TeachersFirst's Native Americans Resources
This editor's choice collection of reviewed resources from TeachersFirst is selected to help teachers and students learn about the rich heritage and legacy of Native Americans and to plan projects and classroom activities so students can explore the contributions and experiences of the native nations of North and South America. Whether you spend one class exploring these resources or plan an entire unit on Native Americans, the ideas included in the "In the Classroom" portion of reviews will launch discussions and projects your students will not forget.
Click here to see our complete listing of resources tagged Native Americans.
32 Results | sort by:
Native American Mascot Controversy - The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): courts (20), cultures (138), debate (40), native americans (92)
In the Classroom
Challenge students to design an alternative, respectful mascot for a fictional sports team. Use a platform, such as Kialo Edu, reviewed hereto debate the topic. Have students research different Native American tribes and their cultural practices.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
White Cloud: A Hero to His People - National Gallery of Art
Grades
4 to 7tag(s): art history (88), cultures (138), native americans (92)
In the Classroom
Organize a short reenactment of White Cloud's journey to Europe. Students can role-play different figures, such as White Cloud, his companions, and George Catlin. Assign students to a Native American tribe affected by the Indian Removal Act and have them research the tribe's culture, geographical displacement, and challenges during the period. Students can create their own portraits of a modern-day hero using mixed media. Have students write a journal entry from White Cloud's perspective, detailing his journey to London and his feelings about representing his people.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
The Gilder Lehrman Collection - The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1900s (74), 20th century (62), bill of rights (28), civil rights (198), civil war (136), cold war (31), constitution (88), elections (82), electoral college (22), Juneteenth (22), maps (207), native americans (92), presidents (130), primary sources (118), railroads (14), slavery (77), supreme court (27), war of 1812 (15), women (140), world war 1 (78), world war 2 (156)
In the Classroom
Teachers use the provided discussion questions to enhance your unit of study. Use the questions to activate knowledge or to assess students. Students can search the site for primary sources that can be downloaded and used in reports or presentations. Display maps on whiteboards to show students important places in history. Have students view the online exhibitions centered around historical figures and events. English teachers can use the primary source documents to discuss writing structures and illustrate how written English has changed over the years.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day - Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): columbus day (6), cultures (138), explorers (65), native americans (92), primary sources (118), westward expansion (38)
In the Classroom
Use the materials shared on this site to enhance your current lessons about Christopher Columbus and Indigenous Americans. Many lessons include using organizational frameworks like Frayer Models and adding a Frayer Model to Google Slides, reviewed here, or Microsoft PowerPoint, reviewed here for students to share their information digitally. Find ready-to-use Frayer Model templates on sites like SlidesMania, reviewed here, by using the search feature. As students explore the primary source documents and information shared during the lesson activities, use Padlet, reviewed here, to curate and share information with students. Add links for viewing primary source documents, supplemental articles, and videos related to the lesson topic. As a learning extension, ask students to share their understanding of history by creating websites using Site123, reviewed here, which provides documentation and reflection upon the different historical perspectives found during the lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
National Museum of the American Indian - Smithsonian Institution
Grades
K to 12tag(s): explorers (65), native americans (92), primary sources (118), professional development (407), thanksgiving (22), westward expansion (38)
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 Clipchamp, reviewed here, and an interactive map built using Google My Maps, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Indigenous Peoples of the Americas - The Kennedy Center
Grades
K to 8tag(s): cross cultural understanding (165), cultures (138), dance (28), holidays (178), native americans (92), north america (14), stories and storytelling (48)
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
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Native American Heritage Collection - PBS LearningMedia
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): native americans (92)
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 FigJam, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Native American Month Resources for Teachers - Library of Congress
Grades
K to 12tag(s): native americans (92), primary sources (118)
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 Express for Education, reviewed here, and offer students options for creating videos Adobe Express Video Maker, or web pages sharing facts and information learned during your unit.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Native Knowledge 360 Education Initiative - Smithsonian Institute
Grades
K to 12tag(s): native americans (92), thanksgiving (22), westward expansion (38)
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
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Wisconsin Biographies - PBS Wisconsin Education
Grades
3 to 6tag(s): agriculture (48), biographies (95), civil rights (198), environment (239), journalism (72), native americans (92), recycling (45), slavery (77), wisconsin (5), womens suffrage (44)
In the Classroom
Use this fabulous site as part of your lessons on biographies or as you learn about the states. Ask students to choose one of the biographies as a starting point for researching other Americans. For example, after learning about Walter Bresette, challenge students to learn about others who teach about American Indian rights and protecting the earth. Extend learning by using this site as a model for student-created projects or as a class project. Use a website creation tool like about.me, reviewed here, to build a webpage to tell about the famous person being researched. Include a video created using Adobe Express for Education, reviewed here, to bring their story to life; find many ideas and templates to help students organize information on Read Write Think, reviewed here. When finished, upload student-created documents similar to the booklets found on the site. Use the idea maps found on the Wisconsin site to create a timeline or other graphic organizer and include it on the student webpage using a link or by uploading their saved PDF. Create and include a trading card using Canva Edu, reviewed here, and sharing a link on student pages.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Native American Heritage Month - Described and Captioned Media Program
Grades
K to 12tag(s): commoncore (75), native americans (92)
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
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Reading Treks: Buffalo Dance The Journey of York - TeachersFirst
Grades
10 to 12tag(s): 1800s (75), commoncore (75), explorers (65), lewis and clark (14), poetry (190), westward expansion (38)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many suggested classroom uses for this resource found on the Instructional Guide (PDF). As a class, discuss social justice situations within the school, the community, state, nation, and the world. To enhance learning and the discussions of online information, use Fiskkit, reviewed here, as a collaborative discussion tool. Fiskkit allows you to highlight and add comments to online articles. Have students share their written work, including poems, to bulb, reviewed here. bulb includes free resources for creating and sharing online portfolios that include images, written work, and video making it perfect to use for sharing student work during parent conferences and when submitting college applications.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Reading Treks: The Journey of York The Unsung Hero of the Lewis and Clark Expedition - TeachersFirst
Grades
2 to 6tag(s): 1800s (75), commoncore (75), explorers (65), lewis and clark (14), native americans (92)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many suggested classroom uses for this resource found on the Instructional Guide (PDF). Consider using the historical information and primary sources from the book to have students create timelines of the important events throughout the time of Lewis and Clark's explorations. Find a variety of free online timeline creation tools at located here. Using the map and locales, trace and then calculate distances for some of Lewis and Clark's travels.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
The Ancestral Pueblo People - National Park Service
Grades
6 to 10tag(s): archeology (25), geology (64), native americans (92)
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
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Edward S. Curtis - The North American Indian - Northwestern University
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): difficult conversations (61), native americans (92)
In the Classroom
We have come a long way from the study of Native Americans as a single generic group. Careful use of the images and narratives from Curtis' work can help illustrate that outdated mindset and provide a contrast to today's understanding of the contributions indigenous Americans have made to US history and culture. Share these images on your interactive whiteboard or projector as part of a guided discussion.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Seminole Tribune - Seminole Tribune of Florida
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): civil rights (198), cross cultural understanding (165), cultures (138), myths and legends (24), native americans (92)
In the Classroom
Use this site to study the Seminoles as part of a unit on Native Americans. Have students enhance their learning by comparing and contrasting to the Native Americans within your own state or region. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here. Use this as a resource when discussing civil rights. In language arts class, use it to explore legends.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Carlisle Indian Industrial School - Dickinson College
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): colonial america (93), cross cultural understanding (165), difficult conversations (61), diversity (37), history day (39), identity (29), native americans (92), westward expansion (38)
In the Classroom
Too often US history survey classes broadly consider Native Americans and their role in the original colonization of North America, or their role in Westward Expansion, without taking the time to understand the differences among nations, or the impact of European settlement on these pre-existing societies. Even if there isn't time for in depth study, consider asking students to study the individual record of one young man or woman approximately their own age who attended the Carlisle Indian School. How old was he when he left home? What skill was she trained in? What happened to him after he left Carlisle? Enhance student learning by having students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about the individual they researched. This personal contact with the real life of another student from another time and another culture will reduce the tendency to stereotype Native Americans as they so often are during the study of US History. Of course, the site is also a wonderful resource for in depth research such as a National History Day project. Were the identities of these people stolen? Use the resources Analyzing Before and After Photographs... and the Telling Lives: The Lost Ones Documentary Film to discuss identity and whether or not that was taken from these students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum - 2012 Seminole Tribe of Florida
Grades
2 to 10This site includes advertising.
tag(s): florida (11), native americans (92)
In the Classroom
Explore the Seminole Tribe through the online collections and museums. Use the sources as primary and secondary to supplement other class materials. Use the Seminole Tribe to compare and contrast the native American tribes found in your area. Explore the Seminole Tribe in your unit on Civil Rights. Use this site to discover the leadership that lead to the Seminole Tribe of today. Be sure to begin your study with an anticipation guide. End your unit with a post assessment dispelling the myths in the anticipation guide.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
U. S. History Images - Karen J. Hatzigeorgiou
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): 1800s (75), american revolution (81), civil war (136), colonial america (93), colonization (20), emancipation proclamation (11), images (260), industrial revolution (21), industrialization (11), lincoln (64), native americans (92), pioneers (9), states (122), transportation (31), washington (28)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site to share during classroom lessons on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Share with students as a place to explore and to "get the picture" of early events in American History. As an alternative a traditional report and to enhance learning, create a newspaper using a site such as Printing Press, reviewed here, to report on Civil War events. This site is a wonderful source for students to find raw materials for multimedia projects in general. Be sure to provide a mini lesson on how to cite their image sources!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
America in Class - The National Humanities Center
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): abolition (7), american revolution (81), civil war (136), colonial america (93), colonization (20), democracy (19), native americans (92), primary sources (118), religions (82), slavery (77), women (140)
In the Classroom
Use your interactive whiteboard or projector to help your class learn the background information and read the material through once. Work through the lesson together; then consider assigning groups of four students to go through the readings again, discovering the answers to the essential questions. Have students post the group's answers on a back channel chat program such as YoTeach!, reviewed here, so all groups can see all answers. Where answers differ, have students go back into the reading and cite evidence to support their answer on Today's Meet for all to see.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Close comment form