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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
K20 LEARN

Word Warriors: The Code Talkers of Oklahoma

For Teachers 9th Standards
The battle between code makers and code breakers has been going on for centuries and is a key tool of warfare. The contributions of the Native American Code Talkers of World Wars I and II are celebrated in a activity that features a...
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Unit Plan
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Core Knowledge Foundation

Native Americans Tell It Again!™ Read-Aloud Anthology

For Teachers K Standards
A 154-page anthology explores the life, culture, and history of Native Americans. Eight lessons follow the routine of introducing the reading, conducting the reading, discussing it, doing word work, then taking part in an extension...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Native Americans of the Chesapeake Bay: Using Primary vs. Secondary Sources

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
Discover the rich Native American culture that existed at the time of early European exploration into the Chesapeake region through analysis of several primary and secondary sources.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Native Americans and Natural Resources

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
North American Indian civilizations had already been in place for over 10,000 years before the arrival of European settlers. Introduce your young historians to Indian tribes that lived in the Chesapeake region in the early seventeenth...
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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
National Woman's History Museum

Wilma Mankiller: Cherokee Leader

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Middle and high schoolers consider the characteristics that make for a great leader. For example, they investigate Wilma Mankiller, the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Researchers read a short biography, watch a...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Civil Rights for All: Civil Rights Movement

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Civil Rights Movement was only the beginning. Using images and a series of queries, learners consider current fights for equality. After viewing video clips profiling the women's rights movement, the American Indian Movement, and...
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Activity
Curated OER

The Cultural Significance of Naming

For Teachers 6th - 8th
The Navajo would disagree with Shakespeare that the naming of things is irrelevant. Navajo people have to earn their names. Middle schoolers learn about the cultural significance of Navajo names in a lesson that uses a video and reading...
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Activity
Curated OER

Te Ata Fisher: The Award-Winning Chickasaw Storyteller

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Storytelling is a time-honored way to keep a culture alive. Introduce middle schoolers to Te Ata Fisher, the famous Chickasaw storyteller who shared her stories, songs, and dances across the United States and Europe. Young historians...
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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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Activity
Curated OER

Celebrate Joy Harjo: The First Native American Poet Laureate

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Introduce middle schoolers to Poet Laureate Joy Harjo with a lesson that not only explains the role and duties of the Poet Laureate but also contains a video in which Harjo explains what she sees as her responsibility as a Native...
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Activity
Curated OER

Food Traditions: Making Cherokee Bean Bread

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Imagine being forced out of your home and walking over 1,000 miles with only the things you could carry. How would you survive? What would you eat? After reading about the Trail of Tears and Cherokee resilience, middle schoolers are...
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Handout
Smithsonian Institution

Harvest Ceremony: Beyond the Thanksgiving Myth

For Teachers K - 12th
There is a grain of truth in myths. Young historians investigate the truths surrounding the popular beliefs about the First Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts. After reading the information in a study guide, they use what they...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Worcester v. Georgia: Cherokee Sovereignty and Actions of the U.S. Government

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Young historians study the Supreme Court case "Worcester v. Georgia"  and note instances where the Justices defended the sovereign rights of the Cherokee. They also examine the actions of President Andrew Jackson and the provisions of...
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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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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Reconstruction Treaties Of 1866: The Reconstruction In Indian Territory

For Teachers 9th
The Reconstruction Treaties of 1866 and their impact on the Five Tribes in the United States Civil War are the focus of a lesson that asks young historians to consider how these treaties affected tribal sovereignty. Class members do a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Indigenous Peoples’ Day Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Indigenous Land Guardianship, Settler Colonialism, Racial Capitalism. While the terms may be new to some, they feature in a lesson plan designed for Indigenous Peoples' Day. Young scholars investigate four concepts: Land...
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Activity
Curated OER

Create Your Own Book: The Different Tales of Raven

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
The raven is the focus of a lesson that examines trickster tales and the different stories about the bird. After listening to three tales about the raven, scholars pinpoint and discuss descriptive words. Pupils use one story to...
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Activity
Curated OER

Giving Thanks: A Haudenosaunee Message of Thanksgiving

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
A discussion of thankfulness opens a lesson followed by a read-aloud of the "Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address Greetings to the Natural World." Scholars answer questions and write down what they are thankful for in their home or...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Transcending Boundaries - The Kiowa Six: The Legacy and Contributions of Six Kiowa Artists

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The Kiowa Six, a group of Kiowa artists, are featured in the lesson that asks young historians to consider the importance of art in representing a culture and contributing to a group's legacy. After examining paintings by the group and...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

The Spiro Mounds Builders: Oklahoma History

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Long before European settlers arrived on the shores of what is now the United States, pre-contact Native American cultures thrived. Young scholars investigate the Spiro Mounds Builders' history and learn how archaeologists put together...
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Lesson Plan
Global Oneness Project

Today’s Native America

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed Standards
The 2016-2017 protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) motivated Camille Seaman to create "We Are Still Here," a photo essay featuring portraits of contemporary Native Americans who protested the pipeline. This eight-page packet,...
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Lesson Plan
Global Oneness Project

Cultural Heritage: Recording a Native Language Dictionary

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How do you rebuild a language that has been banned for years? A short video introduces high schoolers to Marie Wilcox, A Wukchumni Native American from Central California who, for over 20 years, worked on comprising a dictionary of the...