Many families have special dishes they serve during holiday celebrations and get-togethers. Many of these recipes have been handed down from generation to generation and often come with stories. Introduce your middle schoolers to the...

Students explore what they thought they knew about "Indians." They examine the Hopi, Abeneki and Kwatiutl tribes in a game-like activity using archival documents.

The boarding school era is "a history that all of us need to know about," says Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. Here's a lesson that examines that history. High schoolers examine video interviews of Native Americans who detail...

What do you know about American Indians? Upper graders compose an informational essay based on the research they conduct. They choose a Native American group to study and, using the provided list of web links, gather information and...

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...

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...

Encultureate, assimilate, or eliminate? The 2021 discovery of a mass grave of over 200 children on the site of a former Canadian Indian Boarding school led to the creation of the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative. High schoolers...

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...

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...

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....

Historical events can be viewed from multiple perspectives. This simple truth is brought home in a instructional activity that examines primary source documents related to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Doctrine of Discovery and...

Students explore Native American culture. They observe and discuss the paintings of George Catlin. Students examine the lives of the Pawnee Native American Indians during the time period of 1830-1840. Numerous cross curriculum activities...

Pupils are introduced to the geography of the Columbia River basin and its history. Using the internet, they research the relationships between the Native Americans and the Hudson Bay Company. They also discuss the effects on the city...

Part of a series of lessons about bring Native American stories into the classroom, this plan suggests having kids research and take notes on one group of Native Americans and then complete a project that they present to the class. Pull...

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...

Pupils investigate the Native American Heritage and explore their customs cultures. They discover characteristics of the Native Americans through the study of their art, artifacts, stories and symbols.

Eighth graders complete a KWL chart on the Plains Indians. After watching a video, they state the difference between legends and facts about the importance of the buffalo to Native Americans. They also practice their note-taking skills...

Student groups retell stories from Iroquois storytellers. They role-play Iroquois women, men and children and explain their roles. They read "Knots on a Counting Rope" and make up their own stories. They create timelines. They visit a...

Fourth graders read a Native American legend local to the Utah region and compare it to a traditional European fairy tale. They use a Venn diagram as a graphic organizer for the comparison.

Students examine the immigrant experiences of various culture groups. Using this information, they work together to compare and contrast these experiences with those of the Cajuns. As a class, they define ethnic group and research the...

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...

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...

Celebration or protest song? The full text of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" opens a study of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Louisiana Purchase, and Western Expansion from various perspectives. Middle schoolers examine...

Students explore the rich culture of the southwestern Native Americans through the integration of curriculum. Pupils read and research stories about Native Americans. They write an essay about Native Americans. Additional cross...