Minnesota Indigenous Communities Book Club: Year 2

by Laura Wagenman, President Elect

Amy Nolte and I are holding two more sessions to continue our learning around our Minnesota Indigenous Communities and their contributions. Using stories that align with the Native Knowledge 360  Worksheet for Selecting Native American Children’s Literature and A Guide To Reliable Native American-Related Teaching Resources: With Reference To Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in English Language Arts, we have chosen the following stories: 

• • January 27th: Ancestor Approved– Fancy Dancer chapter by Monique GraySmith
  • February 10th: Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills
  • March 3rd: Native American Mathematics units 1 and 6
  • March 10th: This Land by Ashley Fairbanks and Takoza: Walks with the Blue Moon Girl by Tara Perron

Our goals are to use story to broaden our definition of mathematics, highlighting mathematical thinking and ways of knowing. These goals align with the Minnesota Tribal Nations Contexts language embedded in the 2020 MN Math Standards as well as with the recommendations from the Office of American Indian Education. The Indigenous Education for All Frequently Asked Questions can be found here. 

What Can Schools and Educators Do Right Now to Advance Indigenous Education in Their Classrooms?

• • Use this time to grow staff knowledge about Indigenous cultures, histories and contemporary issues. This foundational understanding will be valuable when implementing full IEFA curriculum in the future.
  • Include high-quality literature by Indigenous authors in your classrooms.

The development of comprehensive IEFA resources is an ongoing process, and we appreciate your patience and commitment to Indigenous education as we work toward full implementation. 

More information about Indigenous Education for All (IEFA) can be found here. Materials have been linked to support learning about Ojibwe Migration for grades K-5. 

If you are interested in joining us for one or both of our remaining sessions, please email me at Preselect@mctm.org. We look forward to learning with you!