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Native American Interdisciplinary Educational Unit

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students research various Native American stories and legends. They participate in reader's theater, write original legends, cook Native American foods, construct dioramas and view Native American art and artifacts.
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Dancing Feathers

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders read and analyze the novel, 'Dancing Feathers.' They identify the main story elements, develop personal and fictional narratives, retell the story from a different point of view, create a mask, and design a postcard.
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Documenting Where We Are

For Teachers K - 8th
Students contribute to discussions and identify how an artist elicits a viewer's response. They use William Henry Jackson's Pawnee Indian Village, photograph and painting. After analyzing this information, students use information gained...
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Today We Encountered the White Man

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze and interpret artifacts and a timeline to get specific information.  In this timeline lesson plan students work in groups to research an Indian tribe and write an information piece of their research. 
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POWWOW

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Young scholars investigate the significance of the Powwow to the Native Americans. They write a story about a special tradition or custom from their own family, play Native American children's games, prepare Indian fry bread, and...
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Cabeza de Vaca

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders observe the 1529 map of the Gulf of Mexico and describe the accuracy of the map, including the unknown landscape that Cabeza de Vaca would traverse. They read the discuss the excerpt of his journey including his treatment...
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California's Mission/Rancho Era

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders complete a variety of activities as they study the Spanish colonization of California, including the relationships among missionaries and Indians and their interactions with soldiers and people in the pueblos and ranchos.
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Artful Technology

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read the article 'Fading Indian Rock Art Saved, at least in Database' and discuss its contents. After viewing examples of works from a variety of periods and places, students choose a time and place on which to conduct research.
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Manuelito's Role as a Leader

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners research Manuelito's involvement with the treaty which freed the Navajo from Fort Sumner, his leadership role in keeping peace, the details of his meeting with Grant, his support of education, and his disappointment with Indian...
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The Sepoy Revolt of 1857

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners participate in a role-play activity. They examine the factors dividing colonial India. They examine how the British raj contributed to the formation of Indian nationalism.
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Andrew Jackson

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine the presidency of Andrew Jackson. Using the Internet, they research his decision to remove the Indians from their land and place them on reservations. They discuss the effects of the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
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Athabaskan Migration & Bering Strait

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students study Athabaskan migration patterns and the Bering Strait Land Bridge theory. They investigate the importance of the expansion of trade and compare the differences between American Indian oral tradition accounts of origin and...
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South Asia Today: India

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students use information from the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India Web site to explore the Indian economy and environment for business investment, then write a business proposal.
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Elders Predict Snow

For Teachers K - 4th
Students interview Native Indians to learn their ways for predicting and measuring snowfall. For this weather measurement lesson, students invite a Native Elder to their classroom to tell them about how they predicted weather. Students...
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Mother Earth

For Teachers K
Pupils compare natural and human made items and gain an awareness of the importance of Mother Earth to the Nez Perce people.
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Connecting to Colonial Music

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students listen to songs from the French and Indian War period. They answer questions about the song and identify any historical terms. They examine the role of music in their own lives.
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Comparison of Colonial Regions in British North America

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers compare and contrast the colonies in British North America. As a class, they brainstorm a list of people, places and ideas associated with the Colonial Era. They discover the relationships and interactions between the...
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Bollywood, Philadelphia

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students conceive a simple boy-meets-girl story. They write a screenplay, compose a storyboard, and produce the story with music and dancing in the style of a modern Indian operetta, using digital filming and editing. They screen the...
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A Shot in the Backwoods of Pennsylvania Sets the World Afire

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners study the French and Indian War and examine the events that led to the conflict.  In this political lesson students compare the important significance of this event and how the relationships were impacted.
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Buffalo Soldiers

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore the role of the buffalo soldiers in the United States Army during the nineteenth century conflict along the frontier with the Indian tribes. They discuss the social change represented by African Americans serving...
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Ethnography of the Lewis & Clark Expedition

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners research the people that Lewis and Clark encountered on their expedition. In small groups, they conduct research on a group of Native Americans, answer research questions, and contribute information to a class chart comparing...
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Where Indians and Bison Meet

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine a transparency of the Pre-2004 Monticello Nickel and compare it to the American Bison Nickel. They research Native American tribes and discover why the bison was so important to them. They create products showing...
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We've got the whole world in our hands

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students explore spatial sense in regards to maps about the globe. In this maps lesson plan, students label oceans, locate the continents and poles, follow directions, and explain the symbols on a map.
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Reading Images: Maconaquah

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students examine a portrait of Maconaquah and compose a list of things they observe about her. They look at her age, clothing, jewelry, and her emotions based on her facial expression. Conclusions are drawn as they "read" the pictures...