History Corner: An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Jean Mendoza, Debbie Reese
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge,from American Academy of Random House, via Edelweissplus, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it, all opinions are my own.
This book is aimed at kids ages 12 and up, grades 7-9, but I would argue that is is really more of a high school resource/course!!!! I would recommend this an alternative to boring American History for a semester, reading and going through the text AFTER studying American history. I think it is helpful to kids to see both sides- what is presented in class, and this history, which includes the Native traditions and views, as well as ideas to consider, like the one above. These ideas could be made into small essay questions, and used for chapter quizzes and tests. But really they get your child to rethink what they have been told and to see history from a different viewpoint. I love that the indigenous tribes of Alaska and Hawaii are also included, for a solid view of Native life in the US. I'd highly recommend this for homeschoolers, but also for Summer study by traditional students!
Spanning more than 400 years, this classic bottom-up history examines the legacy of Indigenous peoples’ resistance, resilience, and steadfast fight against imperialism.
Synopsis:
Going beyond the story of America as a country “discovered” by a few brave men in the “New World,” Indigenous human rights advocate Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz reveals the roles that settler colonialism and policies of American Indian genocide played in forming our national identity.
The original academic text is fully adapted by renowned curriculum experts Debbie Reese and Jean Mendoza, for middle-grade and young adult readers to include discussion topics, archival images, original maps, recommendations for further reading, and other materials to encourage students, teachers, and general readers to think critically about their own place in history.
Series Overview:
The ReVisioning American History for Young People series offers fresh perspectives on familiar narratives told from the viewpoint of marginalized communities with middle-grade and young adults in mind. Consisting of accessibly written history books written by notable scholars and adapted by education experts, the series reconstructs and reinterprets America’s past for a new generation of readers.
Review:
This book is aimed at kids ages 12 and up, grades 7-9, but I would argue that is is really more of a high school resource/course!!!! I would recommend this an alternative to boring American History for a semester, reading and going through the text AFTER studying American history. I think it is helpful to kids to see both sides- what is presented in class, and this history, which includes the Native traditions and views, as well as ideas to consider, like the one above. These ideas could be made into small essay questions, and used for chapter quizzes and tests. But really they get your child to rethink what they have been told and to see history from a different viewpoint. I love that the indigenous tribes of Alaska and Hawaii are also included, for a solid view of Native life in the US. I'd highly recommend this for homeschoolers, but also for Summer study by traditional students!
About the Authors
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz has been active in the international Indigenous movement for more than four decades and is known for her lifelong commitment to national and international social justice issues. She lives in San Francisco.
Debbie Reese is an educator and founder of American Indians in Children’s Literature (AICL). She is tribally enrolled at Nambe Owingeh, a federally recognized tribe, and grew up on Nambe’s reservation. She holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Illinois.
Jean Mendoza holds a PhD in curriculum and instruction and an M.Ed in early childhood education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mendoza married into a Mvskoke (Creek) family for whom being Creek is an important part of identity.
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