This text both prompts and answers the question, “What happens when one culture or group tries to dominate another?” Crazy Horse and Jimmy model responses to domination, demonstrating the tendency to “fight back” when being overpowered. Other texts in this set address the lasting consequences of domination by one group. 

Reading Level/ Classroom Use:
Quantitatively, the anchor text is rather low for its intended audience: 7th grade students. Nonetheless, I have selected this text for use by 7th graders because I believe that 7th graders will be more capable of digesting the thematic content presented. The upside of this is that, because the material is on the lower end, all students should be able to read the anchor text set independently. I recommend that the instructor assign the readings, along with directed discussion questions, as homework. Students should take notes on the specific discussion question (supporting standard CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1), in order to prepare for peer-facilitated discussions on the text. Throughout the course of the text, students will identify the central theme, as aligned with the essential question (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.2) and consider the importance of shifting perspective/narration (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.6). Along with the text set, students will be able to compare historic and fictitious portrayals of the same event (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.9) and assess the ways that different authors shape their presentations of the same topic (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.9). 

Related Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Footsteps-Crazy-Horse-Joseph-Marshall/dp/141970785X (Purchase through Amazon)

https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/in-the-footsteps-of-crazy-horse_9781419707858/ (Publisher website with summary, acclaim and author/illustrator bios)

https://ailanet.org/2016-aiyla-announced/ (Recipient of the American Indian Youth Literature Award) 

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/joseph-m-marshall-iii/in-the-footsteps-of-crazy-horse/ (Kirkus Review of the text)

Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text.

Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.

Analyze how two or more authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations of key information by emphasizing different evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts.

Stanley’s editorial answers the question of what happens when one people group dominates another, analyzing the event that prompted interaction between two cultures. As such, the text provides historical background that lays the foundation for the events in Crazy Horse’s life, as narrated in the anchor text.

Reading Level/ Classroom Use:
Quantitatively, the reading measures as several years above grade level, but I think this is largely owing to the introduction of unfamiliar words, most of which are names of tribes. Overall, the reading includes only a few new vocabulary words, and the ideas are presented in a logical, straightforward fashion. Although the reading is above grade level, therefore, I think that students may be able to handle the reading within partnerships (pairing high students with low students). Students can work together to look up unfamiliar terms and understand the reading collaboratively. Alternatively, this can be a teacher-led text, with the instructor reading aloud the material and pausing for discussion and clarification. In terms of discussion, I think that the article provides rich historical, cultural and even rhetorical material.

With this in mind, I recommend emphasizing one or more of the following angles and standards: A) Stanley’s perspective on Columbus, contrasted with students’ prior understandings of the man (as presented by instructors or textbooks; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.9); B) The role of Pope Alexander VI’s edict, and how this would contribute to manifest destiny ideology (see Kiddle text; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.3); C) The role of repetition and rhetorical questions in Stanley’s editorial (supporting CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.8). 

https://www.insidesources.com/our-company/ (About the publisher)

https://thenewpress.com/books/lies-my-teacher-told-me-young-readers%E2%80%99-edition (The book reviewed here has a very good chapter about Columbus, similar thematically to the editorial but with more historical research; also just above grade level)

Kiddle is a great source for the topic because it provides hyperlinks to potentially unfamiliar content (supporting standard CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.4). The article also identifies the consequences of an ideology (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY. R.I.7.3).

Related Links:
https://m.kiddle.co/about.php (Kiddle “About” page)

https://kids.kiddle.co/Main_Page (Landing page/ statement of free use)

https://m.kiddle.co/kidssafesearch.php (Safe searching for Kids)

https://womensenews.org/teen-voices/ (Concerning the integration of Teen Voices Magazine, without which the article would not exist)

http://www.unevadapress.com/ (Publisher website)

https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/black-elk (History of Black Elk and his autobiography)

https://asp6new-alexanderstreet-com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/ibio/ibio.about.html (Database where I accessed the chapter)

AASL B.I.3
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1

Summary/ Relationship to Anchor Text:
Author Joseph M. Marshall III, who wrote In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse, is also an actor in a 2005 TV mini-series called Into the West. In this film clip from the show, an adolescent boy enters boarding school for the first time. During the clip, he is accosted by his instructors, who take his possessions from him. Next, the children are required to randomly choose an English name and change clothes. The students are taken to another room for haircuts. On his turn, the boy runs away, only to be caught by a group of instructors, who shove him around. At this point, the camera cuts away to two of the teachers, as one explains why the boy ran from the haircut: Natives only cut their hair when mourning a great loss. The boy sings to the Great Spirit, begging for compassion. Then, trembling, he cuts his own hair. 

This video is an essential component to the text set, because it continues the historical narrative begun in the anchor text, showing what happened to the Native children who were living on reservations in the aftermath of surrender. It also serves the essential question by showing how a dominating society will strip another culture of its heritage. Rather than using the term “assimilation,” the video provides concrete examples, including cutting children’s hair and forcing them to adopt different names.

Reading Level/ Classroom Use:
I favored this video clip because the content is grade-level appropriate, especially because it is a visual representation of assimilation, as opposed to a verbose written explanation. While students at and below grade level should be able to grasp the core theme of the video (students are being forced into becoming something they are not), students above grade level may appreciate the symbolic importance of the hair cut. 

I envision students exploring this video on an individual basis, with instructions to choose one quote that stands out as important to them, and then write a paragraph about why this quotation seems important (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1). From there, students will be invited to share their responses in a class discussion, which will then lead into a discussion of assimilation. In this way, students will be introduced to the concept before they have a name for it, so that once they know the word “assimilation,” they will already have been exposed to concrete examples of the process. Finally, students will be asked to craft their own definition of assimilation, based on the class discussion (AASL B.I.3). 

Related Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Into-West-Joseph-M-Marshall/dp/B000AQ6A9E (Purchase on DVD)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409572/ (IMDb page)

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1954728/ (Joseph Marshall III IMDb page; Notably, the author of the anchor text plays a prominent role in this film series)

AASL B.I.3
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.9

Summary/ Relationship to Essential Question
This tragic "before" and "after" picture has nothing to do with weightloss. The image combines two photographs of Lakota boys in attendance at Carlisle Indian Industrial School. In the earlier image, the boys wear traditional Native dress and hairstyles. In the after image, the boys are wearing white men’s clothes and sport short haircuts. Overlaid across the two images is a pair of handcuffs, drawing symbolic attention to the forced assimilation process. 

As with the previous text in the set, the image shows one of the repercussions of the white man’s domination of the Native people. It also offers a tragic comparison to Crazy Horse’s way of life. Moreover, the image presents an alternate learning medium, strengthening trans-literacy, while also helping to strengthen students’ growing understanding of assimilation. 

Reading Level/ Classroom Use:
In concert with the film clip from Into the West, this image supports CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7 (which pertains to integration of visual information), while also enabling students to compare and contrast the primary source (image) with the secondary source, strengthening CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.9. 

I recommend implementing this text either immediately following or within the same lesson as the Into the West film clip. Because the symbolic nature of the image may present a challenge to students at or below grade-level, I think that students should work in groups with 3-4 of their peers to analyze the image. In addition to comparing and contrasting the format of the image and the film clip, students should also consider the symbolism that the shackles lend to the photograph. Finally, students should create their own symbolic artwork that integrates their definition of assimilation (AASL B.I.3).

Related Links:
https://boardingschoolhealing.org/education/us-indian-boarding-school-history/ (Article attached to image)

https://boardingschoolhealing.org/about-us/ (About the Native American National Boarding School Healing Coalition)

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/ (Library of Congress guide for teaching primary sources)

Reading Level/ Classroom Use:
Although clearly targeted toward adults (and therefore, above grade level) this video is a very important component in the text set. For this reason, I recommend a teacher-led approach to the film, with the instructor providing background information about some of the concepts (i.e., colonialism, blood quantum, “one drop” principle).  The film can then be viewed by the entire class, after which the instructor will facilitate discussion on the themes touched on above, in concert with the essential question.

Because of the video format, this text strengthens CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7: “Integrate visual information... with other information in print and digital texts.” In the process, students will consider the cause-effect relationship between the events detailed in the anchor text and the attitudes portrayed in the clip. Additionally, because of the interesting “chunking” presentation format (ideas are presented thematically, not in a typical Q &A format), students can demonstrate their ability to “describe how a text presents information” (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.5). 

Related Links:
https://www.nytco.com/company/ (NY Times Mission Statement)

https://www.nytimes.com/column/op-docs (Scroll down for “About Op-Docs”)

(NY Times Video Page)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.9
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.9
AASL B.II.2

Summary/ Relationship to Essential Question:
Did Custer really take one last stand? While Grandpa Nyles calls "Custer's Last Stand" a misnomer, Nelson defines the Battle of Bighorn as a last stand.
Nelson's Duckster encyclopedia entry article presents an excellent opportunity for contrast, especially with regard to author perspective. While the anchor text is strongly sympathetic to the plight of the Native Americans, this article comes closer to siding with the Long Knives. One sentence, for example, begins,“When the Native Americans refused to give up the land…” implying that the Natives may be at fault. Alternately, the author may simply be using the most straightforward language possible to explain the events. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that children’s educational material in the United States has historically skewed perceptions in favor of the white conquerors. Regardless of the author's intent, it is apparent that one response to domination is to fight back against the oppressor.

Reading Level/ Classroom Use:
Because the website appears to be geared toward elementary students, I recommend printing this article, rather than asking students to access the content online. This text is appropriate for lower seventh grade readers, as it features simple word choices and basic concepts. My hope, however, is that higher readers may help lower readers to develop a deeper understanding of the nuanced approaches to conveying history. For this reason, I recommend that the article be read independently, but reviewed as a teacher-led, whole class discussion.

The text should be read upon completion of chapter six in the anchor text. Students should consider how different authors shape the presentation of the Battle of Little Bighorn (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.9) and how the fictitious and informational texts differ from one another (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.9). Finally, students should inquire as to the range of perspectives presented through the differing sympathies of the authors (AASL B.II.2).

Related Links:

https://www.ducksters.com/about.php (About the publication)

https://www.ducksters.com/history/native_americans/trail_of_tears.php (Trail of Tears article from same encyclopedia)

https://www.ducksters.com/history/native_americans/wounded_knee_massacre.php (Wounded Knee article from same encyclopedia