Curated OER
Ceremonies
Second graders describe Aboriginal ceremonies. In this ceremonies lesson, 2nd graders interview elders from local Aboriginal tribes. Students view ceremonies performed by the elders and research local ceremonies.
Curated OER
Whose Rite Is It?
The class explores and debates, from multiple perspectives, a petition to allow Hopi Indians to take golden eagle hatchlings from a federal wildlife sanctuary for use in a religious ceremony. Pupils defend their personal views on the...
Curated OER
Describing Drum Beats in Native American Music
Students analyze the drum patterns and changing styles of the music and dance for the Native American song and dance "Owl Dance." They listen to a recording of "Owl Dance," discuss the cultural context of the song, and perform the song.
Curated OER
Early Americans - Their Culture and Law
Students examine the laws, food, clothing, and shelter of early American Indian cultures. They conduct research, answer questions, and plan and map out an early American Indian village.
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Native Lands: Indians in Georgia
Students investigate the Native Americans of the Muscogee Creek and their use of the land. In this U.S. history lesson plan, students investigate the importance of the deer for the Muscogee Creek peoples' way of life and the many uses...
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Native American Culture
Students investigate the lives of the American Indians who made their homes in the Midwest. In this Native American history lesson, students research the tribes of the Midwest and create PowerPoint presentations based on their research...
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Native American Basket Making
Students design a unique basket plaque incorporating at least one symbol from their chosen tribe. They also identify, share, and give rationales for the symbols in basket plaques. Whole class discussion jig-saws their discoveries.
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Nevada Native Seasonal Activities
Here is an excellent series of lessons on the Paiute Indians of Nevada. In them, learners see that the four Native Tribes of Nevada respected and depended on their natural environment. They had four distinct ways of life according to the...
Curated OER
Lesson: More Than Meets the Eye
Older learners analyze a controversial painting entitled The Cutting Scene, Mandan O-kee-pa Ceremony 1832. They use the issues raised in the image to construct debate arguments questioning if the artist's painting exploits Native...
Curated OER
Native Lands: Indians in Georgia-Shifting Ground Political Cartoon-Introduction
Young scholars explore the relationship between the Creek, Cherokee, and European/American cultures prior to the American Revolution. Students do Internet research to identify and explain changes in these cultures, then create six...
Curated OER
Native American Ceremonies
Second graders explore cultural rituals by researching Native American people. In this Native American ceremony lesson, 2nd graders read the story Indian Festivals by Keith Brand and identify the naturalistic attitude of the Native...
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Technology Rich Native American Unit
Student groups retell stories from Iroquois storytellers. They role-play Iroquois women, men and children and explain their roles. They read "Knots on a Counting Rope" and make up their own stories. They create timelines. They visit a...
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,...
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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.
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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....