DESCRIBING STUDENTS COLLECTED WORKS - UNDERSTANDING AMERICAN-INDIAN CHILDREN

American Indian1 children are frequently seen through deficiency label s that deny their subjectivity as persons and strengths as language us ers and makers of meaning. Descriptive studies of the collected writte n and visual works of American Indian children are one way to countera ct their objectification in schools. This article describes the collec ted written and visual works of one Dakota child, Monica, and three th emes-relationships, cultural commitment, and romance-visible in her wo rks. Through a descriptive study of her works, Monica's teachers were able to understand her particular meaning-making efforts, the way in w hich various genres (e.g., personal narratives, realistic and romance fictional narratives, cards and letters, written and visual responses to books) supported her exploration and expression of meaning, and the struggles and tensions inherent in her creative process.