FOCUS on NATIVE AMERICANS
NO. 09-02
Fall 2009
Resources for teachers
Diabetes education for children
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), division of
Diabetes Translation, in collaboration with the Tribal Leaders Diabetes
Committee and the Indian Health Service, have developed the Eagle
Books series for Native American children. The books promote diabetes
education and foster awareness of the importance of healthy eating and
physical activity for diabetes prevention. The series consists of four titles:
_Through the Eyes of the Eagle, Knees Lifted High, Plate Full of
Color,_ and_ Tricky Treats_. In the series a wise eagle is the tribal elder
who teaches traditional ways of health that children can remember and
retell in their homes, schools, and communities. Print and animated DVD
editions are available free from the publications division of the CDC at
www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/eagle.htm.
In addition the CDC is sponsoring an Eagle Books community outreach
campaign through 2012 targeting Native communities. Campaign
highlights include large-panel images of the pages from Eagle Books
series, storytelling, and school events.
Native Americans resources from the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress American Memory web site includes a page
titled Native Americans/Themed Resources for Teachers. The page
provides lesson plans for teaching grades 6-9 and includes manuscripts,
maps, photographs, film footage, and audio recordings related to the
treatment and portrayal of American Indians by European explorers and
settlers. See www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/themes/
native-americans.
Indigenous geography
The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) has produced a
new multimedia educational web site Indigenous Geography/Geografia
Indingea to provide students with an understanding of the environment
and cultural diversity in several Native communities throughout the
Western Hemisphere. Profiles of Native communities in Alaska, Arizona,
Canada, Central America, Hawaii, Mexico, and South America are
presented through photographs, sound clips, and essays on family,
language, origins, and rituals, among others. Two sets of lessons
accompany each community profile, one for grades 4-8 and one for
grades 9-12. The site is available in English and in Spanish. See
http://www.indigenousgeography.si.edu.
NMAI made its object and historic photography collection available on
its web site. See www.nmai.si.edu/searchcollections/home.aspx.
We Shall Remain toolkit
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) five-part television series We
Shall Remain tells the history and stories of Native peoples as an integral
part of the formation of the United States. College, elementary and high
school, and tribal library staff may download a toolkit that contains
resources and programming ideas from www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/we
shallremain/libraries.
