Curated OER
The AME Church in U.S. History
Ninth graders explore the history of the African Methodist Church in the United States. In this African American history instructional activity, 9th graders discover why the church was founded and research its history and noteworthy...
Curated OER
Native American Dolls
Students examine Native American dolls. They discover the connections between the dolls and the Native American culture and customs. They also use maps to locate the position of different tribes.
Curated OER
Navajo Code Talkers
An engaging lesson focuses on the contributions of the Navajo people during World War II. Learners read the book Navajo Code Talkers by Andrew Santella, answer a series of comprehension questions about the text, and write a letter as a...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Conflict in Alabama in the 1830s: Native Americans, Settlers, and Government
To better understand the Indian Removal Act of 1830, class members examine primary source documents including letters written by Alabama governors and the Cherokee chiefs. The lesson is part of a unit on the expansion of the United...
Center for History Education
Breaking the Great League of Peace and Power: The Six Iroquois Nations During and After the American Revolution
What happens when you can't remain neutral? An informative lesson explores the impact of the American Revolution on the Iroquois Nations. Scholars learn about the six Iroquois nations and their treaty with the newly formed American...
Curated OER
1704 Attack on Deerfield
Class groups examine conflicting primary and secondary sources describing the 1704 attack on the fort at Deerfield by French and Native Americans and analyze the implications of discrepancies.
EngageNY
Practicing Listening and Reading Closely: The Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address
Thanksgiving doesn't occur only once a year for the Haudenosaunee. Weave an instructional activity about reading closely with an inspiring message about eternal gratitude for all of the elements of creation into a unit on Native American...
K20 LEARN
Whose Manifest Destiny? Westward Expansion
Your land is my land! Young historians investigate the concept of Manifest Destiny used by the United States government to justify western expansion. Jigsaw groups read primary source documents to gain an understanding of the movement...
Curated OER
Virtual Winter Count
Learn more about the North American Plains Indian tribes and their unusual methods of recording historical events. Learners examine the winter count, a custom by which these groups illustrated information after each winter passed. They...
Curated OER
Songs of Native Americans
Students listen to chapter from novel When Legends Die by Hal Borland, listen to traditional Lakota song, discuss feeling song induces and in what circumstance it may be used, and examine connection between cultural music and family...
Curated OER
American Indian Civil Rights
Young scholars examine social justice issues regarding American Indians. In this civil rights lesson, students investigate the Red Power Movement of the 1960's and 1970's. Young scholars then roleplay interviewing Native American...
Advocates for Human Rights
The Right of Indigneous Peoples in the United States
The sovereignty of U.S. Native American nations is the focus of a resource that asks class members to compare the Right to Self-Determination in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples with a fact sheet that details the...
Curated OER
The First Americans
Learners participate in theatre activities to study American history. In this American history and theatre lesson, students work in groups to research a specific Native American group to investigate their lifestyle. Learners then create...
Curated OER
Power Totem
Students investigate the important symbols to Native cultures by writing a poem. In this animal totem lesson, students discuss animal spirits and their relation to the Native American lifestyle. Students write a cinquain poem about a...
Curated OER
Crazy Horses' Vision Teacher's Guide
Third graders read and discuss the story of Crazy Horse. In this Crazy Horses' Vision teacher's guide, 3rd graders examine the life of Native American, Crazy Horse. Students answer questions, perform literature circle roles, and complete...
Curated OER
Chilean Rainsticks
Young scholars research the history of the rainstick and learn how it was originally made. They comprehend the use of the rainstick in various cultures. Students create a replica rainstick and decorate it in authentic Native American...
Curated OER
Hides That Reveal
Students explore the culture of Native American people, their homes, use of animal hides, history, and culture. They create a teepee and pelts to represent their researched tribe. Students share their researched information with their...
Curated OER
The Settlers are Coming, but the Natives are Here
Students examine interactions between Native Americans and settlers. In this Westward Expansion instructional activity, students participate in a classroom simulation and then write paper about how the Native Americans and settlers...
K20 LEARN
Many Trails of Tears: The Era of Indian Removal
Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole. All were forced off their ancestral lands in the southeastern United States as part of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Young historians research the tribes' reactions to this removal and...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Prelude to the Creek Indian War
What was life like as a settler in the 1800s? Get a glimpse of settlers' experiences in Alabama and their relationships with the Native American tribes using an interesting lesson. Scholars complete a hands-on activity, participate in...
PBS
Sitting Bull: Spiritual Leader and Military Leader
Sitting Bull was not expected to be a great warrior. Yet, he led the Lakota people and other tribes to several pivotal victories against the United States government when federal troops threatened their land. Using primary sources, such...
K20 LEARN
But What About Me?: Teaching Perspective In The Social Studies Classroom
How would the story of the discovery of America be different if indigenous people told it through their eyes? Individuals compare the conventional account of this moment in history to an account given by one of the native peoples. After...
Curated OER
Nevada Native Seasonal Activities
Here is an excellent series of lessons on the Paiute Indians of Nevada. In them, learners see that the four Native Tribes of Nevada respected and depended on their natural environment. They had four distinct ways of life according to the...
Curated OER
The American Indian Boarding School Experience: Then and Now
Learners examine cultural assimilation. In this Native American history lesson, students read and analyze "The Spirit Survives: The American Indian Boarding School Experience: Then and Now." Learners identify how American Indian Boarding...