National Endowment for the Humanities
Native American Cultures Across the U.S.
Middle schoolers examine how American Indians are represented in today's society. They read stories, analyze maps, and complete a chart and create an illustration about a specific tribe.
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The Native American Indian Women Quest
Students research background information on the role of Native American women. They then participate in a four station center which enables the students to view pictures, investigate new vocabulary, and research Native American recipies.
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What's in a Name? The Use of Native American Images in Sports
Students discuss and analyze the pros and cons of using Native American names and images to represent sports teams. Using primary sources, including position statements from Native American tribes, interviews with school alumni and...
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What It Means to Be an American Indian
Students analyze primary source documents and evaluate historical evidence to find consequences of the policies that were adopted from the 1830s to today regarding Native American Indians.
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Natives of Indiana
Fourth graders participate in discussions about the Native Peoples who inhabited what is now Indiana. In this Native American lesson, 4th graders discuss the social and cultural structures of these Native Americans. They locate the...
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Native to Maryland
Young scholars explore Native American tribes in Maryland. In this Maryland history lesson, students investigate Native American tribes in a webquest. After completing the webquest young scholars create a triarama.
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Early Americans - Their Culture and Law
Students examine the laws, food, clothing, and shelter of early American Indian cultures. They conduct research, answer questions, and plan and map out an early American Indian village.
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Philanthropic Beliefs of Native Americans
Students examine the tradition of giving and sharing in early Native American communities. In this philanthropy lesson, students define the term philanthropy, list 3 traditions of Native American giving and sharing, and identify 3...
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Native American Legends
Students work together in groups to research a Native American legend. They present the information they gathered in a format they chose. They write their own legend based on their research.
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Surviving the Winter
Fifth graders investigate given cultures using the internet, personal interviews and other sources, They examine how the civilizations of six Native American tribes and six Australian Aboriginal tribes survived during their respective...
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Celebrate Native American Cultures
Fourth graders use video, CD-ROMS, discussion, books and maps to further their understanding of the Wisconsin Native American's culture and contributions to American society.
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William Apess and the Mashpee "Revolt" of 1833
Prompt your class with the following question: What was the status of American Indians in Massachusetts during Jackson's presidency? To answer this question, class members will read a series of primary source documents (attached),...
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The Cajuns: Natives with a Difference!
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...
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When Turtle Grew Feathers
Young scholars explore the Choctaw Native American tribe. For this cross curriculum literacy and U.S. history lesson, students locate where the Choctaw Indians lived on a United States map. Young scholars listen to When...
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James Welch's Fools Crow
Learners explore the history of Montana's Native Americans by reading James Welch's Fools Crow. Set shortly after the Civil War, the novel focuses on a young Blackfoot Indian and his tribe. Over the course of several weeks, class members...
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Lee & Low Books: Giving Thanks Teacher's Guide
Fourth graders participate in reading comprehension activities associated from a teacher's guide. In this reading comprehension lesson, 4th graders read Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by Chief Jake Swamp and...
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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...
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Symbols of Power in Native American Clothing
Learners create power shirts that were highly important in the culture of many Native Americans.
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Technology Rich Native American Unit
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...
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Native Americans - Searching for Knowledge and Understanding
Students examine lives of Native Americans in order to become familiar with contributions to and influences on American society particularly, but not exclusively, in the Western region of the United States. Students focus on cultural...
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Early Native Americans
Students create a scrapbook illustrating the culture of Native Americans that settled in the Kickapoo Valley. Working in groups, students choose a topic related to the Kickapoo Valley Indians. Using traditional and technological...
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Viewpoint of the Native American
Learners compare how Native Americans were treated long ago to how they are treated today. They write an essay from the perspective of a Native American from their time period explaining their side with details supporting their views.
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A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History
The Nashua River serves as the focal point of an investigation of the treatment of and care for natural resources. A reading of A River Rand Wild: An Environmental History by Lynne Cherry, launches the study and class members consider...
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AFRICAN-AMERICAN HOMESTEADERS
Students analyze the factors that inhibited and fostered African American attempts to improve their lives during Reconstruction, the role of class, race, gender, and religion in western communities, and the challenges diverse people...