A Cultural Exploration Text Set Compiled by
Eric M. Sanderson
San José State University
School of Information Science
INFO 237. School Library Media Materials
November 2017
Eric M. Sanderson
San José State University
School of Information Science
INFO 237. School Library Media Materials
November 2017
As described in the Nevada Academic Content Standards (NACS) for Social Studies, fifth-grade students in Nevada “learn about European exploration of North America, the intersection and conflict between Native, European, and African cultures, and the colonization of North America” (Nevada Department of Education, 2017, p. 18). This text set endeavors to supplement this learning outcome in three specific ways:
Additionally, this text set seeks to recognize and nurture an understanding of the cultural heritage of the many students of Pacific Islander descent who reside in the United States.
While this text set is related to an anchor text with an Accelerated Reader (ATOS) book level of 3.9, the intended audience is fifth-grade students who have the ability—either independently or with structured support—to successfully interact with and gain meaning from a variety of multimedia resources, including those at and above a fifth-grade instructional level.
This text set will support students in answering—with an appropriate use of claims, evidence, and reasoning—the following essential questions verbally, in writing, and/or by way of multimedia or interactive presentations:
This text set and the essential questions above support fifth-grade social studies content instruction as it relates to the following Nevada Academic Content Standards (NACS) for Social Studies:
Additionally, this text set and the essential questions above support social studies content instruction as it relates to the following Nevada Academic Content Standards (NACS) for Social Studies content themes:
It is suggested that the following texts be introduced to students in the order they are presented below. The anchor text and the first three supporting texts provide information that addresses the historical traditions and practices associated with Pacific wayfinding culture, while the last three supporting texts provide information that addresses the place and significance of Pacific wayfinding culture in modern times.
- This text set seeks to expand students’ conceptualization of “the colonization of North America.” Although the countless islands of the Pacific Ocean are not, from a geographic standpoint, part of North America, the history of many Pacific Ocean island communities is inextricably linked to the colonization, history, and sociocultural development of North America in general and the United States in particular.
- The focus on “European exploration” implicitly contributes to the propagation of two exclusionary historical narratives: (a) that the exploration of North America (and other parts of the world) was undertaken by European peoples alone and (b) that the exploration of North America (and other parts of the world) was dependent upon and a consequence of so-called Western sociocultural and technological developments. This text set seeks to develop an initial understanding of two additional historical narratives: (a) that the exploration of North America (and other parts of the world) was undertaken by non-European peoples and (b) that the exploration of North America (and other parts of the world) was not dependent upon so-called Western sociocultural and technological developments.
- This text set seeks to expand students’ conceptualization of “Native” peoples. If, as is implied by the language of the above learning outcome, Native peoples are those whose indigenous culture intersects with that of migrant Europeans, then peoples of the Pacific Ocean should be considered Native people, as their indigenous culture intersects with that of migrant Europeans.
Additionally, this text set seeks to recognize and nurture an understanding of the cultural heritage of the many students of Pacific Islander descent who reside in the United States.
While this text set is related to an anchor text with an Accelerated Reader (ATOS) book level of 3.9, the intended audience is fifth-grade students who have the ability—either independently or with structured support—to successfully interact with and gain meaning from a variety of multimedia resources, including those at and above a fifth-grade instructional level.
This text set will support students in answering—with an appropriate use of claims, evidence, and reasoning—the following essential questions verbally, in writing, and/or by way of multimedia or interactive presentations:
- How did elements of Pacific wayfinder culture support the ability of Pacific Islanders to travel great distances across the Pacific Ocean?
- How can elements of Pacific wayfinder culture positively contribute to the experience of all people in modern times?
This text set and the essential questions above support fifth-grade social studies content instruction as it relates to the following Nevada Academic Content Standards (NACS) for Social Studies:
- SS.5.2. Generate and answer supporting questions that help address the compelling question.
- SS.5.5. Cite evidence from multiple sources in response to compelling questions.
- SS.5.6. Craft an argument to answer a compelling question, using evidence and reasoning skills.
- SS.5.7. Construct organized explanations for various audiences and purposes using evidence and reasoning
- SS.5.8. Participate in a structured academic discussion using evidence and reasoning to share and critique ideas.
- SS.5.19. Discuss the contributions of culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse people to the advancement of the nation.
- SS.5.31. Analyze how the physical geography and natural resources affected exploration and the settlement of people and the development of culture in early U.S. History.
Additionally, this text set and the essential questions above support social studies content instruction as it relates to the following Nevada Academic Content Standards (NACS) for Social Studies content themes:
- Multicultural (MC)
- Recognize diverse contributions and impacts including, without limitation, information relating to contributions made by men and women from various racial and ethnic backgrounds.
- Geography (G)
- Evaluate human environment interaction.
- Analyze human population, movement, and patterns.
- Analyze global interconnections.
It is suggested that the following texts be introduced to students in the order they are presented below. The anchor text and the first three supporting texts provide information that addresses the historical traditions and practices associated with Pacific wayfinding culture, while the last three supporting texts provide information that addresses the place and significance of Pacific wayfinding culture in modern times.
Anchor Text
Rumford, J. (1998). The island-below-the-star. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Accelerated Reader (ATOS) Book Level: 3.9
Accelerated Reader Interest Level: Lower Grades (K-3)
Lexile Level: 680L
Word Count: 1,014
Pages: 29
Running Time: N/A
This text relates the fictional story of five brothers from an unidentified Southern Pacific land who set out to find the island they suppose to be located under the star Arcturus. The island they find after several weeks of voyaging is part of the archipelago we know as the Hawaiian Islands. Throughout the story, each brother personifies one of five elements integral to Pacific wayfinding navigation: stars, sea, clouds, wind, and birds. The author’s note that follows the story provides information useful to an introductory study of Pacific wayfinding culture.
Rumford, J. (1998). The island-below-the-star. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Accelerated Reader (ATOS) Book Level: 3.9
Accelerated Reader Interest Level: Lower Grades (K-3)
Lexile Level: 680L
Word Count: 1,014
Pages: 29
Running Time: N/A
This text relates the fictional story of five brothers from an unidentified Southern Pacific land who set out to find the island they suppose to be located under the star Arcturus. The island they find after several weeks of voyaging is part of the archipelago we know as the Hawaiian Islands. Throughout the story, each brother personifies one of five elements integral to Pacific wayfinding navigation: stars, sea, clouds, wind, and birds. The author’s note that follows the story provides information useful to an introductory study of Pacific wayfinding culture.
Supporting Text 1
[TED-Ed]. (2017, October 17). How did Polynesian wayfinders navigate the Pacific Ocean? - Alan Tamayose and Shantell De Silva [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/m8bDCaPhOek
Accelerated Reader (ATOS) Book Level: N/A
Accelerated Reader Interest Level: N/A
Lexile Level: N/A
Word Count: N/A
Pages: N/A
Running Time: 0:04:56
With rich informational content from Hawaiian educator Alan Tamayose, this TED-Ed video provides a succinct and engaging overview of Pacific wayfinding culture and practice. Importantly, this video includes information that situates wayfinding in the broader context of Pacific Islander culture. For this reason, the video represents a critical transition from Rumford’s fictional narrative to the focused cultural study that is the essence of this text set.
[TED-Ed]. (2017, October 17). How did Polynesian wayfinders navigate the Pacific Ocean? - Alan Tamayose and Shantell De Silva [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/m8bDCaPhOek
Accelerated Reader (ATOS) Book Level: N/A
Accelerated Reader Interest Level: N/A
Lexile Level: N/A
Word Count: N/A
Pages: N/A
Running Time: 0:04:56
With rich informational content from Hawaiian educator Alan Tamayose, this TED-Ed video provides a succinct and engaging overview of Pacific wayfinding culture and practice. Importantly, this video includes information that situates wayfinding in the broader context of Pacific Islander culture. For this reason, the video represents a critical transition from Rumford’s fictional narrative to the focused cultural study that is the essence of this text set.
Supporting Text 2
Mau Piailug, using a star compass to teach navigation to his son [Digital image]. (1983). Retrieved from https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/avoyagetohealth/exhibition-legacy.html
Accelerated Reader (ATOS) Book Level: N/A
Accelerated Reader Interest Level: N/A
Lexile Level: N/A
Word Count: N/A
Pages: N/A
Running Time: N/A
This photograph shows Mau Piailug, the most celebrated Pacific wayfinding navigator of modern times, utilizing a traditional star compass as part of the wayfinding teaching process. In addition to supporting discussions of and references to the use of constellations and stars in other texts, this photograph supports an essential understanding that Pacific wayfinding culture is founded upon a tradition of intimately interpersonal oral information sharing.
Mau Piailug, using a star compass to teach navigation to his son [Digital image]. (1983). Retrieved from https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/avoyagetohealth/exhibition-legacy.html
Accelerated Reader (ATOS) Book Level: N/A
Accelerated Reader Interest Level: N/A
Lexile Level: N/A
Word Count: N/A
Pages: N/A
Running Time: N/A
This photograph shows Mau Piailug, the most celebrated Pacific wayfinding navigator of modern times, utilizing a traditional star compass as part of the wayfinding teaching process. In addition to supporting discussions of and references to the use of constellations and stars in other texts, this photograph supports an essential understanding that Pacific wayfinding culture is founded upon a tradition of intimately interpersonal oral information sharing.
Supporting Text 3
Clark, L. (2000, February 15). Polynesia’s genius navigators [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/polynesia-genius-navigators.html
Accelerated Reader (ATOS) Book Level: ~9.0-10.0 (from Lexile level)
Accelerated Reader Interest Level: N/A
Lexile Level: ~1200L-1300L
Word Count: ~1,000
Pages: N/A
Running Time: N/A
This text from the PBS NOVA website is a complex and challenging piece of writing that transitions Pacific voyaging culture from the past to the present. Broadly speaking, the text begins by reviewing the foundational sociocultural elements of Pacific wayfinding. The text then addresses the challenges and complexities that characterized the intersection of European and Pacific Islander cultures in the 18th century. The text concludes with a summary of modern efforts to rekindle and learn from elements of traditional Pacific wayfinding culture.
Clark, L. (2000, February 15). Polynesia’s genius navigators [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/polynesia-genius-navigators.html
Accelerated Reader (ATOS) Book Level: ~9.0-10.0 (from Lexile level)
Accelerated Reader Interest Level: N/A
Lexile Level: ~1200L-1300L
Word Count: ~1,000
Pages: N/A
Running Time: N/A
This text from the PBS NOVA website is a complex and challenging piece of writing that transitions Pacific voyaging culture from the past to the present. Broadly speaking, the text begins by reviewing the foundational sociocultural elements of Pacific wayfinding. The text then addresses the challenges and complexities that characterized the intersection of European and Pacific Islander cultures in the 18th century. The text concludes with a summary of modern efforts to rekindle and learn from elements of traditional Pacific wayfinding culture.
Supporting Text 4
[OiwiTV]. (2014, May 2). Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage—Island wisdom, ocean connections, global lessons [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/ytq6d0D4oE4
Accelerated Reader (ATOS) Book Level: N/A
Accelerated Reader Interest Level: N/A
Lexile Level: N/A
Word Count: N/A
Pages: N/A
Running Time: 0:05:47
This video from Hawaiian production company OiwiTV focuses on the cultural and environmental significance and goals of the 2014-2017 around-the-world voyage of Hōkūle‘a, the Polynesian voyaging canoe constructed by the Polynesian Voyaging Society in the mid-1970s. The emphasis of this video is not on Pacific wayfinding techniques but on the evolving renaissance of Pacific wayfinding culture and the offerings of that culture to a globally interconnected world facing a variety of social, cultural, and environmental challenges.
[OiwiTV]. (2014, May 2). Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage—Island wisdom, ocean connections, global lessons [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/ytq6d0D4oE4
Accelerated Reader (ATOS) Book Level: N/A
Accelerated Reader Interest Level: N/A
Lexile Level: N/A
Word Count: N/A
Pages: N/A
Running Time: 0:05:47
This video from Hawaiian production company OiwiTV focuses on the cultural and environmental significance and goals of the 2014-2017 around-the-world voyage of Hōkūle‘a, the Polynesian voyaging canoe constructed by the Polynesian Voyaging Society in the mid-1970s. The emphasis of this video is not on Pacific wayfinding techniques but on the evolving renaissance of Pacific wayfinding culture and the offerings of that culture to a globally interconnected world facing a variety of social, cultural, and environmental challenges.
Supporting Text 5
Tesler, P. (n.d.). The next horizon. In R. J. Semper (Executive Producer), Never Lost. Retrieved from http://annex.exploratorium.edu/neverlost/#/voyage/horizons
Accelerated Reader (ATOS) Book Level: ~9.0-10.0 (from Lexile level)
Accelerated Reader Interest Level: N/A
Lexile Level: ~1200L-1300L
Word Count: ~390
Pages: N/A
Running Time: N/A
This text is the concluding section of Never Lost, the San Francisco Exploratorium’s extensive web-based multimedia project about Pacific wayfinding culture. As with Supporting Text 4, this text speaks to the modern sociocultural significance of Pacific wayfinding traditions. Specifically, the text addresses the collective effort required to support a society dependent on wayfinding and compares the ancient voyaging of Pacific Islanders to the modern exploration of the universe by means of the telescopes on Mauna Kea.
Tesler, P. (n.d.). The next horizon. In R. J. Semper (Executive Producer), Never Lost. Retrieved from http://annex.exploratorium.edu/neverlost/#/voyage/horizons
Accelerated Reader (ATOS) Book Level: ~9.0-10.0 (from Lexile level)
Accelerated Reader Interest Level: N/A
Lexile Level: ~1200L-1300L
Word Count: ~390
Pages: N/A
Running Time: N/A
This text is the concluding section of Never Lost, the San Francisco Exploratorium’s extensive web-based multimedia project about Pacific wayfinding culture. As with Supporting Text 4, this text speaks to the modern sociocultural significance of Pacific wayfinding traditions. Specifically, the text addresses the collective effort required to support a society dependent on wayfinding and compares the ancient voyaging of Pacific Islanders to the modern exploration of the universe by means of the telescopes on Mauna Kea.
Supporting Text 6
Foa’i, O., & Miranda, L.-M. (2016). We know the way. On Moana: Original motion picture soundtrack [MP3 file]. Burbank, CA: Walt Disney Records.
Accelerated Reader (ATOS) Book Level: N/A
Accelerated Reader Interest Level: N/A
Lexile Level: N/A
Word Count: N/A
Pages: N/A
Running Time: 0:02:21
This song from the 2016 Walt Disney movie Moana is a single extended reference to Pacific wayfinding culture. After working with other texts in this text set, students should be able to provide additional information about most of the references and allusions in this song. A complete transcript of the song’s lyrics—including a transcription and translation of the introductory lyrics in Samoan and Tokelauan—is available at genius.com (https://genius.com/Opetaia-foai-we-know-the-way-lyrics).
Foa’i, O., & Miranda, L.-M. (2016). We know the way. On Moana: Original motion picture soundtrack [MP3 file]. Burbank, CA: Walt Disney Records.
Accelerated Reader (ATOS) Book Level: N/A
Accelerated Reader Interest Level: N/A
Lexile Level: N/A
Word Count: N/A
Pages: N/A
Running Time: 0:02:21
This song from the 2016 Walt Disney movie Moana is a single extended reference to Pacific wayfinding culture. After working with other texts in this text set, students should be able to provide additional information about most of the references and allusions in this song. A complete transcript of the song’s lyrics—including a transcription and translation of the introductory lyrics in Samoan and Tokelauan—is available at genius.com (https://genius.com/Opetaia-foai-we-know-the-way-lyrics).
Reference
Nevada Department of Education. (2017). Nevada academic content standards for social studies. Retrieved from http://www.doe.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/nde.doe.nv.gov/content
/Standards_Instructional_Support/Nevada_Academic_Standards/Social_Studies/2017NVACSforSocialStudiesADA.pdf
/Standards_Instructional_Support/Nevada_Academic_Standards/Social_Studies/2017NVACSforSocialStudiesADA.pdf