Honoring Our Indigenous Community Through Ongoing Learning
Embedded Files
Jason Bresette (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa)
Jason Bresette (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa)
SPPS Indigenous Curriculum TOSA
jason.bresette@spps.org
651-744-6246
About This Site
About This Site
Boozhoo — Hau! My name is Jason Bresette, and I serve as the Indigenous Curriculum TOSA for Saint Paul Public Schools. My mission is to develop Indigenized lesson plans and curricula that not only meet updated State Standards in all content areas regarding American Indian contributions but specifically honor the Dakota and Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) people of Minnesota.
We recognize a vital gap in our current system: while our teachers are eager to integrate these perspectives, many feel they lack the background or resources to do so authentically. However, the data tells us we can no longer wait. Currently, our American Indian students face the highest rates of absenteeism, the lowest graduation rates, and significant disparities in literacy and math proficiency. Too often, our students are overrepresented in special education, underrepresented in gifted programs, and—most importantly—do not feel "safe or seen" in their own classrooms.
We must do more.
This site offers a sustainable, year-long literacy plan designed to move beyond "one-time events" and toward a permanent shift in our academic culture. By focusing on learning from place and learning from Imnižaška (Saint Paul) as our foundation, we aim to provide resources that are accessible, cost-effective, and deeply rooted in community, ensuring our Indigenous students finally see themselves reflected in the heart of their education.
About This Literacy Project
About This Literacy Project
In honor of our Indigenous community, the SPPS educational community is committed to a philosophy of lifelong Indigenous learning integrated across all subjects, all year. This foundational work begins with a dedicated Literacy initiative, pursued through partnerships with the Office of Teaching and Learning, the Office of American Indian Education, the Minnesota Humanities Center, and the SPPS American Indian Parent Advisory Council.
This comprehensive literacy campaign is designed to permanently embed Dakota and Anishinaabe perspectives and knowledge into our academic curriculum, transforming it from a one-time event into an enduring, foundational practice within St. Paul Public Schools (SPPS).
For example, in ELA, the K-12 standards below direct students to:
R3 Read and comprehend independently both self-selected and teacher-directed complex literary and informational texts representing perspectives of historical and contemporary Dakota and Anishinaabe people
R6 Analyze influences on content, meaning, and style of text, including fact and fiction, time period, and author perspective and identity, including Dakota and Anishinaabe perspectives, in complex literary and informational texts.
We can meet these standards by being intentional and use Indigenous Authored Books and use American Indian perspectives. This does not have to be an add-on on but just something we do. We can also indigenize our current lessons through the "Three Big Questions" framework from Kylene Beers and Robert Probst's book Disrupting Thinking. The framework includes prompts designed to encourage critical reading and personal connection with a text. These questions are: "What surprised you?", which helps identify new information or perspectives; "What did the author think you already knew?", which makes author assumptions explicit and highlights knowledge gaps; and "What changed, challenged, or confirmed your thinking?", which prompts reflection on how the text impacts existing beliefs. More information on this framework can be found through resources discussing Kylene Beers and Robert Probst's work.
Vision for Our Community
Vision for Our Community
While we have made progress, more work is needed. We strive for the Indigenous heritage of this area to be a respected part of everyone's identity. Respect for Indigenous people is fundamental to how we operate, and we invite you to help us teach others the language and legacy of this land. We can honor the indigenous people by bringing them into the classrooms and all year long!
This campaign is designed to focus on place-based learning in order to honor Indigenous perspectives and enhance essential academic skills across all grade levels.
Disclaimer: These are just options to bring indigenous perspectives and books into the classroom. This is not a requirement, but only options for teachers if they want to get involved. This site explains more about why and how teachers should bring these perspectives into classrooms. We are framing it through the lens of past, present, and future work.
Goals
Goals
What goal are we working on?
Project Goal and Standards Alignment:
The primary goal of this Indigenized Literacy Project is to increase student proficiency in reading informational text and writing explanatory essays, directly aligning with MDE ELA Standards, specifically:
Reading Informational Text (RI): Focusing on standards that require students to cite textual evidence to support analysis (RI.6-8.1), determine central ideas and their development (RI.6-8.2), and analyze text structure (RI.6-8.5).
Writing (W): Centered on standards for Informative/Explanatory Texts (W.6-8.2), requiring clear organization, the development of a topic with relevant facts and details, and the effective use of precise language and domain-specific vocabulary.
We are setting goals to raise literacy proficiency by 3% per year, specifically our American Indian Students. We will do this creating environments where our students feel safe, seen and part of the curriculum. We want our students to feel part of the community and by welcoming them in, we will see amazing growth!
Page updated
Report abuse