Curated OER
California Native American Basket Weaving
Fourth graders consider the role that baskets play in the traditional lives of Native Americans in California. Students investigate types of baskets and their various uses and then weave their own baskets.
Advocates for Human Rights
The Right of Indigneous Peoples in the United States
The sovereignty of U.S. Native American nations is the focus of a resource that asks class members to compare the Right to Self-Determination in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples with a fact sheet that...
Curated OER
Not Just Another Native American Lesson
Second graders focus on Native Americans through hands-on crafts. They also study various Native American tales and legends, geography, and fine arts of the different regions.
California State University
Life in the Missions of California
Academics explore the topic of life in California Missions for Native Americas. Class members complete a research activity, respond to writing prompts, and engage in hands-on-activities to learn who lived in the missions and what life...
Curated OER
A Native American Cultural Exchange
Fourth graders communicate with members of Native American tribes via email, exchange original poems with epals, and create multimedia presentations to share with classmates.
Curated OER
Regional Landforms and Native People
Third graders study the Native American tribes of Maidu and Miwok by studying Internet artifacts, culture, language, music, storytelling, architecture, food, clothing, crafts and geology.
Curated OER
Introduction to Native Americans Thematic Unit
Students consider different cultural viewpoints. In this Native American history instructional activity, students examine artifacts and then conduct research on selected Native American tribes.
Curated OER
Learning About the Kumeyaay Indians
Third graders research the Native American nation of Kumeyaay. Scholars use the internet to research past history. Through email, 3rd graders communicate with a Kumeyaay child to discover life on a present day reservation. They create a...
Curated OER
Lesson 6: Native Americans in the West
Students recall their knowledge of Native American people who lived in the West and reflect on how their perspectives differed from pioneers and argonauts of the 19th century.
Curated OER
Westward Expansion: The American Indian Experience
Students complete a brief presentation documenting the life of an American Indian. In class, students discuss the pros and cons of placing American Indians on a reservation. After their discussion, students choose a issue in Native...
Curated OER
Bison on the Plains
Fifth graders explore U.S. geography by reading assigned text about American Indians. In this migration lesson, 5th graders identify the differences between Native Americans and European settlers who traveled through middle America in...
Curated OER
Western Expansion and Native Americans
Fifth graders research the Oregon, Old Spanish, California, and Mormon trails, and the impact western expansion had on the Native Americans living on those lands.
Channel Islands Film
Sa Hi Pa Ca (Once Upon a Time): Lesson Plan 2
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...
Smithsonian Institution
Conflicting Voices of the Mexican War
Americans wanted to fulfill Manifest Destiny, and this pattern continued with the Mexican War. The resource specifically teaches about the Mexican War through a variety of exercises including a research project, group work, brainstorming...
Advocates for Human Rights
Nativism and Myths about Immigrants
Where do anti-immigrants myths come from, and how can they be refuted? Learners critically analyze media reports and how to identify reliable sources. After studying a timeline that details the history of US nativism, groups research the...
Curated OER
Native American Project
Learners explore the influences that geography has on a Native American tribe's culture and lifestyle. They examine how the first encounters with Europeans affected that tribe.
Curated OER
Touch the Past: Archaeology of the Upper Mississippi River Region
High schoolers examine the archeology of the Mississippi River Valley. Using the internet, they expand their research to include how the Native Americans in California used plants to meet their needs. They also research a Native...
Curated OER
Flawed Democracies
Ninth graders examine the struggle for equal opportunity. In this American Government lesson, 9th graders create a timeline outlining various groups' struggles for equal opportunity. Students research and construct a timeline to...
Curated OER
California Trail and Native Americans
Fifth graders identify the American Indian tribes who lived on the lands in which the California Trail went through. They investigate and describe the impact of western expansion on the American Indians.
Curated OER
Foreign Miners
Students examine primary source documents from miners who went to California in the search of gold. They compare and contrast the letters they read and discuss what types of discrimination still exists today.
Curated OER
The Chicano Movement in California - Culture, Causes, and Community
Students explore the culture and community of the Chicano movement in California using prints that emerged from the Chicano movement. The historical, binational, and bicultural components are examined in this three lessons unit.
Curated OER
History Detectives
Fifth graders investigate the significant events in America's history. Students listen to a variety of books based on significant historical events in America. Students divide into 6 groups, each of which is responsible for researching...
Channel Islands Film
Once Upon a Time (Sa Hi Pa Ca): Lesson Plan 3
What was the most significant tool used by the Chumash? How did the environment make the tool possible? What group behaviors allowed the Chumash be be successful for thousands of years? After watching West of the West's documentary Once...
Curated OER
Cultural Lit. 19: Old Spanish Trail & Native Americans
Fifth graders name the American Indian people by tribe who lived in the lands which the Old Spanish Trail traversed. They investigate and describe some impacts of western expansion upon the American Indians.