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.
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American Indian Response to Environmental Changes - National Museum of the American Indian
Grades
4 to 12
tag(s): environment (231), native americans (86), natural resources (36)
In the Classroom
Project this site on an interactive whiteboard and watch the videos on each of the tribes. If you have laptops available, have students navigate on their own. Have the class take the included interactive quizzes to see what they've learned. Group students and have each group read about a different tribe. Then using the online story project planner, have students create a presentation about their tribe that can be uploaded to the site. Be sure to visit the teacher area for lesson plans, links and other resources.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Daria -World Music for Children - World Music by Daria
Grades
K to 5This site includes advertising.
tag(s): hispanic (28), martin luther king (41), musical instruments (47), native americans (86), songs (42), sound (74)
In the Classroom
Turn up your speakers and try the limbo. Make simple instruments as part of your cultural heritage celebrations. Enhance learning by recording your class (or with older children - small groups) singing one of the simple songs using a simple tool such as Acast, reviewed here, or your computer's own recording software; then share the link to the recording on your class web page for younger students to sing along at home. During units on sound in elementary science class, make some of the instruments to explore how sound is created and transmitted. PE teachers can teach lessons using the song/dance options, such as the limbo. World language classes and world cultures classes may even find some of the ethnic instruments from other parts of the world interesting, despite the more juvenile appearance of this site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Kennedy Center Digital Resources - Formerly ArtsEdge - Kennedy Center
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): african american (107), baseball (32), civil war (130), comics and cartoons (49), dance (26), folktales (34), greece (26), habitats (86), immigration (63), literature (217), mexico (29), musical instruments (47), myths and legends (21), native americans (86), painting (56), surrealism (2)
In the Classroom
Search this site for a topic that you are teaching in your class. Share the lesson on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Better yet, make the video or slideshow a learning station for students to watch in small groups. This site is so wonderful and HUGE, that after students are one with the resources you have for them, you may want to allow them to explore on independently or in small groups for a specific interest of theirs.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Listening Doll - Joyce Payne
Grades
K to 4tag(s): crafts (49), native americans (86), stories and storytelling (37)
In the Classroom
Some arts & crafts materials are needed for these lessons. This would be a great option to accompany the study of Native Americans in an elementary classroom, drawing in your language arts time for story writing and telling.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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American Indian FAQ's for Kids
Grades
4 to 7tag(s): cultures (125), native americans (86)
In the Classroom
There is so much information on this site that you may want to design a simple scavenger hunt around the site on a weekly basis to cover all or most of the questions Or, use this site as a reference for student research. This is a very easy-to-navigate Q & A format.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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National Museum of the American Indian - Smithsonian
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): native americans (86)
In the Classroom
Use the images on this site to create a picture walk in your classroom during a unit on Native American culture. Select 10-15 of the more descriptive and diverse images, hanging them around the classroom in different places. Have students rotate around the classroom, moving every 30-45 seconds jotting down what they see in each image. At the end of the walk, have a class discussion based on what students saw in the images and what the walk has portrayed about Native American culture in the time period being studied. This is a great way to introduce the unit in a non-lecture format.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Images of Native Americans - UC Berkeley
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): art history (82), native americans (86), painting (56)
In the Classroom
Use this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to discuss and informally assess prior knowledge as you start your study of Native American Culture. Besure to see the interactive timeline. It could be used to discuss Native American culture both pre-colonialism and during Westward Expansion. Have students research the site in order to better understand the way Indians have been depicted in modern culture rather than the reality. To show what they have learned from this site, extend learning by challenging students to create an online graphic to share using Visme, reviewed here. Visme allows you to choose to create a video, infographic, charts, and others.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Surrounded by Beauty - Minneapolis Institute of Art
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): art history (82), native americans (86)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a learning center or station during a unit on Native American culture. Have students explore the site with the intentions of presenting summaries of specific cultures or artworks. Have students enhance their learning by creating a multimedia presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint Online, reviewed here. Microsoft PowerPoint Online allows students to narrate a picture. Challenge students to extend their learning by finding a photo of the art, the tribes or the regions (legally permitted to be reproduced), and then narrate the photo as if it is a news report. To find Creative Commons images for student projects (with credit, of course), try Pikwizard, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Circle of Stories - PBS
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): oral history (14)
In the Classroom
Use the educators guide to find ways to incorporate this site into your classroom, either through lesson plans or classroom activities. This would be a very useful site for a US history or English teacher, studying Native American Culture and story-telling.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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