Indigenous America in the Spanish Language Classroom

A critical resource for inclusive teaching in the Spanish classroom

Although Indigenous peoples are active citizens of the Americas, many Spanish language teachers lack the knowledge and understanding of their history, culture, and languages that is needed to present the Spanish language in context. By presenting a more complete picture of the Spanish speaking world, Indigenous America in the Spanish Language Classroom invites teachers to adjust their curricula to create a more inclusive classroom.

Anne Fountain provides teachers with key historical and cultural information about Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas and explains how to incorporate relevant resources into their curricula using a social justice lens. This book begins with an overview of the Iberian impact on Indigenous Americans and connects it to language teaching, giving practical ideas that are tied to language learning standards. Each chapter finishes with a list for further reading, inviting teachers to dig deeper. The book ends with a set of ten conclusions and an extensive list of resources organized by topic to help teachers find accurate information about Indigenous America to enrich their teaching. Fountain includes illustrations that relate directly to teaching ideas.

Hard-to-find resources and concrete teaching ideas arranged by level as well as a glossary of important terms make this book an essential resource for all Spanish language teachers.

Anne Fountain is professor emerita at San José State University where she has taught courses in Latin American Culture and Civilization and Spanish American Literature. She is also a translator. She led study abroad programs to Yucatan for teachers and students from 1992 to 2004 and has given numerous workshops and talks for Spanish teachers. Fountain is the author of José Martí, the United States, and Race and translations of two collections of stories by Nancy Alonso; she is a co-editor of Cuba on the Edge: Short Stories from the Island.