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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Changemakers Lesson Plans

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Teens and tweens are invited to become changemakers in a five-lesson unit, asking them to investigate and share what they have learned about exemplary, contemporary Native Americans. They gather facts about their research subject, record...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Researching information on and Images of Contemporary Native Americans

For Teachers 3rd
Research information and find pictures of Contemporary Native Americans in order to help 3rd graders understand what images are available from a variety of resources. They will present their research and pictures to the class. In turn,...
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Lesson Plan
Indian Land Tenure Foundation

Native Foods and Livelihoods

For Teachers K - 2nd
Introduce young scholars to the ways in which land and people have a relationship. They examine the types of food local tribes have traditionally consumed and ways in which the people and the land both benefited from the act of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Researching North American Tribes: The Cree

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students research the Cree tribe of North America. In this Native American lesson, students will research on-line, then compare and contrast the differences between the Cree tribe and other Native American tribes. Students will break...
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Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Edward Curtis Photographs

For Teachers 9th - 12th
A picture is worth a thousand words. The photos of Edward Curtis capture the life and culture of Native American Tribes during the early part of the twentieth century. A presentation first gives background information on Edward Curtis...
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Lesson Plan
2
2
National Museum of the American Indian

The Kwakwaka'Wakw: A Study of a North Pacific Coast People and the Potlatch

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
Discover the cultural practices and unique value systems of a group of native peoples from Canada called the Kwakwaka'wakw. Your young historians will discuss how conceptions of wealth can vary and how these native people utilized...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Native American Vocabulary

For Students 3rd - 4th
If your class is learning about Native American culture or life, a vocabulary sheet might come in handy. There are 12 terms, each with a full definition included. Terms include buffalo, tepee, hogan, wampum, prairie, tribe, myth, clan,...
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Lesson Plan
National Museum of the American Indian

Lone Dog's Winter Count: Keeping History Alive

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
What is oral tradition, and what unique tool did the Native Americans of the Northern Great Plains use to help them remember their complex histories? Through pictograph analysis, discussion, research, and an engaging hands-on activity,...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Tribal Sovereignty and the Indian Reorganization Act: Tribal Governments

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Sovereign nations or wards? High schoolers investigate the history of the Indian Reorganization Act and other legislation that impacted Native Americans. They also research different tribes' constitutions, compare them to the U.S....
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Many Trails of Tears: The Era of Indian Removal

For Teachers 9th - 10th
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...
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Unit Plan
Pardee Home Museum

Geography of Alaska

For Teachers 5th
A unit on the 49th state covers a variety of topics from the geography of Alaska to Native American myths.  Academics work to analyze information found in primary source materials including old newspaper articles and artifacts. Young...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Analyzing a Photograph of a Treaty Council

For Teachers 7th - 12th
A photo catches a moment in time that provides a glimpse into the past. An interesting resource focuses on historical analysis using an image from a treaty council with Native Americans. Budding historians complete an online worksheet...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Evaluating Perspectives on Westward Expansion

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Although popular culture tells the story of the American West simplistically, its reality is far more complex. Native American tribes—while already on the land—didn't have the same interests, and conflicts between white settlers and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Be Who Your Are

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
An engaging video begins a lesson all about the representation of Native Americans in all types of careers. Following a discussion about the video, scholars participate in a gallery walk showcasing various Native American figures. Pupils...
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Activity
Curated OER

What Exactly Is Food Sovereignty?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Something is happening here, and what it is is becoming increasingly clear. Middle schoolers investigate the connections between processed foods and health issues and the movement back, especially by Native Americans, to other food choices.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Native American Tribes

For Teachers 4th
Have your class learn about Native American tribes in California. They identify five regions where Native Americans lived, discuss the daily life of these people, and conduct research on a particular tribe. Afterward, they create a...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Native American Vocabulary Quiz

For Students 3rd - 5th
Learning about Native American culture? Consider using this matching exercise either as a quiz (as it's labelled) or simply independent practice. Kids recall the meanings of 11 vocabulary words: compromise, wampum, ceremony, hogan,...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Early Native American Life

For Students 5th - 6th
In this Native Americans worksheet, students read and discuss a 1 page article, fill in the blanks to 6 statements, match 6 vocabulary words with their correct definitions and answer 4 short answer questions referring back to the article.
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Lesson Plan
US Citizenship and Immigration Services

Thanksgiving 1—Pilgrims and American Indians

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
The Pilgrims first arrived in America in order to gain religious freedom. Here is a lesson that takes the class on this journey with the Pilgrims, stopping to look at how they got here, who they met when they arrived, and a peek into...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

How Did We Get Here? Native Americans in the United States

For Teachers 11th
High schoolers imagine what their lives would be like if they had no access to potable water and watch a morning news show about the water situation on a Navajo reservation. Groups investigate the policies that lead to the lack of water...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Virtual Winter Count

For Teachers 1st - 5th
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...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Channel Islands Film

Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island: Lesson Plan 3

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Should researchers be able to excavate, examine, and remove Native American artifacts from historic sites? Should companies be permitted to build on sacred Native American land? After watching West of the West's documentary, The Lone...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
National Museum of the American Indian

The A:Shiwi (Zuni) People: A Study in Environment, Adaptation, and Agricultural Practices

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Discover the connection of native peoples to their natural world, including cultural and agricultural practices, by studying the Zuni people of the American Southwest. This lesson includes examining a poster's photographs, reading...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Channel Islands Film

Sa Hi Pa Ca (Once Upon a Time): Lesson Plan 2

For Teachers 4th Standards
What tools do archaeologists and anthropologist use to learned about what life was like in the past. After watching West of The West's documentary Once Upon a Time that details how scientists use artifacts to establish a history of the...