Training Americans: Ideology, Performance, and Social Studies Textbooks

Manifesting Destiny: Re/presentations of Indigenous Peoples in K–12 U.S. History Standards

“…Similarly, Gesener (2011) noted that Texas history textbooks and trade books commonly portrayed Karankawa Peoples as victims or "inhuman savages" (p. 233). Chappell (2010) and Mason and Ernst-Slavit (2010) demonstrated how textbooks present Indigenous Peoples using long-held stereotypes and the language of Eurocentricity. Furthermore, in a study of how teachers taught for diversity, Wills (2001) found that teachers often present overgeneralized and simplistic information about marginalized groups, such as Indigenous Peoples' perspectives of colonization, by not providing students with enough information about the unique and varied perspectives of Indigenous Peoples.…”

School as Ceremony and Ritual: How Photography Illuminates Performances of Ideological Transfer

“…How might such "interruption of history" or tradition occur? Interventions such as those suggested by Chappell (2010) in his article on performances called for by social studies textbooks include research into the period including seeking out counter narratives, reframing the narratives expressed in and through the performances, or deconstructing these narratives through arts activities. Authors Levstik and Barton (2005) suggest that students explicitly apply an ethical stance to history as presented in the photos.…”

“…George Washington's mythical cutting down of the cherry tree is recreated and memorialized in Figure 21. Many photographs in the archives show the common reenactment of the "First Thanksgiving" meal shared by "Pilgrims" and "Indians" [see Chappell (2010) for a discussion of this ceremony in school textbooks]. A particularly poignant image is Figure 26 showing a group of Native American children in Arizona celebrating Lincoln's birthday by building a log cabin-miles from the nearest tree.…”

Asset-Based Civics for, With, and by Immigrant Students: Three Sites of Enriched Teaching and Learning for Immigrant and Native-Born Students

“…Despite the potential of initiating critical civic discourse around the topic of immigration, several participants noted that the formal curriculum did not adequately address topics such as immigrant acculturation and host society reception, or incorporate the voices of immigrants in America, a concern also acknowledged in the literature (e.g., Chappell, 2010;Hilburn & Fitchett, 2012). To promote critical discourse around this topic and draw on immigrant students' assets, many participants moved beyond the formal curriculum (e.g., textbooks) to introduce new material that they believed to be culturally relevant to immigrant students.…”