Dream of a Nation
Writing Interdisciplinary Essay
The Grapes of Wrath. The Jungle. Native Son. The Things They Carried. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. To address a current social, political, economic, or environmental issue, class groups pair the reading of a...
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Forced to Move in More Ways Than One
Eleventh graders explore the Native American movement. They study the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the Dawes Act of 1887, and the Indian Boarding Schools in 1887. They research each episode and create a Venn diagram poster.
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Jim Thorpe's Bright Path
Students read about the life of Jim Thorpe and answer focus lessons about the book. In this Jim Thorpe lesson, students celebrate the American Indian culture and learn of the hardships Jim Thorpe overcame. Students find...
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Virginia Colony and England
Students identify how cultural landscapes reflect beliefs, customs, and architecture of people living in those areas. Then they identify that Virginia developed a unique culture different from that of England. Students also research...
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Westward Expansion: Chief Joseph's Words Of Surrender
Students explore westward expansion in the United States as it relates to Native Americans and the novel Holes. Students read a passage from Holes and discuss how westward expansion affected the Native Americans. Students compare and...
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This Land is Ours
Students research and present their findings of the Native American's forced removal in the 19th century. For this Native American lesson plan, students read passages, write and reflect, and look on the internet for evidence of the...
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Thanksgiving Mourning
Students examine the way diverse groups can perceive a shared experience in a dramatically different light. Students read commentary written by Native American writers and find examples of different points of view. ...
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Heritage: Petroglyphs and the Stories They Tell
Fourth graders are introduced to the use of petroglyphs as a form of communication by the Native American tribes of the region that is now Utah. They prepare their own original picture stories and then switch with a partner to translate...
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Where, Oh Where
Students use maps to explore several traditional regions of Native Americans. They research information on the regions' climate, resources, landforms, flora and fauna.
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Barter Day
Fifth graders research bartering. In this bartering lesson, 5th graders investigate bartering as a way to trade for goods and services. Students experience bartering first hand while playing a game.
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Deerfield Families
To understand the consequences of the 1704 attack on Deerfield by combined French and Native American forces, groups research primary and secondary resources related to four Deerfield families involved in the attack.
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Native American Storyteller Figure
Third graders explore cultures that use clay figures in the art of storytelling. They discover the importance of cultural history being passed through generations. They also form their own storyteller from a clay figure.
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Math and Native Americans
Students explore how math is relevant to Native Americans. Students investigate Indian culture through geometry. They describe and create geometric polygons and patterns. Students problem solve with tangram patterns to make Indian...
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Cattle Trails
In this cattle trails study guide activity, students read about the American West. Students read 4 sections of information.
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Persistent Paths: Trails, Tracks and Turnpikes Across the Alleghenies
High schoolers study maps to determine barriers associated with the Pennsylvania mountains and the Native Americans. In this investigative lesson students study the routes used by Native Americans, explain physical features of the...
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Cowboy Tourism
Young scholars disucss the role the tourist industry played in popular perceptions of cowboys and Indians. They discuss the image of cowboys, as it is presented in fashion and contemporary advertisements. Students read about a town in...
National First Ladies' Library
Will the Real Pocahontas Please Stand Up?
Learners explore the life of Pocahontas and Powhatan Indians. After studying information on a given website, students compare and contrast what they read about Pocahontas and what they previously thought of her. They explore life in a...
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Independent - To Be or Not Top Be - Day 1, Lesson 2: Scavenger Hunt
Fifth graders research the thirteen significant events that lead to the start of the American Revolution.
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Plains Indians
First graders create a KWL chart on Native Americans and listen to a speaker from a local Indian Reservation. As a class, they are read part of a Native American story in which they pick their own Native American name and identify their...
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Sacajawea
Third graders investigate the challenges Sacajawea faced when communicating. They examine ways of communicating using gestures as the Native Americans did. They identify how the Native Americans used natural resources when meeting their...
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Why were the colonists upset about the Stamp Act?
Fifth graders read documents to address why colonists were upset about the Stamp Act. For this sourcing and contextualization lesson, 5th graders read a variety of documents from the American Revolution and predict the author's...
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Internet Challenge Worksheet
In this Internet challenge worksheet, students research 5 different web sites on the Internet for information. First, they search Yahooligans and Yahoo on Indians to see how many sites they can pull up. Then, students search google and...
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The Stamp Act of 1765
Eleventh graders explore the origins of colonial objections to "taxation without representation". In this American History lesson, 11th graders create a presentation on specific topics in relation to the Stamp Act.
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An Age of Exploration
Students investigate U.S. history by examining North American timelines. In this American exploration lesson, students research the events that led to Columbus finding America and participate in a jeopardy game regarding his adventure....