Curated OER
Buffalo-Ta Tanka
Young scholars study the buffalo. They watch a video and read a story about the buffalo and what it meant to Native American Indian tribes. They practice naming the parts of buffalo in Lakota.
Curated OER
Sacred Ceremonial Use of the Buffalo
Students invite an elderly person to come talk about the significance of the buffalo in their Native American community. They record and videotape all the activities and create a visual presentation of the day.
Curated OER
American Indian Cooking Before 1500
Students read and discuss an article about Native American cooking practices before 1500. In small groups they recreate a recipe for pemmican and sample the results. They discuss how food preparation and ingredients differ from modern...
Healthy Native Youth
Chapter 1: Circle of Life
Volition, or will-power, is the focus of a lesson that brings forth the Native symbol, the Circle of Life, to instill the importance of responsible decision-making. Scholars take part in six activities that empower them to reflect on...
Curated OER
The Importance of Buffalo Culture to Blackfeet Indians
Students examine importance of buffalo in culture of Blackfeet Indians, and explore types of technology used by Indians to kill large numbers of buffalo. Students research transition of Blackfeet from subsistence economy to capitalist...
Curated OER
American Indian Art
Student complete a month-long unit on the symbolic and practical reasons for American Indian artwork. They explore websites, discuss elements of design, create an Indian backpack, Kachina Doll, weaving, sand painting, and totem pole.
ReadWriteThink
Compare and Contrast
Read about the ways that different cultures set up homes with a set of reading activities. Learners read short paragraphs that cover one or more different ideas, and answer four questions about what they have read, including whether or...
Curated OER
Antebellum American Art
Dividing the art of the Antebellum period into several different genres, this vibrant presentation is sure to get your students' attention. It takes your students on a walk through an art museum with famous paintings, architecture, and...
Curated OER
The Buffalo War: A Clash of Cultures
Students view a documentary on the different values and meaning placed on the buffalo. Examining various cultures, they link the attitudes to the treatment of the animal in the wild. They develop solutions to the conflict raised by the...
Curated OER
Nomad Land
Students explore the migratory movements of animals as they monitor their own movements throughout the school day. Climatic and feeding conditions are examined as cues for the movement.
Curated OER
At Home on the Prairie
Students discover the importance of the bison within the prairie ecosystem and Native American culture, and explain the importance of habitat and place to living organisms.
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
Respect for Land
Youngsters examine how people show respect and care for the land. Specifically, learners see how the Native Americans truly did care for and respect the land, and still do so to this day! They also explore how they themselves can care...
Curated OER
Pack your Parfleche!
Imagine you are a Plains Indian, a nomad getting ready to follow a herd of buffalo. Now imagine what you would have to pack for your trip. Little ones examine images of a traditional parfleche (packing box), and then create packing lists...
Center for History Education
Transforming the West: Did the Reality Match the Expectations for Kansas Homesteaders?
They expected good soil and hearty crops ... but they found buffalo chips and grasshopper plagues. Using an advertisement encouraging famers to go west, budding historians examine primary sources including letters, photographs, and...
Curated OER
Indians in Georgia: How Do We Know What We Know?
Students discover archaeology by investigating the history of Native Americans in Georgia. In this U.S. history lesson, students participate in a mock archaeological excavation in their classroom by recovering artifacts and drawings...
Curated OER
Westward Expansion and the Frontier
Students explore U.S. history by researching a historic map. In this westward expansion lesson, students discuss the mystery of the western U.S. in the early 1800's and the impact expansion had on Native Americans and agriculture....
Curated OER
Buffalo Hunt True and False
In this American West learning exercise, learners read the 10 clues about buffaloes and the American West. Students answer true or false for the related statements.
Curated OER
The Sioux War
In this United States history activity, students utilize a word bank of 10 terms or phrases to answer 10 fill in the blank questions pertaining to the Native American experience. A short answer question is included as well.
Curated OER
Folktales: "The Storytelling Stone"
Pupils create a folktale after finding out the importance of folktales in different cultures. For this folktales lesson, students determine the definition of a folktale and read a "The Storytelling Stone." Pupils then discuss the story...
Curated OER
A Bison Web
High schoolers view a documentary on the treatment of the buffalo. In groups, they create a website using ideas and solutions they developed. They must include graphics or animation and a multi-level webpage. They share their pages...
Curated OER
Place Names
Students investigate the meaning of various Native American names. In this Native American language lesson, students locate state names that come from Native American descriptions and mark them on a map. Students then suggest a name for...
Curated OER
The Story of Sitting Bull
Students complete activities with the book The Story of Sitting Bull by Jeffrey A. Rucker. In this literature lesson, students review new vocabulary and practice finding capital letters. They read the story, answer comprehension...
Curated OER
At Home On The Range
Pupils explore the history and domestication of the Bovidae family and their importance to our prairie ecosystem. Using a map of the United States, students located the American Great Plains. They complete worksheets and discuss...
Curated OER
Buffalo Hide
Students research the traditional Lakota tipi (teepee) and compare types of homes used in the past with those used today. They design and construct an accurate model of a tipi.