Curated OER
Native Americans
Young scholars, in groups, research various Native American tribes. They wirte a report about the tribe which includes information about their food and ceremonies, among other things. They create a diorama and a poster that shows how...
National Museum of the American Indian
The Kwakwaka'Wakw: A Study of a North Pacific Coast People and the Potlatch
Discover the cultural practices and unique value systems of a group of native peoples from Canada called the Kwakwaka'wakw. Your young historians will discuss how conceptions of wealth can vary and how these native people utilized...
Curated OER
Looking at Ritual and Ceremony
Students explore Edward Curtis' photos of a Native American ritual and practice documenting their own religious rituals. In this photography analysis lesson, students analyze an Native American ritual in Curtis' photo. Students discuss...
Curated OER
Ceremony
Students complete multiple lessons to identify the human rights and social justice for Native Americans. In this human rights lesson plan, students complete fifty one days of activities to a lesson plan titled "Ceremony" about the Native...
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Maskmaking
Students examine masks from various cultures focusing on the Native Americans. Using the internet, they research the purpose of the masks and various designs. They create their own mask showing their own culture and personality and...
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The Seasons of Thanks
First graders explain the Native American cyclical concept of time
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They Put On Masks
Eighth graders examine Native American art. In this mask making lesson, 8th graders compare mask making traditions among different cultures. Students watch a demonstration of mask making and construct a mask of their own.
Curated OER
They Put on Masks
Students discover Native American culture by creating masks. In this customs activity, students create their own masks in class from plaster and paint. Students perform a skit in front of their school showcasing their mask making efforts.
Sargent Art
Glass Jar Sand Art: Inspired by Navajo Sand Painting
Sand has been used as an artistic medium for centuries and can be found in cultures across the globe. The class examines sand art created by the Navajo people. They mix tempera paint and sand to create their colors, and then fill jars,...
Curated OER
Food and Culture, Past and Present in Choctaw Culture
Students explore the Choctow culture. For this Choctow lesson, students use their research skills to create presentations that feature Choctow geography, resources, tradition, foods, and health issues.
Channel Islands Film
Dark Water: Lesson Plan 3 - Grades 6-12
After watching the documentary Dark Water about a traditional Chumash ceremony and reading a Chumash origin story, viewers are asked to create a coat of arms and to craft an essay that details a family tradition or their own origin story.
Curated OER
Creating a Three sisters Garden
Students understand that a three sisters garden is comprised of corn, beans and squash. For this three sisters garden lesson, students understand that Native Americans planted three sisters gardens and grow a three sisters garden....
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Forced Assimilation
Students identify ways that a society promotes assimilation and examine areas where it still occurs in our present culture. They assess the value of assimilation.
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The Significance of the Buffalo
Students discuss the significance of the buffalo in their Native American community. They interview elders and take a field trip to a buffalo pasture. They conduct research in the library about how the buffalo was used in the...
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Learning By Looking: Pueblo Indian Ceremonial Dances
Students investigate the uses of ceremonial dance in the Pueblo Indian culture by viewing videos of native dances. They listen to folk tales that explain the dances and compare the traditions of the Pueblo culture to their own culture....
Curated OER
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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Images of the New World
Students examine how visual and literary images played an important role in the English colonization of Virginia. They analyze the importance of Thomas Harriot's Report on the subsequent development of English colonial plans for...
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BASKET MAKING
Students create individual basket plaques emphasizing Native American techniques and designs. Students learn to identify Native American tribal symbols and incorporate them into their basket plaque.
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Creation Stories
Students explore Native American creation stories. In this Native American lesson, students research Native American culture, social structure, and religious beliefs as they compare and contrast the different elements of Native American...
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Sacred Ceremonial Use of the Buffalo
Students invite an elderly person to come talk about the significance of the buffalo in their Native American community. They record and videotape all the activities and create a visual presentation of the day.
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You Gotta Know the Territory
Young scholars examine the relationship between Native Americans and those who settled the Iowa territory. In this Iowa history lesson, students investigate the process for settling the territory and how intercultural relationships...
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Navajo Sand Paintings
Research the use of sand paintings in the Navajo tribe. Your learners work together to design their own sand painting. They share their creation with the class describing what the symbols mean.
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Role Models - Grade 8
Eighth graders research Elders as role models. In this native studies lesson, 8th graders select Elders of the First Nations and research their contributions to society. Students create posters featuring the their findings and present...
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Native California Americans
Fourth graders study the differences in the ways of life of five different Native California Tribes. They assess the use of technology, computers and the Internet as valuable investigation tools.