To Lie or Not to Lie? That is the Question.

As I was reading James W. Loewen’s book, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, I was shocked at some of the truths about our past American “heroes” and events that have taken place in the United States.  It is very true that textbooks are not only written specifically to the descendants of European Americans, but they also “sugar-coat” history for students, always making America the “good guy” and glossing over any past mistakes.  Many of the harsh truths the book brings up were difficult for even me to read, so I began to wonder, how would I teach elementary-aged students this kind of material?  I don’t want to lie to my students about history, I want to present multiple perspectives on the past and let them make their own conclusions about history.  But a teacher could get in real trouble going into detail about how Christopher Columbus brutally raped, murdered, and enslaved the Native Americans.  A person’s initial response would be to “protect” our children from knowing about these kind of atrocities, but are we doing them a disservice by leaving it out completely?  And what exactly are we protecting our children from? Reality?  What is appropriate and how far should we go in telling our students the real truth about America’s past?  Is it only up to the teacher to make these decisions?  Should we risk getting fired over presenting the harsh reality to young students?  Needless to say, I was left with many more questions than answers after reading this novel.  What I do know is that I never want to lie to my students.  Teachers should seek the support of the principal, school district, and parents before getting into these controversial topics.  Deciding what to include, and what not to include, is going to be a real challenge when teaching the social studies content area!

An Unforgettable Experience

For some ungodly reason, I decided to take 9 credits in this 5 week summer school session.  It was tough, and I am glad it’s over, even though it went by really fast!  It did help that the classes I took were very interesting and beneficial to my education.  Along with Math and Social Studies Methods, I took a Linguistics course, as well.  In this service learning class, we got to work with a group of refugees twice a week.  We helped them with their English as they shared their stories with us during casual conversations.  The group of refugees my partner and I worked with were from Burma.  Working with the refugees at the Adult Basic Education center was an incredible experience.  It was amazing to hear these unbelievable and tragic stories from such genuinely good people.    It was great getting to know these fascinating people.  Working with the refugees really broadened my world view and raised my awareness of the terrible things happening to innocent people in other parts of the world.  Neither of us had had any prior experience working with refugees, and this service learning class gave us the opportunity to help people learn English, while getting acquainted with an unfamiliar culture and new languages.  It was an experience I will never forget.

I would like to share the stories we heard with my Social Studies Methods class because we, as future elementary school teachers, will be teaching the children of these refugees.  Currently, Idaho has over 5,000 refugees living here.  We need to be culturally sensitive towards these children because some of them have experienced things we could never even imagine.  It is important to do some backgroung research on where these students are coming from to make yourself aware of their situations, so we can help them as much as possible. I also believe in integrating new cultures into the classroom by letting the ESL students teach us and the rest of the class their cultures, while we teach them the American culture at the same time.  So without further ado, meet Eh Soe, Klo Wah, Chemmy, and Lu.

From left to right, back row: Lu, Rachel (my partner), Me

From left to right, front row: Chemmy, Klo Gay, Klo Wah, Eh Soe

*You may also want to watch this YouTube clip to get a better idea of the situation taking place in Burma right now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPSsKcpxJMk

Eh Soe and Klo Wah’s Story

Eh Soe and Klo Wah are Karen people from Burma.  They live in Boise, Idaho with their family, Eh Soe’s wife and their 3 other children.  Klo Gay is the eldest daughter, Klo Wah is 20 years old, and they have 2 little brothers, ages 13 and 16. Klo Wah works at Fred Meyer, rolling sushi.  Eh Soe works at the Cheese Factory.  Their family has been in Boise, Idaho for almost 1 year.  They speak mostly Karen, but Eh Soe is fluent in Burmese and Klo Wah knows most of the language.  They are both learning how to speak better English at the Adult Basic Education center.  Before coming to Boise, Eh Soe and Klo Wah lived in a refugee camp on the border of Thailand for 11 years.

Before they were forced to leave their home in Burma, Eh Soe and his family were farmers.  They planted mostly rice, and this was how they made a living.  On the farm, they had a bull, a cow, some chickens, and pigs.  Eh Soe’s family had to leave them all behind.  It was a very bad situation for them.  Somebody took everything they owned, including their property.  These people had told the Burmese military that Eh Soe’s family was against them and didn’t like them, but they were confusing Eh Soe’s family for somebody else.  They had no choice but to run, and if they ever returned to their home, they would be killed.  The Thai authority, or possibly a Karen leader, had prepared a car for Eh Soe’s family and their neighbors to flee when the time came.  As soon as they heard the gunshots, they were able to escape to the refugee camp, Nu Po, located on the border of Thailand and Burma.  On the way to the camp, they would live on the side of the road building shelters along the way.  Eh Soe recalls the children playing together and enjoying themselves because they did not understand what was happening.

Klo Wah was only 7 years old when they left Burma and fled to Thailand.  The refugee camp Eh Soe’s family lived in had an estimated 15,000-18,000 people living there.  There was no opportunity for them to go anywhere else, and they lived in the refugee camp for 11 years.  At one point, after they recently entered the camp, someone told Eh Soe’s family that they could get their cart and some of their possessions from the person who took over their property.  Eh Soe’s wife left the camp to meet up with this person and gather their belongings.  She waited for 3 days, until returning to camp.  Eh Soe said his wife cried for a long time.  Life in the refugee camp was hard.  Eh Soe explained that if anyone tried to sneak out of the camp and was caught, that person would be forced to sit and burn in the sun all day long.  The military government would look down on the refugees.  They called them “zero” because they didn’t have anything; although it was the government that took away their property in the first place.

When they first arrived at the refugee camp, Eh Soe tried to remain optimistic.  He and his family thought they would only have to stay in the camp for 3 weeks or so before they could go back.  Unfortunately, their stay lasted much longer than that.  While living in the camp, Eh Soe was trained as an educator.  Eh Soe was qualified to be trained as a teacher because he had had a basic education before entering the camp.  He taught elementary-aged children in the camp.  Klo Wah was required to study within the refugee camp.  That is where she learned to speak the Burmese language, and some basic English.  Klo Wah had a Karen teacher in the camp that had lived in America for 10 or 11 years.  Her teacher is the one who told Klo Wah about what it was like to live in America.

Eh Soe’s family had lived in the camp about 7 years when they began to think about their future.  They heard that some countries were offering a process for people in the camps to resettle in new locations.  At first, Eh Soe’s wife did not like the idea.  She knew that if they went to a developed country, they would be required to take many education classes.  This would be very difficult for her because she had a lower education.  Eh Soe and his wife began discussing the option of resettlement very often.  Eh Soe finally convinced her by reminding her about their children’s future and how beneficial a good education would be for them.  They agreed to apply for resettlement in America.  They were shown many pictures of things like airplanes and buildings, to see what life was like in America.  After they applied, Eh Soe’s family waited almost a year before they were resettled.  2-3 months went by before they made it on the list for an interview with OPE (Overseas Processing Entity), a resettlement agency for refugees from Southeast Asia.  It was a very long process, and they had to go to interviews and immunization processes with various agencies and departments, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Finally, Eh Soe’s family was sent to Boise, Idaho.  They did not choose to come to Idaho, specifically.  In the interview, they were asked if they knew anyone in America or if they had any relatives already here.  Since Eh Soe’s family did not know anybody in America and they had no knowledge of any cities, the agency sent them to Boise.  They were warned ahead of time that they might feel sad when first coming to America because they wouldn’t know anybody, but later on they would make friends.  When they first arrived, the agency had planned everything out for them, including a place to live.  An agency for new Americans helped Eh Soe and Klo Wah learn how to find jobs.  They were given classes where they learned how to fill out applications and how to communicate for a job inquiry.  It was very helpful to them.  The agency set them up living in an apartment building.  After they have lived in Boise for 1 year, Eh Soe and his family can move and choose where to live.

Eh Soe and Klo Wah like living in America.  Klo Wah enjoys riding her bike, eating American food like hamburgers and French fries, watching television, and playing the piano.  Eh Soe doesn’t like American food as much, but he does like cheese.  They had never seen cheese or butter until they came here.  Instead of cheese, in Burma they would eat a lot of ginger to get their calcium.  Eh Soe’s family has dreams for Klo Wah’s future when she becomes fluent in English.  Klo Wah has expressed interest in becoming a nurse someday.  She is very excited to learn more English.  As for Eh Soe, himself, he would someday like to teach again.  After Eh Soe studies hard to become fluent in English, he would like to help his community by becoming a teacher.  He is willing to teach any age of students, and his favorite subject to teach is history.

Although they have left Burma behind, Eh Soe’s family has not forgotten their Karen people who are still over there.  Klo Wah’s sister, Klo Gay, showed us a Karen Internet website that gives information, pictures, and videos of what is happening in Burma right now (www.kwekalu.net ).  Klo Gay says she checks it every day.  Many people are dying over there.  The Burmese military junta is fighting everyone.  They are doing nothing to help the people.

Chemmy and Lu Khu’s Story

Chemmy and Lu are refugees from Burma that came to the United States about two years ago.  They have three sons and one daughter.  Their eldest son is about twenty and is currently attending the Boise Language Academy.  He finished high school in the refugee camp before coming to America.  Their second oldest son attends Boise High School during the regular year and Boise Language Academy during the summer.  He holds a job in the evenings.  Their daughter just turned 16 years old and is in junior high.  Lou and Chemmy are 45 years old.  Currently, Chemmy works at a local Wal-Mart stocking shelves in the clothing section at night.  Lu has work as a tailor, sewing clothes.

Lu graduated from high school in Burma, while Chemmy finished only middle school.  There was little opportunity for higher education.  Their children, however, attended Mission High School in the Thai refugee camp, which taught them English, including bible studies and geography.  In the camps, a non-government organization helped standardize education.  Many English-speaking volunteers helped in the schools, including teachers from America, Australia, Sweden and Norway.  If Chemmy and her family had stayed in the camp, she would have liked her children to go to the Bible College.

Before marrying Lu, Chemmy lived in a small village in the Burmese delta.  It’s an area filled with many rivers, and to get to the capital city she had to take a boat.  Chemmy’s neighbor was a relative of Lu, and that was how the two of them met.  When Lu and Chemmy married, they moved to the Burma/Thailand border.  Here, they had a small wooden house that Lu made himself and livestock, like ducks and chickens.  They lived there partly to avoid the Burmese troops, who had singled out the Karen people as enemies of the government.  Many villages had already been burned and many Karen were killed.

Chemmy and Lu’s family left Burma because of war. The military junta has control of the entire country and is forcing the Karen people to leave.  In January of 1995, Chemmy, Lu, and their three children were forced to flee their village.  They left their house, food, and many of their belongings.  Chemmy and Lu had to carry the little children on their backs because they were only toddlers.  Their oldest son had to run beside them.  He was only 5 or 6 years old.  They ran for 2-5 weeks, into the Burmese jungle, toward Thailand.  NGO volunteers, who supplied food and blankets, met them on the other side of the border.  Chemmy was very pregnant with their fourth child when they had to flee their home.  Many other pregnant Karen women gave birth in the jungle with no medicine and no assistance.  Luckily, Chemmy made it to the refugee camp before her son was born.  She doesn’t like to think about that time.

There were over 45,000 people in the refugee camp, Mae La, where Chemmy, Lu, and their children lived for 12 years.  Life in the camp was different. Lu had to make their house out of bamboo, as there was no wood available. There house was small, little more than a hut.   There was no running water, only a tank established by the government organizations.  In the summertime, there was not enough water to go around.  A non-government organization provided rice, yellow beans, and oil to the refugees, as well as free medicine.  There was no electricity, and food was cooked over charcoal.  There was nothing to do for fun.  Chemmy did have a job in the refugee camp. She worked at the camp hospital as a counselor for people diagnosed with deadly viruses like HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, bringing in a small income. Lu got a job sewing clothes on commission.  Their children did not go to school in Burma.  Usually, children start school at the age of 5, but because of the difficult situation, Chemmy’s youngest son did not start school until the age of 6 in the refugee camps.

The process of getting to the United States was a complicated one.  First, Chemmy and Lu registered their names in the United Nations High Commissioners for Refugees.  Next, they gave a biography of themselves and their children to the Overseas Processing Entity. While some people applied to go to countries like Norway, the UK or Australia, Chemmy and Lou decided to apply to the United States.  They had heard about America from the missionaries that volunteered in the camps.  They were not sad to leave Burma.  To be accepted for immigration to the United States, they had to pass an interview with the Department of Homeland Security.  Once they were placed in Boise by the International Organization for Migration, the International Rescue Committee of Boise set them up with an apartment, helped them apply for food stamps and to apply for jobs.  Chemmy and Lu were very impressed with all the assistance the organizations provided and had nothing to complain about.

There are plenty of things to like in America. Lou likes pizza, riding his bike and playing soccer.  Chemmy has learned to make enchiladas, and likes that in America, she can go wherever she wants. In Thailand, they were unable to leave the camp.  When Chemmy has a day off she likes to spend time with her family and go shopping.  Chemmy still does all the cooking for her family, while her children divide the chores. Their children are doing very well in school. Their second son, especially, is interested in learning to speak English better.  According to his mother, his spelling is often better than most Americans’.

They heard about the Adult Basic Education Center through another refugee from Burma who had moved to America before them.  Since both Lu and Chemmy work, it is difficult for them to come to classes regularly, but both of them are determined to learn English.  They agree that they need more practice at spoken, rather than written, language and expressed a wish for more classes offered at time when they could come.

In the future, Chemmy plans to get a house, and to apply for her visa.  She and Lu have no plans to travel, but might in the future when they have saved up more money; so far they have not left Boise.  Their second son plans on going to college when he graduates from high school.  He wants to become a lawyer.  The most important thing to Chemmy and Lu is that their children get a good education.

*The following is a poem that this experience inspired me to write*

Refugee’s Lament

We are human beings, civilians, people

who are trailed by persecution and oppression.

We cannot escape who we are

or who we are not.

We are not who you are.

We are not who you want us to be.

So we must run

through jungles, through rivers,

for weeks, months, sometimes years,

with our children on our backs

and our neighbors by our sides

hiding, living in fear, trying to survive.

Women with lives dwelling in their wombs

have little time to rest and much to carry,

for all we have are the possessions

we managed to salvage in time.

Some give birth on the jungle floors

with no hospitals, no doctors, no medicine,

only their spirits and strength to pull through.

The children still play, still laugh together,

as their parents look on, longing for that simpler time

when Mom and Dad  could make everything better.

Now we must be wary of every step we take

for a landmine placed by the enemy

could lie anywhere on the ground.

Families are torn apart by murder and rape.

One wrong move could mean your life.

We are living with faith

that this way of life won’t last much longer.

But everyday, someone’s hope

is lost along with the life of a loved one.

We can never go home.

The jungle is our home,

the camp is our home,

we can no longer call this country

our home.

Teaching vs. Teaching About

A discussion that has come up in class a few times this semester is the issue of teaching something, as opposed to teaching about something.  The main controversy from which this problem stems is, of course, religion.  Public schools are required to maintain a separation of Church and State.  I definitely agree that public school teachers should never teach their own religions to their students, imposing their personal beliefs on the kids.  But is it okay if teachers teach students about a religion?  In social studies, I would say absolutely.  Religion is an integral part of understanding cultures.  If a teacher simply tries to leave the religion subject out of the curriculum completely, questions are going to arise among students and go unanswered.  Religion can play a large part in students’ lives, as well as many other people’s lives around the world.  Understanding the vast varieties of religions teaches students tolerance and awareness of cultural differences and similarities.

So, as an elementary school teacher, how can we avoid teaching religion, but still be able to educate our students about religion?  The first step would be to go through the principal and district to ensure that what you are teaching qualifies as teaching about, not imposing beliefs.  Next, alert the parents about the religious material you will be providing your students with.  Make it clear that you are teaching the facts to raise cultural awareness, not to convert their kids into Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, etc. Parent communication is a great CYA strategy, and keeping the parents involved and aware will (for the most part) keep them happy. 

When teaching about different religions, it is extremely important to look upon the material as objectively as possible, not letting your own personal beliefs hinder the information you give your students.  If a teacher spends 2 days covering Christianity and 30 minutes talking about Islam, what impression are they giving students?  It is important to avoid conveying one religion as more important than another.  Again, the purpose is to teach tolerance and awareness, not what religion is right or wrong.   A good example of an American textbook teaching about a Native American religion comes from James Loewen’s Lies my Teacher Told Me, on page 113:

“Consider how textbooks treat Native religions as a unitary whole.  The American Way describes Native American religion in these words:  ‘These Native Americans [in the Southeast] believed that nature was filled with spirits. Each form of life, such as plants and animals, had a spirit. Earth and air held spirits too. People were never alone. They shared their lives with the spirits of nature.’ Way is trying to show respect for Native American religion, but it doesn’t work. Stated flatly like this, the beliefs seem like make-believe, not the sophisticated theology of a higher civilization. Let us try a similarly succinct summary of the beliefs of many Christians today: ‘These Americans believed that one great male god ruled the world. Sometimes they divided him into three parts, which they called father, son, and holy ghost. They ate crackers and wine or grape juice, believing that they were eating the son’s body and drinking his blood. If they believed strongly enough, they would live on forever after they dies.'”

This quote jumped out at me as I was reading the book.  It all relates back to showing mutual respect among all religions, not putting an emphasis on the importance of any one.  Teaching something vs. teaching about something is a vital part of being an educator.  It extends on to feminism, evolution, even politics.  I believe that teachers should let students form their own views and opinions about these kinds of topics, not tell students that they should believe what the teacher believes.  Imposing beliefs can even happen unintentionally because students look up to their teachers as role models and many of them want to be just like the teacher!  This is why it is so important to be aware of the messages we are sending to students.

Sexism

I’m not sure if any of my classmates have noticed, but I’m not entirely comfortable with sharing my opinions during whole group discussions.  I think I just get intimidated by the thought of “all eyes on me” when I might forget the point I’m trying to make halfway through talking and just freeze up…ANYWAYS, today we covered a topic in which I did have some thoughts cross my mind as the discussion was taking place.  I figured that the perfect place to share these thoughts would be on my blog!

Before I get started, a funny thing happened after class ended.  Anne took me on a lunch date to Panda Express, and as we walked toward the door, a man stopped and held it open for us to go inside.  We just started laughing because we’d barely finished having the conversation about how such chivalry results directly from sexism.  Anne said the next time a man opened a door for her, she would refuse to go through until she was able to open the door for herself.  However, we ended up thanking the gentleman rather than creating an awkward situation with some stranger!

I would like to say that I whole-heartedly agree with A.J. that American societal norms press gender roles upon children from a very young age.  Little girls are given dollies and easybake ovens to play with, while little boys get G.I. Joes and toy guns.  Today the discussion focused mainly on women’s roles in society and throughout history, but men have expectations ingrained into their minds just as much as women do.  If you don’t believe me, watch the documentary film Tough Guise: Violence, Media, & the Crisis in Masculinity. It shows how most men have to put up a “tough guy” front and are discouraged from showing any emotions or feelings.  Stay-at-home dads, boys who play dress-up, guys who would rather read books or be in drama club instead of playing sports are all viewed as “wimps”, “wussies”, and various derogatory names by society in general.

As we searched  through a variety of elementary school social studies textbooks, there were some signs of the books containing underlying sexist messages.  In some cases, more than three times as many men were mentioned within the pages than women.  Historical women were often portrayed in traditional roles such as cooking, cleaning, and care giving.  I’m sure textbooks today have made progress in becoming more inclusive than textbooks 20 years ago, but are they still playing a part in pressing gender roles upon American students?  I would say yes.  Although textbooks may be more politically correct and more inclusive of women in social studies today, what the text leaves out often speaks louder than what it includes.  I did not see any evidence of textbooks educating students against the traditional societal roles of men and women.

It is true that, though we have made progress, sexism still occurs today.  A personal example of this was when I was taking Engineering Science Methods last semester.  I was in an engineering lab class with only 2 other education majors (all women).  The rest of the class consisted of male, freshman engineer majors.  We all felt out of our element being in an engineering class in the first place, and being the only women in the class was even more intimidating!  I’m sure that some men in the education field feel the same way because they are the minority, just as women are rarely seen in the engineering department.  The entire first half of the semester was a battle between our lecture professor and the lab professors.  Every week, the education majors would come into lecture class with complaints about our male engineering classmates.  Our opinions on assignments were ignored, and we were constantly left out of group projects.  I remember being SOOO mad after one lab when my group members told me I could clean up after we were done working on the project because I was a woman.  The look I gave, alone, made them clean up the mess after we were done.  Another incident was when we were giving our final presentations.  All us girls were finally able to be in a group together (we were not allowed to work with other ed. majors for all the other projects).  One of the boys joined our group as well.  When we went to the front to present our PowerPoint, one guy said “Oh look, Daryl is the bull among the cows!”  Everyone laughed, and I couldn’t wait to get away from those immature freshman jerks.

So I guess my point is that sexism has not disappeared within our society, and we, as educators, have an obligation to our students to teach against society’s gender roles as often as we can.   I will end this blog with a funny quote from the Seinfeld episode The Subway.

Woman: I started riding these trains in the ’40s.  Those days a man would give up their seat for a woman.  Now we’re liberated, and we have to stand.

Elaine: It’s ironic.

Woman: What’s ironic?

Elaine: This, that we’ve come all this way, we have made all this progress, but, you know, we’ve lost the little things, the niceties.

Woman: No, I mean what does ‘ironic’ mean?

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/index.html

Looking for a website full of social studies information from a reputable source?  I found one!  The Library of Congress has tons of  resources for kids/families, teachers, librarians, publishers, researchers, and even visitors.  It includes fun facts, like “Today in History”, historical events that happened on specific days, 365 days out of the year.  There are links to all social studies topics, ranging from primary historical documents to current events to local state histories to helpful information on all nation’s cultures/histories/governments/etc.

For teachers, the website encourages teaching with primary sources, and offers lesson plans, classroom materials, and other resources on how to do so.  The website does provide links for further information on specific topics that take the user away from the original site, but each link  contains valid, accurate information from reputable sources.  I wish I had found this website sooner because I would have loved to share this with everyone in class!  It is a vast website full of all kinds relevant information pertaining to social studies.  I encourage you all to check it out!

A Piece of CRAAP

Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose (CRAAP) are all aspects teachers need to evaluate before bringing a resource into their classroom, especially for Internet websites!

Here are my ratings for two websites about the Iroquois Indian Tribe using CRAAP.  I found that the first website is more CRAAP-tastic than the second site I evaluated.  The second website has advertisements for getting a flat stomach, as well as many different links that don’t even have anything to do with the topic and took you away from the original site.  Users are also able to submit information into the database themselves, which means the information on the site could be a real load of crap!  If you hadn’t noticed, I am taking the opportunity to use the word ‘crap’ as much as possible in the this CRAAPy blog post.  But in all seriousness, CRAAP provides helpful strategies that prove very useful when deciding what kind of resources to use in your classroom.

Resource Quality Evaluation Worksheet

Title of the resource you are evaluating:  The Iroquois of the Northeast website.  http://www.carnegiemnh.org/exhibits/north-south-east-west/iroquois/index.html

Directions: Please evaluate your information source according to each of the criteria below by selecting the number that best represents your response.

Currency: The timeliness of the information Is the information (while perhaps historic) current or out-of-date? Has it been revised or updated? For example, if an historical text refers to a minority group using what would be considered derogatory language, rate it not current.
Not Applicable	Not Current	Somewhat Current	Current	Very Current
0	x	2	3	4

Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs. Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question? Is the information at an appropriate level? For example, an elementary textbook would not be at an appropriate level and therefore not relevant.
Not Applicable	Not Relevant	Somewhat Relevant	Relevant	Very Relevant
0	1	x	3	4

Authority: The source of the information What are the author’s qualifications to write on the topic? For example, an anonymous author on Wikipedia has far less authority than a named author on a website sponsored by a university.
Not Applicable	Not Authoritative	Somewhat Authoritative	Authoritative	Very Authoritative
0	1	2	x	4

Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the informational content. Where does the information come from? Is the information supported by evidence? Has the information been reviewed or refereed? For example, information found on About.com is somewhat accurate because it is not supported by evidence and it is unclear whether the information is reviewed.
Not Applicable	Not Accurate	Somewhat Accurate	Accurate	Very Accurate
0	1	x	3	4

Purpose: The reason the information was published Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda? Does the point of view appear objective and impartial? For example, an anti-Semitic website has an inappropriate purpose that shares biased opinion with the goal of disseminating hate.
Not Applicable	Inappropriate purpose	Somewhat Appropriate Purpose	Appropriate Purpose	Very Appropriate Purpose
0	1	x	3	4

Resource Quality Evaluation Worksheet

Title of the resource you are evaluating: Iroquois Indian Tribe History website

http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/tribes/iroquioi/iroquoishist.htm

Directions: Please evaluate your information source according to each of the criteria below by selecting the number that best represents your response.

Currency: The timeliness of the information Is the information (while perhaps historic) current or out-of-date? Has it been revised or updated? For example, if an historical text refers to a minority group using what would be considered derogatory language, rate it not current.
Not Applicable	Not Current	Somewhat Current	Current	Very Current
0	1	2	x	4

Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs. Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question? Is the information at an appropriate level? For example, an elementary textbook would not be at an appropriate level and therefore not relevant.
Not Applicable	Not Relevant	Somewhat Relevant	Relevant	Very Relevant
0	1	2	x	4

Authority: The source of the information What are the author’s qualifications to write on the topic? For example, an anonymous author on Wikipedia has far less authority than a named author on a website sponsored by a university.
Not Applicable	Not Authoritative	Somewhat Authoritative	Authoritative	Very Authoritative
0	x	2	3	4

Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the informational content. Where does the information come from? Is the information supported by evidence? Has the information been reviewed or refereed? For example, information found on About.com is somewhat accurate because it is not supported by evidence and it is unclear whether the information is reviewed.
Not Applicable	Not Accurate	Somewhat Accurate	Accurate	Very Accurate
0	1	x	3	4

Purpose: The reason the information was published Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda? Does the point of view appear objective and impartial? For example, an anti-Semitic website has an inappropriate purpose that shares biased opinion with the goal of disseminating hate.
Not Applicable	Inappropriate purpose	Somewhat Appropriate Purpose	Appropriate Purpose	Very Appropriate Purpose
0	1	2	x	4

Tar Beach

Ringgold, Faith, Tar Beach, 1991, Crown Publishers, Inc.

Social Studies Keywords: Family, Art, Harlem (city), New York, George Washington Bridge, African-American Liberation, Unions, Tradition, African-American Folk Art, Freedom,  Discrimination, Prejudice

Summary:  This picture book is based on Faith Ringgold’s story quilt Tar Beach, which is now at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.  It tells of 8-year-old Cassie’s nighttime dream adventures of flying over the city of Harlem in 1939.  She is able to claim all that she wants in the city to make her family happy.

Teaching Suggestions:  This book could be used from grades K-3.  The imaginitive demeanor in which the story is told would appeal more to a younger audience, although even adults can admire Faith Ringgold’s amazing illustrations.  This book provides some great opportunities to introduce various social studies content  topics.  One topic the story touches on is racial discrimination in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s.  Teachers could discuss prejudice, freedom, and unions.  Overarching social studies themes in this book include family, art, tradition, and even some geography (the city of Harlem, NY and the landmarked George Washington Bridge are mentioned throughout).  Tar Beach also introduces African-American culture in the United States.

This book creates a wonderful opportunity for a field trip with your elementary students to the Black History Museum. The author, Faith Ringgold, has an original screenprint she specifically created of our Black History Museum, which is on display there.  Students could see the original artwork for themselves and learn about African-American history in our own state.

There is also an obvious curricular connection to art through this story.  Faith Ringgold’s art is very unique, combining painting with quilt making.  Teachers could use this book as an introduction to new artistic mediums students are probably not familiar with.  The last pages in the book consist of a photograph of her quilt Tar Beach, as well as an explanation on how she came up with the story.

Reputable reviewers rave about this book.  The creative artwork and story combined make for a wonderful multicultural children’s book.  Tar Beach has received much literary praise, and has won multiple prestigious awards including the Parent’s Choice Award in 2003, the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year in 1991, and the Caldecott Honor Medal in 1992.  This is a definite recommendation for elementary teachers to keep on their classroom bookshelf.

The Pot That Juan Built

Andrews-Goebel, Nancy, The Pot that Juan Built, 2002, Lee & Low Books Inc.

Social Studies Keywords:  Mexico, Casas Grandes (people), History, Minerals, Economy, Community, Culture, Art, Pottery, Folklore, Tradition, Heritage, Natural Resources, Geography, Civilization

Summary:  This picture book is about the life of renowned Mexican potter, Juan Quezada.  It describes the process he uses to create his pots, mimicking the style of the Casas Grandes people, who disappeared from his part of Mexico over 600 years ago.  The pages on the left-hand side are written as a cumulative rhyme for younger readers, while the pages on the right-hand side explain Quezada’s art techniques more in depth for older readers.

Teaching Suggestions:  This book could be used from grades 1-6.  The reading level falls around 2nd or 3rd grade, but the interest level ranges from ages 5-12.  The story could easily be integrated into the social studies curriculum, as well as art and reading.  Teachers could introduce the social studies content this book touches on by using it as a tool to teach about Mexican culture, art, natural resources, and even the economy.  The story gives great insight on how Juan Quezada’s struggling village became a thriving community of craftsman.  The teacher’s guide to this story from Lee & Low Books is a great resource for using this book in your classroom, and can be found at http://www.leeandlow.com/images/pdfs/juan.pdf.

The Pot That Juan Built is a great story to use with ELL/ESL students, especially as our classrooms are growing more diverse.  The book integrates a few Spanish words into the story, which poses a great opportunity for any Spanish speakers in the class to help everyone understand the meanings and also share some of their own culture that relates to the story with the rest of the class.

The end of the book includes photographs and additional information about the artist, his works, and his community.  This portion would be helpful to any art teacher introducing basic pottery, or manipulating clay, to students in the classroom.  The aspect of this book that appeals to me the most is the broad age range it is appropriate for.  It allows enjoyment for different reading levels, as well.  The illustrations, rhythm, and rhyme are fun for younger students, while the in depth information encourages further interest from older students. It is rare to find a nonfiction book as engaging as this one!

I read numerous reputable reviews on this book, and every one was very positive.  It would be a great multicultural picture book to use in your classroom.

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain

Aardema, Verna, Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain, 1981, Dial Books for Young Readers.

Social Studies Keywords:  Africa, Kenya, Folktales, Grasslands, Savannah, Plains, Climate, Drought, Scarcity, Ecology, Resources, Environmental Changes, Animals (wild vs. domestic), Plants, Culture, Stories in Rhyme, Rural, Nandi (people), Geography, Migration

Summary:  This picture book is about Ki-Pat, a herdsman from Kenya who needs the rain to fall so the grass will grow on Kapiti plain.  His cows will die unless Ki-Pat finds a way to make the rain fall from above.  Ki-Pat makes a bow and arrow and shoots the arrow into the black rain cloud, changing the weather so the grass can grow and the cows can live.

Teaching Suggestions:  This book would be most effective if used in early elementary grades K-2.  The repetition and rhyme in this story would appeal to children from ages 5-7.  This book can be integrated into the social studies curriculum because it touches on various social studies content throughout.   Teachers could introduce geographic features of Africa, climate, resources, ecology, and culture.  This book would be perfect to use when teaching about people, plants/animals, environments, and folktales from other cultures.  Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain would make a great choral reading story that could be integrated within reading content, as well.

Questions to prompt students’ personal reactions could include how they would feel if their land needed rain, but could not get any; identifying which parts of the story seem like real-life and which parts seem like make-believe; identifying any symbols used within the story; and discussing methods of story-telling from African cultures.  See Teacher’s Discussion Guide for this particular story at http://content.scholastic.com.libproxy.boisestate.edu/browse/collateral.jsp?id=398_type=Book_typeId=81

After reading numerous reviews about this book from reputable sources, I have concluded that this is an appropriate story to use inside a classroom.  The book has received much literary praise and was even featured on the popular kid’s reading television show “Reading Rainbow”.

When bringing multicultural books into the classroom, teachers need to be aware that some students may fear the unfamiliar.  For example, my mom is a kindergarten teacher, and one of her student interns decided to read this particular story aloud to the class.  Before the reading even began, one little boy exclaimed “I hate that book!”  When the intern asked the boy why he hated the book, he responded “because it has brown people in it.”   The intern was shocked and didn’t know what to do, so my mom had to step in and explain to the boy that it is never appropriate to say such things.  It is unfortunate that this 5-year-old boy brought that kind of prejudice into her classroom, but the reality is children are impressionable, and their values/beliefs reflect on what they are learning from their parents at home.  This shows the importance of bringing multicultural literature into the classroom to help teach awareness and tolerance to our students, regardless of what they are learning at home.

National Geographic Explorer for Kids

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer

This website has something for everyone!  There is a link to National Geographic For Kids, a great interactive website that makes learning fun.  The site has all kinds of information relating back to social studies, including a specific link to people and places around the world.  Students are able to explore different cultures, look at photographs and videos, read about different facts and maps, even play games, activites, puzzles, and quizzes.

From the webiste I have linked above, there is a tab specifically directed towards teachers.  This would be useful if one were to use the National Geographic Explorer magazine in their elementary classroom.  The teacher’s guide provides summaries of each of the articles in the current issue.  There are recommended reading strategies, before and after reading activities, fast facts, vocabulary, and corresponding worksheets to each article!  The teacher’s homepage also includes weblinks for further information on the current issue’s articles.  There are links for teacher resources, information of receiving funding to help pay for the magazine subscription, games and activities related to the articles in the magazine, and (my personal favorite) lesson plans!  One of my favorite things about this website is how current it is.  The lastest issue of National Geographic Explorer is always the main feature.

Overall, this website would be great to use within an elementary school classroom if the teacher wanted to bring in an outside resource to help teach about current topics in social studies.