We Are the Protectors

Abstract

Understanding the impact of disconnection on global issues has led me to see the importance of guiding my students to learn about our relationship with water and its value in cultures around the world. It is my vision that this curriculum will help my students to form connections between the idea that water is life and the nature of its accessibility. I want to help them draw these connections by learning about the Diné way of life using children’s literature as mirrors, windows and sliding doors (Bishop, 1990). Children who are a part of the dominant culture often find their lives mirrored in books, but need to be read books that act as a window or sliding door into other’s reality – books that help them understand the diverse world they live in and to build connections to other humans (Bishop, 1990). It is imperative for students who do not identify with the dominant culture to see themselves in literature, too. Through high quality, culturally responsive read alouds, I want to create a safe space for my students to think critically about the themes expressed to create empathy for cultures other than their own. This curriculum will teach my little learners to know the sacredness of water and how it affects humans. In the end, I hope students will use this knowledge to one day advocate and be change makers for a world that provides every community with access to clean water regardless of race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status.