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Lesson Plan

Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day?

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This Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day? lesson plan also includes:

"Columbus Day"? Indigenous Peoples' Day"? "Native Americans' Day"? The controversy over what to call the federal holiday celebrated on the second Monday in October is the focus of a lesson plan that asks high schoolers to consider various perspectives on changing the name of the holiday. Scholars read proclamations and resolutions from various local governments explaining their reasons for changing the name and then craft a statement that presents their point of view on the name change.

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CCSS: Designed
Concepts
primary source analysis, primary sources, columbus day, christopher columbus, indigenous people, native american culture, native american history, native americans, argumentative writing, assimilation, controversial topics
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Instructional Ideas
  • Use the lesson on Columbus Day, the second Monday in October, or during November's Native American Month
  • To provide more class time for discussion, assign the "How Columbus Sailed Into U.S. History, Thanks to Italians" article as homework the night before the lesson
Classroom Considerations
  • Presumes class members have experience conducting a safe, respectful discussion of controversial issues
  • Requires copies
Pros
  • Writers must synthesize what they have learned and think critically before crafting their statement
Cons
  • None