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Native American Literature
Introduce your class to the writing of the indigenous Americans and, even more well known, their story telling. An engaging presentation describes what kinds of texts would be included in the oral stories performed and some common...
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Taming the Frontier
Learners examine paintings by Thomas Cole and Jasper Francis Cropsey as windows into American frontier life. They consider the pioneer's relationship with nature and the role of Native Americans in the pioneer's lives and settlements.
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Coil-Built Pueblo Bowls
Use Native American tradition to create the context for making different cultural representations of pottery. Practice using geometrical shapes painted on the pottery, research different patterns found on Native American pottery, and...
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Introductory Activity-Native American Images as Mascots
Students, in small cooperative groups, are introduced to a lesson plan concerning the controversy involved in using Native American names and images as sports mascots. They brainstorm mascot names and discuss the meaning behind each.
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Totem Poles
Learners create outdoor totem poles by creating masks and designing an outdoor painting in the woods. In this totem poles lesson plan, students study Native American culture.
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QUIZ SHOW! What were you thinking? What did you say?
Learners participate in a game show to share the information they have uncovered about the US expansion policy and how it affected Native Americans.
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Lesson: Reflecting Social Status
More space, in this case, means more status. Kids consider the status assigned to Tlingits via house partition. They discuss a carved piece that shows household space partitioned by status. They then write their own clan stories and draw...
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Navajo Sand Paintings
Research the use of sand paintings in the Navajo tribe. Your young scholars work together to design their own sand painting. They share their creation with the class describing what the symbols mean.
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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...
American Documentary
American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i
In this lesson, students will examine Hawaii's issues of colonization, authority, authenticity and cultural identity, and understand the distinction between native and non-native Hawaiians. This lesson includes links to videos, links to...
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Imagery: Symbolic/realistic
Students recognize and use the visual arts as a form of communication. They use the computer as a visual arts tool to gather images for a story they are telling. They discuss related stories that differ in their realistic images. They...
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Lakota Signs & Symbols
Students discuss and identify the signs, symbol, and sacred animals associated with traditional Lakota objects of the past. They then design and create a two-dimensional piece of art that incorporates one of these signs or symbols.
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European Expansion in America
Students explore human settlement in America - from the 1500s to about the turn of the 20th Century. They follow the relationships and changes beginning in the east, then head west to witness the final battles of this era.
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Totem Transformations
Students are introduced in the Humanities class, as they explore the origins of Totems in Native American folklore. In the computer lab, students read Totem stories and explore the meaning and symbolism behind the myths using various Web...
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Art to Zoo: India-Where Remarkable Differences Are Ordinary
Students "visit" India to learn about its culture and the lives of children in India. In this India lesson, students conduct research and report on the lives of Indian children in the form of a mock interview between a journalist and an...
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It's All Part of the Story
Students explore storytelling through pantomime, improvisation, and dramatization. They watch an online video, discuss Native American earth stories, role-play various situations, explore websites, and present an oral story to the class.
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Dreams and Shields
Learners study and view examples of shields from the Lakota, Crow, Cheyenne, Black Feet, and Shoshone tribes. They find the meaning of the symbols used on the shields and then make their own shields out of cardboard.
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The Night Chanter Project
Students sketch a design based on "The Night Chanter." In this art design instructional activity, students listen to the Native American prayer, "The Night Chanter" and illustrate their personal vision of the chant. Students critique the...
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Comparative Folktales
Students analyze Mongolian and Native American folktales and compare the two types. They discuss the importance of storytelling in nomadic cultures and read a story in small groups. Following the story, they answer questions and...
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Westward Expansion and the War with Mexico
Students evaluate primary sources to develop their own opinions about Westward Expansion. In this Manifest Destiny lesson, students examine and respond to questions about Gast's painting titled American Progress Students research how...
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Labyrinths
Whether studying metaphors or Greek mythology, this labyrinth project is a fantastic lesson plan to add to your unit. It includes two versions of the labyrinth; making it with yarn or stone. If your materials are limited, you can even...
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Thanksgiving: Multiple Perspectives
Young scholars examine different perspectives about Thanksgiving that include those of the European Settlers and the Native Americans. They read and discuss an article about Plymouth being "America's Hometown." They develop a landmark...
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Pursuit of Meaning
Students study art based on the theme "The Pursuit of Meaning." In this art instructional activity, students research the role of a museum curator and create a proposal and exhibit catalog based on the theme "The Pursuit of Meaning."
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36 Public Policy Questions to Energize Your Government/History Classroom Debates
Need topics that are sure to engage your debaters? This list of public policy questions includes such topics as school mascots, regulation of major league baseball, physician-assisted suicide, and violence in video games. A great...