Review of Core Knowledge Social Studies: Kindergarten

 

Core Knowledge Kindergarten:

I focused only on the units that discuss Native peoples. The presidents unit is included because it teaches about Tunkasila Sakpe Paha, or Mount Rushmore, and should include Natives in each lesson, but does not.

Unit 2: Native Americans

The teacher guide starts out with “Hundreds of years ago, many Native American peoples lived on the continent of North America. Each group had its own language and culture, although traits were shared among groups living in similar settings.” This is not starting well at all. Hundreds of years ago? Not thousands? Tens of thousands? Time immemorial, which would give it a cultural context? Then we are described as having “lived” here, past tense. While the unit is clearly about the past, writing statements like “Native American peoples lived on the continent of North America” perpetuates the myth that we no longer exist. The way it is written implies we don’t live here any longer. It could be written to indicate that while the unit is about the past, we still exist and live here. Next is the word “group.” No, we are not “groups.” We were and are sovereign nations. Even the word “tribe” would be more accurate here, even though it’s technically wrong as well. But “groups” is incorrect no matter how you spin it.

The sampling of Native nations and cultures is very slim, even for Kindergarten. There is no indication of just how many nations were and are here. It includes only 3 nations total, each from a different region. This is inadequate. It later explains that as they go through school for years, they will learn more about more nations. It is still inadequate to introduce the topic this way. It goes into an explanation about culture regions for teachers. In this section it states “For the purpose of presenting information to Kindergarten students, the diversity of the groups within areas need not be discussed. For the most part, the emphasis in this section is on generalizations that apply to many peoples and nations within a culture region.” This is absolutely not a good way to introduce Native peoples to Kindergarten students. Even if they are not expected to retain or memorize the information, to introduce us in generalizations and with such limited information perpetuates stereotypes and misinformation. It perpetuates the ideas many students in the US in all grades have about us, including that we are all the same. Following this explanation are low estimates of pre-contact populations. They’re inaccurate. The next section is about “Native American Beliefs.” It quotes a non-Native historian with a broad generalization of “Indian” beliefs. This is followed up by something about horses. It states, “Students may have a stereotypical view of Native Americans as buffalo hunters on horseback.” While it is correct that is a stereotype, this curriculum is loaded with stereotypes. They’re not helping the issue any.

At the end of the introduction is a list of additional books teachers can use. It includes only one book by a Native author out of 15 books. Almost every single book on the list has a negative review in the book A Broken Flute or on Debbie Reese’s blog (AICL). Almost every single book on the list is problematic, inaccurate, and perpetuates stereotypes. All of the non-Native authored books could easily be replaced with books by Native authors about the same subjects.

The teacher guide moves on to lesson by lesson instructions. They each have a bit more details about different nations in the regions being covered as well as a statement that says students should know that Natives are still here, but it’s glossed over and quick. Teachers are supposed to emphasize the past tense people instead. That fact probably won’t stick. These lesson instructions all contain inaccuracies and stereotypes as well.

There are 7 “chapters” in the student book. Each is supposed to be about a child’s life in one of the 3 regions covered. The first two are about an Abenaki child named “Little Rabbit.” The character’s name itself is a stereotype and misunderstanding of Native names (as is the explanation in the teacher guide). The whole story is full of stereotypes and generalizations. The teacher guide includes even more. The images on each page are not accurate at all. Stereotypes of clothing, hair, feathers, and life styles abound. The little “fact” tidbits on the bottom of each page are mostly inaccurate or generalizations. “Native Americans…[did this or that]” as if we are all the same. The activities and follow up questions all continue with these issues. Problematic activities, questions that lead to generalizations, and the “check for understanding” contains a list of generalizations about all “Eastern Woodlands peoples,” again perpetuating the false narrative that we are all the same.

The next two chapters are about the Ancestral Pueblo people. At least they used the right terminology there, and not the outdated “Anasazi.” Of course they don’t stay accurate for long. They indicate the Ancestral Pueblo peoples lived in Chaco Canyon and that’s it. Amidst the stereotypical images and generalizations that also plague these two chapters, is a claim that Kokopelli was a rain god that played a magic flute. This is false. According to the Hopi, Kokopelli is a fertility deity, not a rain god, and he carried a cane, not a flute. The same issues in the previous two chapters apply to these as well. These stories also include blanket “Native American” statements on the bottoms of each page. The follow up activities include problematic books, more false information about Kokopelli, and more stereotypical imagery.

The last three chapters are about a child from the Kwakuitl people in the Pacific Northwest. The stories include misrepresentations of their beliefs about ravens, incorrect information about what totem poles are,  and stereotypes and inaccuracies of their clothing. Follow up activities include problematic books, more generalizations, and problematic crafts including a totem pole craft.

It is pretty clear from just this one lesson that Core Knowledge doesn’t have the core knowledge necessary to write lessons about Native Americans. That was cheesy, but they definitely do not know what they are talking about. They apparently do not consult Native peoples or Native experts for their lessons. This is just the first lesson about Natives in the whole K-6 series. Yikes.

 

Unit 3: Exploring and Moving to America

Let’s start with the title. “America” is two whole continents, but this clearly is using “America” to mean only the United States/North America. Also, the word “exploring” is inaccurate. Columbus, the Spanish, the English…they weren’t “exploring.” They were intentionally invading and colonizing. This is well recorded in primary documents.

The Teacher Guide introduction completely glosses over the issues of Columbus, colonization (the English), enslavement of Indigenous peoples, etc. It is a flowery, happy version of events. It claims the U.S.A. is the “first modern democracy.” This is false. The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) have the oldest living democracy in the world and it started just before the Early Modern period and continued into the Modern Era (and still exists today). The United States wasn’t the first and isn’t a true democracy. It repeats the age old claim that the “Pilgrims” came seeking freedom of religion. The reality is they wanted to establish a theocracy on land they knew wasn’t theirs and did not care about freedom of religion for anyone but themselves. It uses biased words like “adventure” and “hero” for Christopher Columbus. The recommended books at the end of the introduction are all problematic except for one. The People Shall Continue is a fantastic Native authored book. The rest are junk. Most of them are around 30 years old and full of false information. The modern ones are still problematic and are on Oyate’s old list of books to avoid. There is one other book by a Native author, Squanto’s Journey, but it is also problematic and not recommended.

The student text has ten chapters. Chapter 1 is called “Christopher Columbus: A Young Adventurer.” This is already setting the stage for the glorification of Columbus through myths passed off as truth. He wasn’t an “adventurer,” he was motivated by greed. He wanted gold and slaves. He was a slave trade for the Portuguese already before sailing across the Atlantic. The first few pages are entirely made up. They’re conjecture. Not much is actually known about Columbus’s early life, but this creates a myth of him and a brother ‘dreaming of becoming sailors.” Why is this being passed off as history? It is fiction, but there is nothing in the student text or teacher guide that indicates this. Then on page four it introduces the myth that “some people thought the earth was flat.” By this time, the whole world knew the Earth was round, including Europeans and Indigenous peoples in the Americas. Columbus’s motivations had nothing to do with proving the Earth is round, but this book claims this.

Chapter 2 goes on to continue the flat Earth/prove it was round myth. It also says Europeans just wanted to trade spices and silk. They were also motivated by the slave trade and gold, but there is no mention of this. On page 9 it states “Long ago, many people thought there was nothing but ocean if you sailed west.” Who does “many people” refer to? Clearly it means Europeans, but it doesn’t say this. Europeans are the default meaning of “people” while the rest of the world’s knowledge doesn’t matter…they’re not included in these “many people.” This is strong eurocentrism.

Chapter 3 goes on to misname the ships. While the Santa Maria was really named that, the Nina and Pinta were nicknames. Santa Clara is thought to be the name of La Niña.

Chapter 4 repeats the flat Earth myth again. They really want to convince children that this is true.

Chapter 5 names the Taino by name, which is surprising, but they only call the island what Columbus called it – San Salvador – rather than the Taino name, Guanahaní. It barely acknowledges the Taino and that it was their land. This chapter completely avoids the harmful treatment of the Taino by Columbus and the Spanish. It is possible to teach this truth to kindergarten students in an age appropriate way. This curriculum makes zero attempt to do so. It also does not mention the enslavement of the Taino. The last chapter of this student text is about the enslavement of Africans in the United States. If they can explain that to kindergarten students, there is no reason why they can’t explain the enslavement of the Taino.

Chapter 6 then moves on to the “pilgrims.” I calls their story “adventures.” Invading and colonizing are not “adventures” and framing it as such is harmful and false. It also claims they “were known as pilgrims.” They were not. They were not known as pilgrims until well over 100 years later. They were known as Saints, Separatists, and Puritans at the time (these terms refer to different groups, but are collectively called “pilgrims” today). It perpetuates the myth they simply wanted to “worship God in their own way.” They came to take over someone else’s land in the name of God and establish a place where no one else could worship in their own ways.

Chapter 7 has nothing to remark beyond the typical Eurocentric “pilgrim” story.

Chapter 8 states “…wonder if there would be strange creatures in the forests. Would the Wampanoag and other Native Americans welcome them?” This is worded intentionally to put Native peoples on the same level as animals or unknown “strange” animals. This is common in children’s literature and textbooks. It’s harmful, but found everywhere. There is no reason to put these two sentences together other than to perpetuate harmful associations between animals and Natives. The images are all stereotypes. None of the Wampanoag men are wearing shirts or warm clothing in any of the images even though these images are supposed to represent spring and fall in New England. It would be cold and the Wampanoag would be dressed for the weather. This is among other stereotypes as well. They say Tisquantum’s name was “Squanto” instead of using his real name. His story of how he came to speak English is completely avoided. He had been previously kidnapped and enslaved. Again, if they can teach about the enslavement of others, they can teach about the enslavement of Indigenous peoples, including Tisquantum. It claims “Even though the pilgrims had settled on Native American land, Squanto helped them…” This is a false oversimplification of the situation. While all history has to be simplified for the level, this is not the way. It can truthfully indicate that they invaded or stole Indigenous land and that Tisquantum’s situation was not as simple as “helping” them. It does not, though. This chapter ends with the false Thanksgiving story that the “pilgrims” invited the Wampanoag as “friends.” The images are also stereotypes yet again.

Chapter 9 says the English were “happy in their new home” and then makes a massive jump to the 1770s and the Revolutionary War. It calls George Washington a “great leader.” He was a slave “owner” and nicknamed “Town Destroyer” by the Haudenosaunee.

Finally chapter 10 ends the book with a glossed over version of African enslavement in the United States.

 

Unit 4: Mount Rushmore Presidents

 The student text starts out with “Four of our greatest presidents are honored at Mount Rushmore.” Yikes! I am not hopeful about this lesson. So far it seems I have major reasons to worry.

This seems to be an introduction to the particular brand of propaganda based patriotism common in US education. The first chapter is called “Four Great Presidents.” The teacher guide starts this chapter with noting that the Black Hills are sacred to the “Sioux” (should probably say Lakota/Dakota), but stops short of indicating that Mount Rushmore is carved into unceded treaty land, or even just stolen land. This is a concept children of this age can understand so there is no reason not to teach it. This lesson is all about honoring people who did “good things” and continues to call them the “greatest presidents.” Since it is an introduction to the topics of presidents, voting, civics, etc. I would not expect it to go into detail about each person who is carved into a stolen, sacred mountain, but it should be less biased. I would at least expect this introduction to discuss Lakota perspectives on Mount Rushmore and their stolen land. This is almost never taught. It should be. The ramifications of not teaching this were very evident in the backlash Lakota activists received after this summer’s events at Mount Rushmore when they attempted a blockade of a government event. This is very much a current issue and has impacts beyond the classroom. Calling these the “greatest presidents” does not do anything to advance an honest education about US history. Their harmful actions should be considered in how these presidents are described.

In the lesson plans for chapter 2, about Washington, it repeats something I have seen before in Core Knowledge. Whenever they discuss slavery, they say that slavery has existed in many cultures for thousands of years. They can’t bring themselves to simply discuss US slavery in the context of US history. They also mention this fact as if it matters here. It really doesn’t and it certainly doesn’t need to be repeated every time the subject is discussed. It’s a scapegoat. They’re repeatedly attempting to make the US look like it wasn’t “that bad.” There is no mention of Washington’s nickname “Town Destroyer” given to him by the Haudenosaunee.

The lesson on Jefferson glorifies the Louisiana Purchase and western “exploration” by Lewis and Clark. This should not be glorified or viewed in such a positive light. While it certainly impacted the development of the US as a whole, it is a sad and negative history for many peoples. This should be acknowledged, but rarely is when this topic comes up. There is no mention of him being an enslaver of hundreds of people or his belief that Natives were inferior, and the land must be taken over by whites.

The teacher guide for the lesson on Lincoln glorifies his actions around the emancipation proclamation with no mention of his actual racism and views of Black people. It also makes no mention of his role in the Dakota War of 1862 and the largest mass hanging in US history. Granted, that last part is too much for Kindergarten students, but it can be mentioned that he ordered terrible things to be done to Natives who were standing up for themselves, without going into much detail.

The teacher guided for chapter 5 about Roosevelt praises his “love of the west” and his conservation efforts. There is no mention of his hatred and racism toward Natives. His beliefs that white people were superior or that Natives were interfering with western expansion are not mentioned. It also makes no mention of his hatred and racism toward Black people. These are important because they shaped his policies, both foreign and domestic. Their praise of the National Parks overlooks the harm this caused due to the forced removal of Natives from their homelands for the creation of these parks and National Forests. His white supremacy is completely ignored.

The student text makes absolutely zero mention of the sacredness of the Black Hills and that mountain to the Lakota/Dakota people. If the teacher chooses not to mention this, the students will have absolutely no idea.  In chapter 2 it states that the story about Washington and the cherry tree is not true, but it’s a good story to tell anyway. This is odd. Why is it a good story to tell in a history book if it isn’t true? It belongs in a lesson about tall tales and legends, not a history text. It also makes no mention of his involvement in slavery. Again, if the teacher does not mention this, they will not learn it from the text. The end of chapter 5 about Roosevelt states “On this special land, people could not harm trees or animals.” People could not harm trees or animals in National Parks and Forests, but they could certainly harm Indigenous peoples like he did. There is nothing written in any chapter about their negative histories.

It is true that Kindergarteners shouldn’t be hearing horrific details of history, but it is also true that they are capable of understanding much more than what people give them credit for. Native Kindergarten students are often taught these truths in an age appropriate way at home. There is no reason why other students shouldn’t’ be taught these truths as well. They are important to understanding true US history rather than learning a false and over glorified version of it. Giving students a non-biased and honest introduction to history is important. Continuing to push propaganda in education is harmful no matter the age of the student. All these true and messy parts of these four presidents’ histories can be introduced in an age appropriate way so that students understand that these men were not perfect, but that they did good and bad things. Other than the brief mention of slavery in the Washington lesson, there is no mention of any other harmful actions or beliefs of these men. Omission is a form of lying.

Overall, the kindergarten units are awful. This is the same type of false history that I was taught in school as a child. I was taught correctly at home. It is sad to see not much has changed. Most of these students are not having this corrected at home. Educators and curriculum developers need to do better. Society’s poor education about Natives has a direct impact on us and our communities. This is the foundation these students will carry with them into future grades and it is horrible.