criticism as the book came together. Illustrated with maps and more than ninety photographs, and complete with an index and list of further readings, this book is indispensable to anyone interested in the region's history and its Native peoples. Available for $21.95 from the Wisconsin Historical Society

Indian Reading Series: Stories and Legends of the Northwest. NWREL. 1972 (updated12/15/2003)

[Excerpt] A unique supplementary reading and language development program for Indian and non-Indian children. The materials were authenticated by the participating tribes and field tested with over 1200 Indian and non-Indian children in 93 classrooms throughout the Northwest. Includes both a teacher’s manual and downloadable versions of the various stories and legends.

Learn-Ed Nations Inventory: A Tool for Improving Schools With American Indian and Alaska Native Students. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, 2002.

The Learn-Ed Nations Inventory is designed to determine how and to what extent your school is serving American Indian and Alaska Native students and supporting their needs. It is a tool based on tangible evidence. Those who administer the inventory look for specific ways the school demonstrates it is meeting the indicators. In addition, the inventory includes a continuum of ranking so that the school community can assess its general performance for each indicator. The inventory is a flexible tool; a school may use the inventory in its entirety or may have a group of school stakeholders address inventory sections that relate to current areas of concern. The inventory may also be used within a school periodically to document progress or to refocus improvement efforts. And, schools may refashion or customize the tool to meet their specific needs.

Linguistically Culturally Diverse II -- Populations: American Indian & Spanish Speaking. 2003. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

This guide assists educators in understanding the difference between speech and language disorders and linguistic and cultural differences. Developed to provide guidelines for assessment procedures used with American Indian and Spanish speaking students who are experiencing academic and communication difficulties in the educational environment. $27.00 For information on ordering a copy, please contact Publication Sales at 800-243-8782.

MN American Indian Education K-12 Curriculum

  • MN American Indian Art Curriculum - Petroglyphs, pictographs, Lithographs, Silkscreen Prints, etc.
  • MN American Indian Contributions Curriculum -medicine, music, ecology, holistic, etc.
  • MN American Indian Family Life Curriculum - Survival, spirituality, effect of government policies, education, etc.
  • MN American Indian Music and Dance Curriculum - Drums, flute, stories, lullabies etc
  • MN American Indian Oral Traditions Curriculum - Humor, truth, Dakota, Anishinabe etc
  • MN American Indian Sovereignty Curriculum - Gaming, treaties, land, U.S. inside nation, taxation laws
  • MN American Indian Tribal Government Curriculum - Framework on tribal government
  • MN American Indian U.S. Policies Curriculum - Lesson plan models for primary, intermediate, middle school and senior high

The National Indian Education Association (NIEA)

The Mission of the National Indian Education Association is to support traditional Native cultures and values, to enable Native learners to become contributing members of their communities, to promote Native control of educational institutions, and to improve educational opportunities and resources for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians throughout the United States

The NationalIndianSchool Board Association (NISBA)

[From the website] NISBA's mission is to support quality education in a safe environment from early childhood through life in accordance with the Tribe's needs for cultural and economic well-being in keeping with the wide diversity of Indian tribes and communities as distinct cultural and governmental entities. NISBA will consider the spiritual, mental, physical and cultural aspects of the whole person within the family, community and tribal context.

Native American Pedagogy and Cognitive-Based Mathematics Instruction. By Judith Hankes. 1998. New York: Garland Publishing.

[excerpted from Amazon.com] Native American Pedagogy details a study that investigated the teaching of mathematics to Oneida Indian kindergartners. This study proves that Native American children who are taught with culturally sensitive methods will perform more successfully on mathematical problem solving tasks, and that Cognitively Guided Instruction, an approach that provides teachers with research-based knowledge of how children learn mathematics, enables such culturally sensitive teaching methods [end excerpt]. Available for $53.47 on Amazon.com.

Native Students: Balancing Two Worlds. Northwest Education 9(3) Spring 2004.

or

The Spring 2004 issue of the NWREL newsletter examines issues pertaining to education and Native American Students.

Native Voices: Resistance and Renewal in American Indian Literature. American Indian Passages.

[Excerpt] Native Americans had established a rich and highly developed tradition of oral literature long before the writings of the European colonists. This program explores that richness by introducing Native American oral traditions through the work of three contemporary authors: Leslie Marmon Silko (Laguna Pueblo), Simon Ortiz (AcomaPueblo), and Luci Tapahonso (Navajo). Includes a unit overview, an online video and related classroom activities. From American Passages, an online teacher resource and teacher development site sponsored by Annenberg Media on Learner.org.

Office of Indian Education (OIE) at the US Department of Education

[from the website] The mission of the Office of Indian Education is to support the efforts of local educational agencies, Indian tribes and organizations, postsecondary institutions, and other entities to meet the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives so that these students can achieve to the same challenging state standards as all students.

OYATE

OYATE is a Native American organization that works to increase the accuracy of the portrayal of Native peoples and their histories, especially in the writings and texts that are used to educate and entertain children. OYATE evaluates texts, resource materials and fiction by and about Native peoples. They also sell books that they have vetted. OYATE provides guidelines for examining books and materials, as well as listing materials with inaccurate or destructive portrayals of American Indians, with a bibliography of books to avoid.

Power and Place: Indian Education in America. Vine Deloria, Jr. and Daniel R. Wildcat. Golden, Colorado: Fulcrum Resources. 2001.

[Excerpt] …examines the issues facing Native American students as they progress from grade school through college and on into the professions…This collection of fifteen essays on Indian Education is at once philosophic, practical and visionary. Available from Fulcrum Books for $17.95 plus s/h. Order online at

The Proceedings of the Rural Early Childhood Forum on American Indian and Alaska Native Early Learning. July 28-29, 2005. NationalCenter for Rural Early Childhood Learning Initiatives.

The summary of the proceedings of a conference examining the state of the knowledge on rural early childhood education as it concerns American Indian and Alaska Native children.

The Seventh Generation: Native Students Speak About Finding the Good Path. By Amy Bergstrom, Linda Miller Cleary and Thomas D. Peacock. 2003. Charleston, West Virginia: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education.

[excerpted book description from Amazon.com] This book is based on interviews with 120 Native youth from across North America. Written especially for today's Native middle and high school students, the authors share students' stories of life's challenges and their struggles to find and stay on the Good Path [end excerpt]. Available on Amazon.com for $20 plus S/H.

Smithsonian Education: American Indian Heritage Teaching Resources

[From the website] The Smithsonian observes the federally mandated Heritage Months by hosting performances, films, discussions, and many other events in Washington, D.C. In keeping with the spirit of Heritage Months, we offer these thematically arranged teaching resources from across the Smithsonian. The resources have been selected for their relevance to classroom curriculum and national education standards.

Teaching American Indian Students. Jon Reyhner (Ed). 1994. Norman, OK: University of OK Press.

[excerpted from the back cover] Teaching American Indian Students is the most comprehensive resource book available for educators of American Indians. The promise of this book is that Indian students can improve their academic performance through educational approaches that do not force students to choose between the culture of their home and the culture of their school. This multidisciplinary volume summarizes the latest research on Indian education, provides practical suggestions for teachers, and offers a vast selection of resources available to teachers of Indian students [end excerpt]. Available for $19.95 plus s/h through University of Oklahoma Press at

Through Indian Eyes: The Native Experience in Books for Children. Beverly Slapin and Doris Seale (Eds). 1998. Oyate Publishing.

[from the Oyate website] Through Indian Eyes, a compilation of work by Native parents, educators, poets, and writers, is for anyone interested in presenting non-biased material about indigenous peoples to children. It contains, from a Native perspective, essays and poetry, critical reviews of more than 100 children's books by and about Indian peoples, a guide to evaluating children's books for anti-Indian bias, a recommended bibliography, and a resource section of Native publishers and organizations. $25.00 plus s/h via the Oyate website at

Understanding Disabilities In American Indian & Alaska Native Communities – Toolkit Guide. National Council on Disability. August 1, 2003.

[Excerpt] In this Toolkit, you will find information about disabilities, Indian tribes, and resources. You will also find suggestions for improving services, providing protections, and tapping resources in local tribal communities for people with disabilities. This guide will focus primarily on health care, independent living, education, and vocational rehabilitation. In addition, resources are provided in the areas of housing and transportation. Each section of the Toolkit will provide specific contact information by topic for organizations that may be of further assistance to you. Where possible, the narrative describing each organization's mission and role has been directly quoted from the organization's Web site, and the Web site address has been identified in order to provide the most accurate and useful information.