Kirsten Campbell
ENGL 478G
Week 2 Post
While reading From Boarders to Bridges, I connected with many things. I found it interesting that there was controversy around Christopher Columbus in 2007. Still, it also makes sense because the character Robert California in The Office remarks that Columbus committed genocide on Native Americans, and that aired around 2011. I also remember writing an argumentative essay in 2019, during my sophomore year of high school, about how we should cancel Columbus Day. "Multicultural literature can serve as a viable tool for addressing diverse issues in the classroom" (McKoy et al., 2007, p.51). My first encounter with multicultural literature was in 5th grade, and the book was Number the Stars by Lowis Lowry. Before this experience, we mainly read books where the characters were predominantly white with white side characters or fantasy with talking animals. From then on, in middle school, I read many books about different cultures and diverse issues. Some of the books we read were Tangerine, Bud, Not Buddy, To Kill a Mocking Bird, and The Diary of Anne Frank. I like the quote, "Our goal is not to separate multicultural literature into a genre independent of the others but rather to create awareness in the preservice teachers, helping them see that multicultural literature should be integral to all genres and can be positively integrated" (McKoy et al., 2007, p.51) because it is vital for stories not to be segregate diverse stories for being eclectic. Still, students need to hear multiple perspectives during the same period. Despite being unable to connect much with the book The Way To Rainy Mountain, it broadened my understanding of the Kiowa's history. I was also reminded of Mythology in high school. The class mainly focused on Greek mythology, but in one week of class, we learned about similar myths and how things came to be in different cultures, and then we had to present them to the class orally. I loved how the book was his recollections of oral stories passed down from generation to generation.
Since I am not a teacher yet, I have a few ideas to help students better understand the Kiowa tribe and avoid stereotypes. My first thought was to spark students' background knowledge with a story by the Kiowas. Since these are oral stories of the Kiowa tribe, we do not want our students to speculate that all Native tribes have the same story of how things came to be. For this, I thought students could research different stories of Native American tribes and then compare and contrast beliefs and events that occurred. Students could also compare and contrast Kiowa's beliefs and traditions with their own. Another strategy I had was for students to create oral tales and present them to the class. No matter our culture, we have family stories on how things came to be.
I will provide a fun question: Since we read about Momaday's recollection of memories and stories about who he is and where he came from, what would be your creation story about who you are or how the world came to be?
Lowery, R. M., & Sabis-Burns, D. (2007). From borders to bridges: making cross-cultural connections through multicultural literature. Multicultural Education, 14(4), 51. https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.morningside.edu/apps/doc/A168587716/AONE?u=anon~7bf73067&sid=googleScholar&xid=b44165d1
Momaday, N. S. (1969). The way to rainy mountain. University of New Mexico Press.
I agree with you and really like the quote, "...multicultural literature should be integral to all genres and can be positively integrated." We should look for books in the different genres that reflect our students.
ReplyDeleteI thought I could use "The Way to Rainy Mountain" with other creation stories or stories with lessons in them, like Aesop fables. What really caught my attention is the question you pose at the end of the blog. That would be an amazing wrap up to a literature unit and a great writing lesson. What would be your creation story about who you are or how the world came to be? Great question!!
Regina,
DeleteI love the idea of using other creation stories when teaching The Way to Rainy Mountain because it broadens the range of cultures to students, and many cultures have different creation stories. Would you have students search up assigned cultures to find creation stories or stories with good morals behind them and share them with the class?
Kristen,
ReplyDeleteYou've got some great ideas to use with your future students to help them understand the Kiowa tribe and avoid stereotypes. Something you could add to your ideas with background knowledge is having your students tell their own oral stories from their own backgrounds. Background knowledge is key to comprehension.
At first I had a hard time connecting with "The Way To Rainy Mountain" but as I go back through it as I write my reflection I can connect to the fact that I have a history. I have a story to tell. My grandparents are all gone and I can connect to the feeling of my grandmother being gone. So while it might be hard to connect at first do the compare and contrast activity you suggested now - You in comparison to Momady.
Emily,
DeleteI 100% agree that background knowledge is the key to comprehension. For example, a student who reads about baseball but needs to gain background knowledge about baseball will not be able to understand or struggle with reading. Even if they have no prior knowledge of baseball, we can create background knowledge for them by explaining how the sport works, how the players hit and catch a ball, and what equipment they use. The same goes for The Way to Rainy Mountain. What activities do you use to activate background knowledge in your classroom?
Your question would be an engaging and meaningful way to connect to the literature. I think it would make a great activity to recreate Momaday's structure to share the tradition/beliefs and follow that up with the connection to their memories. You have a lot of great ideas to help students connect with the text and to avoid stereotypes. That is one of the most difficult aspects of teaching multicultural literature, in my opinion. Students, and even us adults, have a tendency to group things together. My students might read an article about the Monarch butterfly in my science class and then they see another species and assume they also make a migration to Mexico. Stereotypes are so easy to form, but difficult to break. By being intentional in your planning, you can be sure to avoid them before they are created.
ReplyDeleteMandy,
ReplyDelete“Stereotypes are so easy to form, but difficult to break.” You could not have said it better. I completely agree. It boggles my mind to see people stereotype or mush cultures together. If we mush cultures together, we are blinded and cannot see the uniqueness and individuality of each culture. Since I am an undergrad still learning about being intentional in my planning, what are some ways you break the barrier with stereotyping or differentiating culture to culture?
Wonderful observation and idea for an activity to emphasize to students that we don't lump all people who "look alike" into one giant stereotype.
ReplyDelete