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The Iron Horse vs. the Buffalo: Indian-Settler Conflict on the Great Plains

For Teachers 10th
The Iron Horse encroached upon the land while conflicts escalated between Native Americans and the settlers. Sophomores study the print, American Progress then discuss how American progress affected Native Americans. They will study the...
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Native Americans

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners participate in a skit. In this Native American history lesson, students read a book about Native Americans and answer comprehension questions. Learners then read a story about the Wampanoag people and work in groups to act out a...
Lesson Plan
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Lives of Native Americans and Settlers

For Teachers 3rd - 11th
Students assess the effect of contact between the Native Americans and Europeans after 1492. They explore the lives of the early European colonists and the Native Americans living along the East Coast of North America. Lesson contains...
Lesson Plan
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Southeastern Native Americans' Lifestyles

For Teachers 4th - 11th
Students complete activities to learn about Southeastern Native Americans.  In this lifestyles instructional activity, students watch a PowerPoint about Southeastern Native Americans, view artifacts from the region and discuss the...
Lesson Plan
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Native Americans 1700s-1800s

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders investigate and explain major Native American groups, events, individuals and conflicts from the 1700s through the 1800s in the early American colonies and the United States.
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What Should a House Do?

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students complete a unit of lessons on the similarities and differences between Native American homes and European settlement houses. They explore websites, read stories, design a dream house, and construct wigwam models.
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Creating Stories Using Pictographs

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders research pictograph stories written by Native Americans. They investigate the history behind pictographs, and look through a reference book identifying the different pictures. The teacher then create their own individual...
Unit Plan
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James Welch's Fools Crow

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Learners explore the history of Montana's Native Americans by reading James Welch's Fools Crow. Set shortly after the Civil War, the novel focuses on a young Blackfoot Indian and his tribe. Over the course of several weeks, class members...
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Indigenous Peoples’ Day Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Indigenous Land Guardianship, Settler Colonialism, Racial Capitalism. While the terms may be new to some, they feature in a lesson plan designed for Indigenous Peoples' Day. Young scholars investigate four concepts: Land...
Lesson Plan
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More Than Tipis and Feathers

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders research Native American People of the plains, the forest, the northwest coast and the desert. They compare how their lives were similar and how they were different. They make a model of one type of dwelling.
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How - To - Posters

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students investigate the skills needed to survive for the early colonial settlers and Native Americans. They conduct research, develop a list of skills, and create a how-to poster demonstrating a survival skill.
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Sitting Bull: Chief of the Lakota Nation

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students view the "Sitting Bull" video, complete vocabulary work, and discuss the video as a class.
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Fur Trading

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students take on a role such as a farming community, hunting community or a trading post. They decide which products they focus on and then trade with the other groups.
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Kansas Prairie Homes

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students read about settlers in Kansas and the adaptations they made in order to build different kinds of houses. In this Kansas settlers lesson plan, students participate in choral reading and retell information they learn.
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Town Growth and Immigration

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders describe how Michigan has changed and stayed the same over time. They explain reasons why people settled/settle in Michigan, then explain the role of geography on the settlement of Michigan.
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The Lure of The West

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Here is a fabulous series of lesson plans on four of the most celebrated artists of the Old Western period in American history. Learners study the works of Charles King, George Catlin, Albert Bierstadt, and Thomas Moran. The pack is...
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Early Indian Inhabitants of Deerfield

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explain that there is evidence of New England's being inhabited by Indians as far back as 10,000 years ago.
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The French in Texas

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use Internet to examine early French exploration and settlement in Texas, and write journal entries from point of view of 17th Century French settler, French or Spanish explorer, or Native American whose land was taken.
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Thanksgiving: Multiple Perspectives

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students 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 for...
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The Adventure Begins: "Boys I Believe I Have Found a Gold Mine!"

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Learners view and discuss historical documents regarding Native Americans and Californians prior to the gold rush in the 1940's. They complete a variety of activities designed to show what they have learned from these sources and class...
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Pilgrims: The First Americans

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders become familar with the pilgrims and first Thanksgiving through essays about important people of the time.  In this Thanksgiving lesson plan, 5th graders choose an important figure from the time of the Pilgrims and...
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Pioneer Homes

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Learners compare and contrast Native American dwellings with pioneer homes. They identify the progression of these homes and locate examples on a frontier map.
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Cut Outs: Shapes and Symbols

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students create collages based on Juan Quick-to-See Smith's "Ode to Chief Seattle." In this shapes, symbols and Native American lesson plan, students examine the "Ode to Chief Seattle" and Henri Matisse's cutout work. Students design...
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Exploring Indiana's Natural Resources

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders complete a variety of activities as they study the European exploration of the Midwest, focusing on Indiana. They map the path explorers took, comparing the British with the French. They research why the explorers stopped...