Suggests a way of teaching science to young children that is consistent with Piaget's interpretation of the child's spontaneous animism and that elicits a personal and in-depth response to knowledge. Describes construction and use of an environmental bubble to enhance children's interest in the night sky. (SW)

Reviews six children's books about American Indian culture, traditional life, and folk tales by Native and non-Native authors. Discusses questions related to whether non-Natives should write about Native life, whether the same criticism should apply to Native and non-Native authors, and problems in adapting oral materials. (SV)

The use of storytelling, myths, and folk tales from various countries and cultures is recommended to promote acceptance of diverse points of view, experiences, and learning styles. The purposes of storytelling in culture, in the classroom, and in the special education classroom are discussed. (JDD)

Discusses how art and mythology both function to reawaken perception. Describes how the use of myth can impart to students very real human reactions and feelings. Maintains that art educators are responsible for enabling and empowering students with the wonders of mythology. (KM)

Suggests that studying myth, and what it can tell of the history of people's perceptions of values, will provide a basis for future growth. Provides various examples from literature that define myth and relate the power of myth in modern society. (AEF)

At a New Jersey school, students spend one year studying each of three time periods: ancient Egypt in fourth grade; Greece in fifth grade; and Rome and the Middle Ages in sixth grade. The history curriculum becomes the focal point for other areas (art, music, drama, language arts, science, geography, and math). Teachers use primary sources and…

Use of a "writerly" text, one that encouraged students to intersperse their own responses, assisted education students in negotiating the identities they brought to teaching and those they developed during teacher education. The importance of providing opportunities to examine cultural myths about teaching in the teacher education curriculum is…

Non-Native scholarly interpretations of The Three Bears--a traditional story of the Nlha7kapmx Nation--focus on mythology as simplistic science to explain the physical world. In contrast, a Nlha7kapmx interpretation illuminates connections of land to people. Such stories reinforce cultural identity and teach young people about the spiritual power…

In this article, the author first provides the history of the wedding rice myth. He then details an interactive class activity that involved students in his large, non-majors biology classes. These students developed a series of experiments that scientifically determined if rice could be harmful to birds. Finally, he provides suggestions on how…

Understanding of the traditional Navajo world view and philosophy is ultimately centered on their origin story of emergence into the present world. All stories stem from this basic one. This collection of 12 Navajo stories includes origin stories, coyote stories, and a fairly recent one that describes a recognizable place. In the Anglo sense,…

This paper examines the proposition that administrative policy has the properties of a myth, with myth defined as a grand narrative of explanation and justification. It illustrates the proposition with an example of radical restructuring in a large education system, the Department of Education in New South Wales, Australia. It reviews the…

This text explores an isolated and indigenous people who live in the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico. Isolation has allowed the Cora Indians to maintain their traditional customs to a much greater extent than many other groups of Native Americans. The historical and geographical contexts of the Cora are presented in this curriculum resource.…

This volume presents ten papers by authors from diverse academic disciplines that challenge the acceptance of dominant patterns of knowledge in the present educational and social climate and suggest that our creativity, our capacity to comprehend complex phenomena, and the future well-being of out society depend on our willingness to embrace new…

The nature, essence, and power of thought and speech in Navajo ideology are discussed. Emphasis is given to speech and thought in the context of ritual. (SCC)

This volume contains approximately 35 brief stories told by members of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. Many of the stories deal with legendary Indian heros, warriors, or cultural myths. Some, however, seem to portray actual events in the lives of the narrators themselves or their immediate ancestors. Many stories deal with Indian magic or…