National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Native American Cultures Across the United States
Students explore different aspects of the cultures of the First Americans in this lesson plan. Stereotypes are often associated with Native Americans through movies and in the context of the Thanksgiving holiday. Specific information and...
A&E Television
History.com: Why This Pioneering Hopi Soldier Has a Mountain Named After Her
Lori Ann Piestewa was the first woman to die on the front lines in Iraq and the first American Indian woman to die serving the U.S. Armed Forces. Piestewa has became synonymous with patriotic Native American sacrifice. In 2008, a...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of the American Indian: Beyond the Thanksgiving Myth [Pdf]
This study guide gives information about the Native Americans who were living in the area where the Pilgrims landed in 1620 and information about the new settlers too. The myth of the title concerns the friendly meal shared by the...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of the American Indian: Infinity of Nations
Exhibtion of artwork and artifacts from geographic regions across the Americas highlights the historic significance and diversity of material culture produced by Native Americans, past to present. With examples of textiles, ceramics,...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Native American Cultures
The America that greeted the first Europeans was, thus, far from an empty wilderness. It is now thought that as many people lived in the Western Hemisphere as in Western Europe at that time -- about 40 million. Estimates of the number of...
Other
First People: Native American Indian Legends Old Man at the Beginning Crow
This Crow legend tells about the beginning of creation when the "Old Man" made the world for the Crow people. Links to other legends are provided.
Other
Illinois State Museum: At Home in the Heartland Online
Exhibit about family life in Illinois from 1700 to the present lets visitors experience the kinds of changes that an environment can undergo over several hundred years. Uses historical narratives, images of objects, timelines, maps, and...
Other
Calgary Board Education: Our First Nations: Blackfoot
Educators will find this a useful research model for their students. Each slide addresses a different aspect of the Blackfoot tribe's daily life and culture.
Other
Calgary Board of Education: The Blackfoot Nation or Siksika People
This site, developed for a grade two and three collaborative project, is an excellent research tool for elementary students studying the history and customs of the Blackfoot and Siksika people.
Nebraska Studies
Nebraska Studies: Pre 1500: Nebraska's First Farmers [Pdf]
A lengthy and detailed lesson plan that explores the earliest Americans who lived in Nebraska prior to European contact. Although specific to Nebraska, the information can be generalized. [pdf]
Other
Civil Liberties: Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association
How does the constitution resolve a conflict between the government's property rights and the right of groups to engage in religious practices on lands they consider sacred? The Supreme Court answered that question in favor of the...
Texas A&M University
Center for the Study of the First Americans: Cactus Hill Site, Virginia
Pictures of the Cactus Hill paleo-Indian site in Virginia show the site itself and artifacts from the pre-Clovis and Clovis periods of time. There is no commentary about the pictures other than a caption.
Other
Ohio History: Virtual First Ohioans
This award-winning resource from the Ohio Historical Society presents Ohio's first cultures: PaleoIndian, Archaic, Woodland, Mississippian, and Late Prehistoric Period cultures. Click on each period for additional information and great...
Other
The Weekly South Dakotan: South Dakota History for 4th Grade
From the very beginning and through the twentieth century, this comprehensive collection of lessons will enrich students studying the history in between and the effects on South Dakota.
US National Archives
Our Documents: A National Initiative on American History, Civics, and Service
Our Documents is home to one hundred milestone documents that influenced that course of American history and American democracy. Includes full-page scans of each document, transcriptions, background information on their significance, and...
Other
Native American Indian: Native Recipes
A great way to get students into learning about First Nations culture is to immerse them in the cultural food. This site contains many recipes that can be prepared in a classroom for a feast!
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Native Americans
[Free Registration/Login Required] Grade 2 Social Studies - History - Eastern Woodlands Indians Topic: American Indians, Native Americans, First Americans Standard: Compares the lifestyles of Eastern Woodlands, Sioux of the Plains and...
PBS
Pbs Online News Hour: Kennewick Man: Controlling History
In addition to a short explanation of the Kennewick Man and the outcome of the controversy surrounding the remains, this site also provides reactions to the decision, the legal battle, a timeline, and a page on the "First Americans."
Other
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Learn about the history of the first Native American code talkers from the Choctaw Nation. Includes profiles of those who worked with the United States government during World War I and World War II.
University of South Florida
Florida Center for Instructional Technology: The Calusa: "The Shell Indians"
The Calusa native tribe inhabited southwestern Florida. They were the first people that the Spanish explorers wrote about in 1513. Learn about their daily life, customs, economic base, and what caused them to disappear by the late 1700's.
A&E Television
History.com: French and Indian War
The French and Indian War saw two European imperialists go head-to-head over territory and marked the debut of the soldier who would become America's first president.
Native American Art and Technology
Native Tech: Native American Technology and Art
Informational site discusses the technology of Native American crafts and the meaning of those crafts. Touches on everything from pottery to clothing.
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma Historical Society: An Early Account of the Cherokees [Pdf]
A first-hand account describing the Cherokee Native Americans during the period of their displacement (1837) from the southern United States to Oklahoma Indian territory.
University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma: Indian Reorganization Act Documents
Part of a larger digital project on Indian legal documents, this page contains all constitutions and charters that came from the Indian New Deal.