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.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Conquests and the impact on indigenous languages and cultures.
2. New perspectives: The Quincentennial and the 21st century
3. Ideas for Language Classes
4. Spanish American literature with indigenous perspectives
5. Ideas for Latin American Studies
6. Conclusions and resources
Glossary
Appendix A: Useful texts: Guaman Poma’s Chronicle and The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel
Appendix B: Designing online options
Index
Reviews
"Indigenous America in the Spanish Language Classroom should be compulsory reading for all Spanish teachers. It redefines the relationship between Indigenous and Spanish languages and cultures in the Americas, integrating them fully. The book considers the backgrounds of our current students to support inclusivity and a treasure trove of resources that are largely unknown in the Spanish classroom. Anne Fountain offers a multitude of practical pedagogical suggestions to incorporate Indigenous languages, cultures, products, and practices into our introductory, intermediate, and advanced Spanish courses and curricula."—Sheri Spaine Long, former executive director of AATSP, former editor of Hispania, and former editor of Foreign Language Annals
"Indigenous America in the Spanish Language Classroom offers new and important insights on Native American contributions to Spanish American linguistics and culture. This book is a must have for the library of Spanish teachers."—Eduardo Zayas-Bazán, professor emeritus, East Tennessee State University, and former president, American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese,
"It may seem contradictory that a book in English provides educational materials for teaching Spanish, but Anne Fountain’s book transcends that barrier. It is a contribution of specific cultural references for all levels of Spanish in the US. Aimed at teachers, the book is especially focused on students of native cultural heritage from Mesoamerica. Fountain proposes feasible, non-rhetorical strategies for the curricular plan."—Odi Gonzales, clinical associate professor, Quechua Language and Culture Program, New York University,
About the Author
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.
