(3/2004) - If you ask second graders about Native Americans, they'll say “teepees, buffalos and horses." They are partly right; teepees and buffalos, and later horses, were important parts of life in some Native American cultures. But they also learn about the importance of salmon and deer, pueblos, longhouses and hogans. They will learn even more in seventh grade when they study Native Americans again. But why study the same topic twice before high school when there are so many subjects to cover?  Because students at different ages view the same topic through different lenses and, as seventh-grade history teacher Jeremiah Burns notes, "Themes that reappear strengthen and deepen children's understanding of the world."

When Native American studies first appear in the Dutchess Day School curriculum, the focus is on the pre-colonial natives of different regions and their relationships to the land. Second graders learn that in each region, people recognized an animal that they were thankful to, and that harmony with nature and being thankful for nature's gifts were important parts of all Native American cultures. They also read Native American legends and other materials that give them a feeling for the places where Native Americans lived.

In addition, second graders keep illustrated notebooks of information about the natives of each region, carefully creating drawings that accurately reflect what they have learned. "Second graders love to draw," notes teacher Barbara Bettigole. "Drawing and making things really works at this age." Arts and crafts are more than just fun; they are an approach into a subject that helps second graders understand a concept.  When the children make falseface masks, they confront the unusual challenge of trying to make something that might be conceptually ugly from their own cultural perspective. This counterintuitive requirement opens up the students’ curiosity and keeps them focused on using what they have learned to try to make a truly authentic mask. The broader concepts about cultural values can be difficult to tackle with second graders, but, as the teacher notes, "I know they'll have another chance at these ideas when they're older."

In seventh grade, students immediately confront issues of culture and identity when they are asked, "What is a myth?" and are challenged to understand the significance of myths in Native American cultures. Teacher Jeremiah Burns brings a wide knowledge of books and other resources for teaching about Native Americans. Of Cherokee ancestry himself, he purposely chose a college that allowed him to major in Native American studies and provided him access to Native American communities.

One of the first things that his students come to understand is, as Burns says, "There is no such thing as  [one] Native American culture.  There were, at one point, five hundred different cultures north of the Rio Grande."  Seventh graders echo their second grade experience by creating masks inspired by art from Native American cultures. That way, the students' appreciation of native cultures can be internalized. As Burns notes, "Art does that. In making masks, they feel a connection to people, and when students feel connected to history, they enjoy it more."

Burns’ students are given information about the differences and commonalities among the many native cultures that have existed. He also makes sure that his students are informed about the relevant geography and the timeline of history as they study broader concepts of culture and identity. As they form their own sense of identity, the study of different cultures and belief systems can be a powerful experience. For seventh graders, learning about very different people can support them in their own quest to figure out who they are and what they believe in. Studying the culture of people who lived very differently but also were Americans is relevant especially for students of this age as they can think critically about stereotypes and prejudice.

As they move forward in their studies of American history, students consider how native cultures were affected by the arrival of Europeans. Later in the year, the students learn about the arrival of Columbus and Cortez, and still further on, about the Jamestown colony. These students certainly will encounter Native American topics in an American history class in high school. At that time, approaching voting age, college, and the adult world, they will once again have a new lens through which to view Native American cultures, and another chance to see how much their own thinking has changed since they first began to learn about a topic that is so much more than teepees, buffalos and horses.