Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Indian Boarding Schools

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners research government-run American Indian boarding schools. In this American Indian history instructional activity, students analyze primary documents to develop an understanding of the forced acculturation of American Indians...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Woodland Tribes Worksheet

For Students 6th - 8th
In this United States history worksheet, students utilize a word bank of 10 terms or phrases to answer 10 fill in the blank questions pertaining to the Woodland Tribes. A short answer question about the Iroquois League is included.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Back to the Age of Exploration

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students explore world history by researching explorers of North America. For this famous explorers lesson, students research one specific explorer of their choice and identify his successes and failures by utilizing the Internet....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Powhatan Indians' English Boy

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders write a historical fiction narrative. In this interdisciplinary lesson, 6th graders read the historical fiction Henry Spelman: The Powhatan Indians' English Boy. Students write a piece from the point of view of the main...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Indian Reservations

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine life on American Indian reservations, and discuss how confinement on the reservations affected American Indians. They visit the Bureau of Indian Affairs website, and develop positive and negative impact charts about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Andrew Jackson and the Trail of Tears

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students examine the three historical portraits Andrew Jackson, iam Pitt and Portrait of a Boy for symbolism. They research Andrew Jackson's involvement in the Cherokee Indians' Trail of Tears in North Carolina, and compose a portrait.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Taste of the Caribbean

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students are introduced to the foods and traditions of the Caribbean. In groups, they brainstorm their own definition of culture and review the physical and political geography of the Caribbean. They spend time sampling different foods...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Yours and My Trail of Tears

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate the Trail of Tears. For this United States history lesson, students identify the reason for removing the Cherokee Nation and role play a modern day situation similar to the Indian Removal Act. Students reflect their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trail of Tears

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students create a journal entry written from the perspective of a Cherokee, a soldier, or a person involved in the Trail of Tears.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Utah History & Geography

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders practice large digit addition. Students become familiar with column addition. Students develop knowledge of counties and county seats.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wappo Indians of Napa County

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders describe the American Indian nation in their local region long ago and in the recent past in terms of national identities, religious beliefs, customs, and various folklore traditions. They synthesize their findings into a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush: Native American Life

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students read," The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush" by Tomie dePaola and discuss the way legends are passed down orally. They then create their own legend and illustrate it on a simulated "Buffalo Skin" made from brown paper.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

News Interviews of Historical Figures During the Indian Wars

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine the lives of important historical figures. Using primary source documents, they develop a list of questions to ask the figure if they were still alive. In groups, they discover information about the other historical...
Lesson Plan
Race Briges Studio

I am Indopino: Or, How to Answer the Question, "Who Are You?"

For Students 6th - 12th
In our increasingly multi-ethnic society, many students find it difficult to identify themselves as belonging to any one ethnicity. Gene Tagaban, a Tlingit, Cherokee, Filipino offers his personal experiences with these questions in his...
Lesson Plan
National Woman's History Museum

Sacagawea

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Mind maps are great tools. Teach your classes how to use mind maps to collect, organize, and retain information with a lesson plan that asks learners to research the life of Sacagawea and use mind maps to record their findings.
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Dia de los Muertos: Celebrating and Remembering

For Teachers K - 2nd
Help scholars understand the history, geography, traditions, and art of Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Find background information for your reference as well as a detailed cross-curricular lesson plan. Learners compare...
Website
American Museum of Natural History

Up Close With a Zapotec Urn

For Students 6th - 9th
If a Zapotec urn, buried for over a thousand years in a temple in the lost city of Xoxocotlan in the Valley of Oaxaca in the mountains of southern Mexico could talk image the stories it could tell. That's the set up in a clever resource...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pack your Parfleche!

For Teachers K - 5th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Create your own Parfleche!

For Teachers K - 5th
What is a parfleche? It is a box used by the Plains Indians to carry goods as they traveled. First, the class will discuss the uses of these highly ornate boxes and the nature of the Plains Indians' nomadic lifestyle. Then, the class...
Assessment
Fluence Learning

Writing About Literature: What Is Happiness?

For Students 8th Standards
Jack London's heart for adventure has come to define the spirit of America and its frontier. Selected passages from the foreword The Cruise of the Snark take eighth graders through London's construction and voyage of his ship before...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Writing Exercise: The Spanish in North America

For Students 4th - 7th
Bring writing into your history course with this exercise on Spanish development and conquest in North America. Five short-answer prompts get students writing about various aspects of Spanish influence. They consider the origin of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seeing Ancient Worlds

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Young scholars view the images from the Nature Images Photo Gallery and identify various elements of nature. They then group the elements into categories and discuss what these images tell about the worlds of ancient Native Americans.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rock Art and Ritual

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students explore, examine and determine what kinds of rock art motifs are likely the product of ancient ritual descent. They identify connections between rock art symbolism and Native American ritual practices. Each student also views a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mile in My Moccasins

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore the concept of philanthropy as it is related to the Native American culture. They research the history of different symbols used to find specific examples of philanthropy in Native American culture.