Curated OER
Pre-Columbian Cultures in the Americas
Native American studies is fun, educational, and highly motivating. Fifth graders will gain a deeper understanding of the six major pre-Columbian culture areas on the North American continent. They will choose one group and conduct...
Annenberg Foundation
Pre-Columbian America
What was life like in America before Christopher Columbus discovered the New World? Scholars investigate life in the Americas through the eyes of Native Americans in the first lesson of a 22-part series covering America's history. Using...
Midwest Institute for Native American Studies
Introduction to Pre-Columbian Lessons
Native peoples established civilizations all over Central and North America. Introduce native civilizations with a unit that promotes discussion, reinforces map skills, enhances reading comprehension, and exposes young historians to...
Independence Hall Association
American History: From Pre-Columbian to the New Millennium
Need an online resource to supplement the paper textbook in your classroom? An all-encompassing website covers historical events throughout the last half of the second millenium, leading right up to the third. From the pre-Columbian...
Curated OER
Pre-Columbian Civilizations in the Americas
Before you begin a unit on Christopher Columbus and the European explorers, take your class through the Mayan, Aztec, and Incan Civilizations in this vivid and interesting presentation. With photographs of golden artifacts and ancient...
Curated OER
Pre-Columbian Native Peoples and Technology
Students explore Pre-Columbian native cultures. In this Exploration Era lesson, students define the words "primitive," "civilized," and "technology." Students consider the connotations of the words and then investigate...
Curated OER
Pre-Columbian Settlements and People
Fourth graders describe the social, political, cultural and economic life and interactions among the people of California from the pre-Columbian societies to the Spanish mission and Mexican rancho periods.
Curated OER
Clay Wipe Away: Ceramics
Discuss Pre-Colombian South American art with your class, then get out the clay and create some. Pupils practice using the wipe-away technique to create a ceramic tile similar to those made by the Maya. Great web links and a...
Curated OER
Book: First Encounters Between Spain and the Americas: Two Worlds Meet
Students, after reading Chapter 1 in the book, "First Encounters Between Spain and the Americas: Two Worlds Meet," design and create a map of the Aztec Empire at the time of the first contract with the Spanish. They create the map from...
Annenberg Foundation
America's History in the Making: Classroom Applications One
Someone finds a time capsule 100 years from now, and it includes your family photo album. What would the photos tell that person about you and your place in history? Scholars investigate how artifacts tell stories. Using photos, maps,...
Curated OER
Making a Report to President Washington
Learners gain an understanding of some of the challenges the U.S. faced at its birth. They are asked to compose a report on the state of the nation in 1790 (addressed to President George Washington), which includes a narrative, maps and...
Curated OER
Mayan Culture Logbook
Students use the Internet to research Mayan culture, religion and economics. They develop a logbook to record their research.
Curated OER
The Story of Corn
Students use primary sources to compare the early development of corn with current techniques of biotechnology and genetically engineered seeds, and identify plants natural to the Americas and those natural to Europe that were part of...
Curated OER
American Prehistory: 8000 Years of Forest Management
Learners discuss the first people to live in North America and the types of evidence we have of their existence. They complete a set of worksheets and explore their answer in group discussions.
El Museo del Barrio
Dia de los Muertos Educator Resource Guide
What are the origins of el Dia de los Muertos, and how is this tradition observed in contemporary celebrations? With a variety of lesson plans and suggested hands-on activities, here is an excellent resource to reference as you...
Curated OER
California Indians
Fourth graders discuss the major nations of California Indians, their geographic distribution, economic activities, legends and religious beliefs. They describe the function of Spanish missions and the influence of Catholicism. In...
Curated OER
Scenes of Reverence: The Virgin of Guadalupe
Students learn the history of Christianity in New Spain. They learn the story and significance of the Virgin of Guadalupe. They compare and contrast images of the Virgin and religious art to European counterparts.
Curated OER
The Appaloosa - Horse of the Nez Perce
Fourth graders investigate the use of Appaloosa horses by the Nez Perce Native Americans during the War of 1877. They examine the geography of the area and determine why the Appaloosa horse was suited to this use after looking at...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: America's History in the Making: Pre Columbian America
Although the title of this unit is Pre-Columbian America, the primary focus is on historical thinking. The second part of the unit explores the variety and complexity of cultures in Pre-Columbian America. Included are State Standards,...
Other
Dumbarton Oaks Museum: Pre Columbian Collection
Browse the museum's collection of pre-Columbian art by culture (e.g., Inca, Aztec, May, Olmec) or by medium.
Library of Congress
Loc: Exploring the Early Americas: Interactive Presentations
Interactive collection of presentations from the Library of Congress provides glimpses into the fascinating history of pre-Columbian Americas.
Tom Richey
Tom Richey: Ap u.s. History: Colonial America (1491 1754)
Tom Richey provides a collection of videos, lessons, and assignments to assist with teaching or studying pre-Columbian cultures in the New World through the beginnings of the French and Indian War.
TES Global
Blendspace: Pre Columbian Americas
An eleven-part learning module with links to images videos, and web sites with information about the Americas before Columbus arrived.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: A Biography of America
Learn about the full sweep of U.S. history at this comprehensive site based on a PBS series and telecourse. The series compresses several centuries of events, issues, and people in U.S. history into twenty-six half-hour programs. A team...