Teachers who work with English as a Second Language learners will find ESL/ESOL/ELL/EFL reading/writing skill-building children's books, stories, activities, ideas, strategies to help PreK-3, 4-8, and 9-12 students learn to read.
Cultural Traditions: Music & Dance
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When she writes of her childhood, America's first prima ballerina Maria Tallchief says, "I was born with music that flowed through my body as naturally as blood in my veins." It's a wonderful image to keep in mind as you read about the musicians and dancers who keep their own traditions alive and who draw inspiration from their ancestors, as Tallchief did.
Drumbeat...Heartbeat
This photo essay takes readers on a visit to a powwow but does so from an insider's perspective. Braine packs a lot of information into this slim volume, including a preface in which she gives an excellent personal talk on why she loves powwows and what they mean to many American Indian people today. She goes on to explain how they started, when and where they are held, and what one can expect to see there. — School Library Journal (We Are Still Here: Native Americans Today)
Jingle Dancer
Jenna wants to dance in the powwow as her grandmother and other women in her family have. But she wonders: will she have enough jingles to make her dress sing? Traditional and contemporary activities come together in this appealing, clearly illustrated story of a modern girl and her background, based on the author's Muscogee (Creek) heritage.
Lakota Hoop Dancer
Kevin Locke, a member of the Lakota nation who lives on the Standing Rock reservation in South Dakota, performs the hoop dance all over the world. He learned the intricate, demanding dance as a young man, and for him the dance is one way to keep Lakota traditions alive. Readers will learn where Locke lives, how he makes his costumes and his hoops, and why the hoop is an important symbol to many American Indians. — Booklist
Niimiwin: Everyone Dance
Join the children of Fond du Lac Head Start as they celebrate the Ojibwe culture through the ancient tradition of the Powwow. This book gives the reader a look at the Powwow from preparation through to the Grand Entry, the dancing, the feast and an invitation to Native and non-Native alike to "see you at the next year's Powwow." — Birchbark Books
Pepere Played the Fiddle
Youngest readers and listeners are invited to this 1940s-era house party of fiddling, spoon-playing, feet-tapping and dancing. In English with Michif words sprinkled throughout, Pepere Played the Fiddle is a celebration of Métis life and culture. — Oyate
Shannon: An Ojibway Dancer (We Are Still Here)
Shannon lives in Minneapolis with her grandmother, sisters, and cousins and is a fancy shawl dancer…A bit of tribal history and culture relevant to the events described, excellent full-color photographs and maps, and further reading lists make these titles essential purchases for school, public, and tribal libraries. — School Library Journal (We Are Still Here: Native Americans Today)
Tallchief: America's Prima Ballerina
Maria Tallchief shares the story of her childhood and path to becoming America's first prima ballerina. Growing up on the Osage Indian reservation, Maria was a gifted pianist and dancer, but at the age of twelve, her father told her that she must choose between dance and music. Maria chose ballet, changing the course of her life and the face of classical ballet in America.
The Butterfly Dance
This story chronicles one important day seen through the eyes of a young Hopi girl named Sihumana, or "Flower Maiden", who is a member of the Rabbit Clan and winningly portrayed as a rabbit. After going with her grandfather to greet the sun and bless the day, Sihumana travels with her family to another village to take part in the traditional Butterfly Dance, performed late each summer in order to bring rain to the dry lands of the Southwest. (Tales of the People)
Search Colorín Colorado
I'm a teacher in Pakistan. Today I visited this site for the first time. It really is worthy to read and helpful in making applications even to my classroom here in Pakistan. Thank you.
~ Sarah
