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National Museum of the American Indian - Smithsonian Institution
Grades
K to 12tag(s): explorers (60), native americans (85), primary sources (106), professional development (319), thanksgiving (24), westward expansion (36)
In the Classroom
Be sure to bookmark this site for use with lessons on Thanksgiving, using primary sources, or when teaching about Native Americans. Consider using curation tools such as Padlet, reviewed here, or Wakelet, reviewed here, to organize resources for easy retrieval. Padlet and Wakelet are also handy when sharing information and resources with students. As you begin your lessons on American Indians, begin with a formative assessment to gauge your students' understanding of the topic. Use an easy online quiz tool such as Baamboozle, reviewed here, to engage students in your learning activities. As you continue in your lessons, continue to motivate and engage students using Wooclap, reviewed here, to review information either in class or as a homework activity. Instead of testing to assess knowledge upon completing your unit, offer students the opportunity to share their understanding of content in various ways. Examples include creating an infographic using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, an explainer video made using simpleshow video maker, reviewed here, and an interactive map built using Google My Maps, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Indigenous Peoples of the Americas - The Kennedy Center
Grades
K to 8tag(s): cross cultural understanding (149), cultures (123), dance (25), holidays (142), native americans (85), north america (14), stories and storytelling (36)
In the Classroom
Print lesson plans during Native American Month, as a supplement to social studies lessons about cultures and states, or during geography lessons. Lesson plans are available in PDF format or as Google Documents; save any lesson to your Google Drive as a copy of the original document and edit it to fit your curriculum or adapt it as desired to fit current lessons. Use any or all materials found on this site as a personalized learning lesson for students to complete in person or remotely. For example, add a video, poem, and reflective activity, and additional materials to a SchoolStack, reviewed here, an activity that offers students a choice of learning materials and activities. Consider asking students to work in collaborative groups to research indigenous people based on their interests. For example, have a group explore dance, another their art and sculpture, and a group that researches geographic locations of the different tribes. Ask each group to share their learning by creating simple websites made with Telegra.ph, reviewed here. Telegra.ph provides simple website creation tools without all the distractions of backgrounds, templates, and other distractions. Easily add text, images, and links to any Telegra.ph site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Native American Heritage Collection - PBS LearningMedia
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): native americans (85)
In the Classroom
Use this collection during Native American Heritage month to dive deeply into studying America's Indigenous people and culture. Teachers can enhance learning by downloading videos and creating interactive questions using tools such as Edpuzzle, reviewed here. Resources from this collection include support materials that you can use with Kami, reviewed here, or upload to your learning management system. Many included resources have comprehension or discussion questions that classes can discuss digitally with tools such as Google's Jamboard, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Swing Your Partner: The Basics of Square Dancing - The Kennedy Center
Grades
3 to 6tag(s): dance (25), process writing (39)
In the Classroom
Use this lesson as an alternative to typical informational writing prompts. Engage students in learning about square dance as you introduce the first activity that asks students to share what they know about square dancing using an interactive whiteboard tool such as IdeaBoardz, reviewed here. For example, create a board with two sections - use one section for students to share what they know and the second section for sharing what they would like to learn. Use Padlet, reviewed here, to organize resources for students to use when researching the guide to square dancing. Include a column for videos, another for music, and another with tips on how to write an instructional guide. Enhance the video portion of lessons using playposit, reviewed here, to add comments that highlight specific portions of the video such as types of dance steps or choreography.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Native American Month Resources for Teachers - Library of Congress
Grades
K to 12tag(s): native americans (85), primary sources (106)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site to use not only for Native American Heritage Month but as a supplement for any lessons that include activities that teach about Native Americans. Take advantage of the many free primary source Strategy Guides available at Read Write Think, reviewed here, for teaching with primary sources. For example, search for the Inquiry Charts (I-Guide) Strategy Guide to download and use the printout that helps students focus on the content of any primary source. Create an inquiry chart using Google Slides, reviewed here, or Jamboard, reviewed here, for students to complete as a group. Enhance learning through the use of a video add-on tool such as edpuzzle, reviewed here. edpuzzle offers options to add comments and questions into videos to help students focus on important concepts. Extend learning by asking students to share their understanding of Native Americans using a variety of online tools. For example, ask students to use Google My Maps, reviewed here, to create maps sharing information of different tribes found around the United States. Another option is to use Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, and offer students options for creating videos Adobe Express Video Maker, or webpages sharing facts and information learned during your unit.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Native Knowledge 360 Education Initiative - Smithsonian Institute
Grades
K to 12tag(s): native americans (85), thanksgiving (24), westward expansion (36)
In the Classroom
Replace some (or all) of your current written Native America resources with the genuine artifacts and stories available for viewing on this site. Use Padlet, reviewed here, to organize important information and resources found on this site to share with students. As students learn about Native Americans, instead of written or oral presentations, ask student groups to create quizzes for their classmates using a quiz-creation tool like Baamboozle, reviewed here. Baamboozle is a quick and easy resource for creating and sharing quizzes for teams of two. As a final project, transform and extend student technology and learning by using Book Creator, reviewed here, to create class books sharing information about Native Americans. Book Creator is a digital book creation site offering the ability to add images, text, video, and more. Be sure to share student-created books on your class website or blog after publication.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Native American Heritage Month - Described and Captioned Media Program
Grades
K to 12tag(s): commoncore (78), native americans (85)
In the Classroom
Include these videos as part of your studies of American Indians and their heritage. Engage students by making the videos interactive using Edpuzzle, reviewed here, to add both teacher and student comments. Use Google My Maps, reviewed here, for extending learning when students create virtual field trips sharing locations and information found during their research of American Indians. Have students create interactive timelines using Timeline Infographic Templates, reviewed here, for younger students, or Timeline JS, reviewed here, for older students who can include music, photos, videos, maps, comments, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Molly of Denali Podcast - PBS Kids
Grades
2 to 6tag(s): alaska (21), native americans (85), podcasts (63)
In the Classroom
Molly of Denali is perfect for including with any lessons or units on Alaska or Native Americans. Listen to podcasts together as a class pausing throughout the episode as needed to identify important information such as different modes of transportation used in Alaska, weather and climate indicators, and geographic locations referenced. Before beginning your unit, engage students by asking them to brainstorm what they know about Alaska or Native Americans using Padlet, reviewed here, where you can add columns for wildlife, transportation, weather, etc. Build upon students' knowledge and address misconceptions based on your brainstorming activities. Consider creating activities within a learning management system such as Actively Learn, reviewed here. Add videos and articles based on your students' ability levels and comprehension. Enhance learning further using Symbaloo, reviewed here, to share bookmarks for further learning and additional activities. To differentiate learning, create two or more Symbaloo's based upon student interest and/or ability levels. Extend learning by participating in a virtual field trip. Choose from several different options found at Giz.la, reviewed here, and then ask students to to choose and create their own podcasts featuring any destination using Molly of Denali as a model. Anchor, reviewed here, is one of several free podcasting services suitable for classroom use.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Americans - Smithsonian Institution
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): battles (18), native americans (85), thanksgiving (24), westward expansion (36)
In the Classroom
Replace some of your current written Native America resources with the genuine artifacts and stories available for viewing on this site. Introduce the site to students on your interactive whiteboard to demonstrate the different features available and how to find them. After students have time to explore, create groups to do in-depth research within the four different featured areas. Create a Padlet, reviewed here, with four columns for students to share web and video resources found during their research. Instead of written or oral presentations, ask student groups to create quizzes for their classmates using a quiz-creation tool like Baamboozle, reviewed here. Baamboozle is a quick and easy resource for creating and sharing quizzes for teams of two. As a final project, transform student learning by using Book Creator, reviewed here, to create class books sharing information about Native Americans. Book Creator is a digital book creation site offering the ability to add images, text, video, and more. Be sure to share student-created books on your class website or blog after publication.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Native American Heritage Month - KQED PBS
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): alaska (21), holidays (142), native americans (85), oral history (15), video (245)
In the Classroom
Choose one of the documentaries that will appeal to the age group you teach to use as an introduction to your Native American Unit or for Native American Heritage Month celebrated in November. The documentaries are perfect for use on an interactive whiteboard, with a projector, or flip your classroom and create a link on your classroom webpage for students to view on their own. Most of them are an hour to an hour and a half. You may want to break the viewing of the videos into two to four days depending on the age of your students. After each viewing, ask students to write a blog entry about what they learned and what questions they still have. With middle and high school students use Telegra.ph, reviewed here. With Telegra.ph you just click on an icon to upload images from your computer, add a YouTube or Vimeo, or Twitter links. This blog creator requires no registration. If you are teaching younger students and looking for an easy way to integrate technology and check for understanding, use Seesaw, reviewed here. Once your unit is done have older students create an interactive poster using a tool like Genially, reviewed here, where students can insert maps, surveys, video, audio and more. Take advantage of the free lesson plans offered on this site! This is a great way to introduce the background of American and Alaskan Natives.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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National Cowboy Museum - Online Unit Studies - National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): art history (80), artists (75), native americans (85), westward expansion (36)
In the Classroom
Add these teaching units to your current resources for teaching about westward expansion of America, Native Americans, the 1800's, or explorers. Have all students research and discuss other artwork depicting American expansion, ask them to use Padlet, reviewed here, to organize and curate their saved resources. Ask your more tech-savvy students to build a timeline of events based on westward expansion or Native Americans using Timeline Inforgraphic Templates, reviewed here, or choose from other timeline creation tools located here. Include images, web links, and videos to create interactive timelines. Use the "Wandering Western Chest" links as a starter to creating your own Western Chest. Include books, artifacts, drawings, and more and share as an introduction to your western unit.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Great Lakes States - Past and Present - Century Past Library
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): ebooks (34), local history (14), native americans (85), primary sources (106), states (120)
In the Classroom
Be sure to bookmark this site to use as a resource if you teach the history of the Great Lakes Region; however, any American History teacher will also appreciate the information found on the site. Explore information on your interactive whiteboard or assign ebooks for student reading. Use a tool such as bubbl.us, reviewed here, to create and share concept maps to connect information learned during your teaching unit. Have students create maps using Zeemaps, reviewed here. Zeemaps allows students to create audio recordings AND choose various locations on a map where the report takes place. Use Zeemaps to modify technology use by creating animated maps featuring various location stops with text, video, audio, and featuring events in the Great Lakes Region. Instead of a book report or oral presentation, ask students to use a tool like Odyssey, reviewed here, to share information. Odyssey allows you to create interactive maps including text, images, and multimedia to tell stories in a powerful way.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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What So Proudly We Hail - University of Pennsylvania, Amy Kass, and Leon Kass
Grades
K to 12tag(s): branches of government (58), constitution (84), environment (225), ethics (23), immigration (62), primary sources (106)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many resources on this site for use with civics lessons, Constitution Day activities, and teaching about primary resources. Share documents found on this site on your interactive whiteboard and use the tools found in your software to highlight and explore specific parts of any document. Alternatively, enhance student learning and classroom technology use by having students use Edji, reviewed here, to highlight and comment on the document. Instead of reading documents in class, have students use an online voice recording tool like Vocaroo, reviewed here, to share important portions on your class website. Have students create an annotated image sharing information about primary sources or civics lessons including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here. Instead of writing a book report, extend student learning and transform classroom technology use by asking students to create an animated video slide show using a tool like Powtoon, reviewed here, to recreate or discuss historical events.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Hardcore History - Dan Carlin
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): germany (26), greeks (29), nuclear energy (19), religions (69), romans (32), world war 1 (64), world war 2 (138)
In the Classroom
Include portions (or all) of these podcasts as part of your in-depth look at historical events. Have cooperative learning groups create their own podcasts discussing events and characters in history. Use a site such as Podcast Generator, reviewed here. Use an online tool such a Lucidchart, reviewed here, to create diagrams, mindmaps, and other visual graphic organizers to organize historical information. Create a link to podcasts on your class page for students to listen to at home, then discuss in class. Alternatively, flip your class and have students view and react to the podcasts on YouTube using VideoANT, reviewed here. With VideoANT student's can add comments and ask questions as they watch videos.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Civil Rights History Project - National Museum of African American History and Culture
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1960s (28), african american (100), black history (106), civil rights (176), cultures (123), interviews (12), racism (71), video (245), women (108)
In the Classroom
Share these videos on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector as part of any Civil Rights or racism unit. Include a link to the interviews on your class web page. After watching a video, have students research more about the events discussed. Engage students by replacing pen and paper and having them write blog entries of what they are learning using a blogging tool such as Penzu, reviewed here. With Penzu you can add images or your own artwork as illustrations. Take this a step further by modifying and enhancing learning and challenging students to create an interactive timeline using Preceden, reviewed here, about the events in the life of one of the activists. Alternatively, challenge students to create maps using Zeemaps, reviewed here, to share stories and events from the Civil Rights Movement. Zeemaps allows students to create audio recordings AND choose various locations on a map where the events take place.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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FreeCol- The Colonization of America - FreeCol
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): colonization (18), problem solving (214)
In the Classroom
Download FreeCol onto classroom computers for use as a computer center activity. Display on your interactive whiteboard or projector and discuss strategy options together as a class. modify learning and use a visual storytelling tool such as Lucidpress, reviewed here to have students write about strategies and decision-making processes.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Journey to a New Land - Simon Fraser University Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): archeology (23), native americans (85)
In the Classroom
Include this resource as you teach about Native Americans. These peoples did not divide themselves as "Canadian" or "American," so much of the information here is applicable in a U.S. classroom as well! Differentiate for high or low students easily using the different levels of the site. The primary level requires far less reading so offers a good introduction for weaker readers or ESL/ELL students. Have students write a script and create a video or simply compose a blog post about daily life as one of the people migrating into North America (but be sure to talk about the fact that they probably did not actually know how to write). Extend learning by using a visual blogging tool such as Telegra.ph, reviewed here, for students to share their learning and understanding. With Telegra.ph you just click on an icon to upload images from your computer, add a YouTube or Vimeo, or Twitter links. This blog creator requires no registration.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Ancestral Pueblo People - National Park Service
Grades
6 to 10tag(s): archeology (23), geology (64), native americans (85)
In the Classroom
Assign this activity in pairs when studying native Americans. The student challenges teach about the Ancestral Pueblo people and how they adapted to their harsh environment. The text portions might be challenging. Pair weak readers with a strong reader. Allow your ENL/ESL students to try using a text to speech program such as Text to Speech Reader, reviewed here, that will allow these students to follow the text as the article or passage is read to them.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Cartoons for the Classroom - The Association for American Editorial Cartoonists
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): comics and cartoons (48), politics (107), satire (5)
In the Classroom
These one-page discussion starters could help students keep up with current political issues, provide an opening or closing activity, or serve as an enrichment activity for students who move through other assignments more quickly. Available either with or without guiding questions, and covering a wide range of relevant and timely topics, they are perfect to keep as a Plan B or for an emergency substitute teacher activity. Elsewhere on the site are links to Weekly News Videos with prompts for discussion, and other information about political cartooning through history; most of these latter links connect to outside sites so be sure and preview carefully. In an art class, create a "political" option during a line drawing unit for current events enthusiasts to draw their own political cartoons. Include these cartoons during a unit on humor and satire in an English/Language Arts class or gifted program.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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LitPick - LitPick
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): expository writing (32), independent reading (97), literature (221), literature circles (3)
In the Classroom
Use this site for a real reviewer's experience or simply to find great books. Evaluate other reviews and make a list of noteworthy reviewing techniques. Students choose the latest new reads before they are released to the public. Sign up individual students, groups of students, or your class to read a book together and write a review. Challenge your gifted ones to work on this authentic review task. This site is perfect to use for literature circles. Create your own "LitPick" on your school library site. Have students involve parents as their sponsor for greater parental involvement and excitement. Get the newest books free.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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