Abstract
In this study, we investigate how a third-grade teacher enacted controversial issues discussion about the use of Indigenous people as sports mascots. We highlight how the teacher supported eight students’ sensemaking about the issue during small-group instruction. We provide suggestions for controversial issues teaching in elementary social studies.
Notes
1 All names of people and places are pseudonyms.
2 Following scholars in the field (Shear et al., Citation2015), we use “Indigenous people” in our writing; however, “Native American” and “Indian” were the terms used in the classroom.
3 When referring to individuals or a group of people, “White” is capitalized following APA style guidelines. However, references to concepts such as whiteness and white privilege are not capitalized.
4 Please contact the authors for a complete list of texts used during instruction.