Special Projects
The following projects are being organized at the Utah State Office of Education.
Standing Tall Conference
The Standing Tall program was developed by Howard Rainer using research that is consistent with the latest findings about the healthy growth and development of children and youth. Standing Tall invites adults and students to become connected to their own sense of who they are, to understand their historical and cultural foundations, to provide role models as affirming examples, and to acquire the social tools to self direct in positive, constructive ways so that healthy choices are made with a strong sense of awareness of the consequences now, and in the future. Standing Tall also includes the opportunity to have a positive reading experience with information and insights that are relevant and meaningful in students' lives. Students who participate in the program are encouraged to stand tall with self confidence and be seen and heard in the future.The Utah State office of Education under the direction of Shirlee Silversmith and in collaboration with the Utah Indian Education Advisory Committee selected Standing Tall to meet an identified need to increase Native American student self esteem, motivation and youth leaderships skills. They believed that this motivation would have a direct relationship on student success in school.
American Indian History Lessons
Because of the lack of Indian history and culture lesson plans. The American Indian/Alaska Native Indian Education Advisory Committee came up with a plan to develop and integrate the American Indian History Lesson plans into the classroom as well as provide training to the teachers on application of knowledge and materials. The lesson plans help to in achieving the advisory committees goals to:
- Provide historically accurate and culturally sensitive information about American Indians and their culture to all Utah Students.
- Raise the sensitivity and awareness of all Utah educators regarding the history and culture of their American Indian students.
- Provide an additional understanding to American Indian students of their own cultural, heritage, and language.
Native American Indian Literacy Project
This project involved many dedicated and talented individuals who share a passion to bring Native American Indian stories into the classroom. This website contains a storybook series for the six main Utah Tribal Nations. There are five stories per Tribe, with a total of 30 booklets, plus an ABC book. The CD also includes information about each Tribe and links to other viable Internet sites, plus music, educational resources, lesson plans, and research articles. The set ofIndian Tribal stories may be utilized by elementary classroom teachers to (1) develop an understanding and appreciation of Native American culture and societal contributions (2) provide a genre of text for the application of reading strategies, and (3) facilitate the mastery of various Utah Core Content Curriculum objectives.The project was produced in partnership with San Juan School District. Kathryn Hurst, Director of the San Juan Media Center, was instrumental with the development of the booklets.The booklets may be printed off the website, free of charge, for educational purposes. Instructions for printing the booklets are included on the CD. If you would like to purchase printed copies of the booklets, contact San Juan School District Media Center
at (435) 678-1229.
