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Lesson Plans

Alaska Native Knowledge Network – Hooper Bay Web-based Cultural Atlas: Framework and Lesson Plans

http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/NPE/CulturalAtlases/Yupiaq/CateKoskey.html
A cultural atlas is a way to record, protect, and share the culture information of the Hooper Bay community. The framework includes several parts: recording family tree information and family stories, community history, and traditional names for places in and surrounding Hooper Bay. (Grade levels: 3-6)

The National Archives Experience: DocsTeach (http://docsteach.org)

  • The Impact of Westward Expansion on Native American Groups

    http://docsteach.org/activities/105/detail
    This online activity is designed to help students learn reasons that Native Americans clashed with U.S. settlers and the U.S. military during westward expansion, decipher U.S. Government policy toward Native Americans in the western region of the country following the Civil War, and formulate opinions based on historical evidence. (Grade levels: 7-12)

  • The Settlement of the American West

    http://docsteach.org/activities/20/detail
    This online activity is designed for students to analyze primary sources with an eye for cause-and-effect relationships. They will identify the roles of government policy and technological improvements in the settlement of the West, and explain their impact on Native Americans. (Grade levels: 6-8)

National Endowment for the Humanities – EDSITEment!: Lesson Plans

http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plans
EDSITEment offers a searchable database of high-quality materials on the internet in a wide range of humanities subjects, including literature and language arts, foreign languages, art and culture, and history and social studies. All linked websites have been reviewed for content, design, and educational impact. A simple search for “native american” yields almost 30 results. (Grade levels: K-12)

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases – Diabetes Education in Tribal Schools (DETS)

http://www3.niddk.nih.gov/fund/other/dets/currsupplements.htm
This DETS curriculum has been designed to increase American Indian and Alaska Native students understanding of health, diabetes, and maintaining life in balance; to increase their understanding and application of scientific and community knowledge; and to increase interest in science and health professions among American Indian and Alaska Native youth. (Grade levels: K-12)

National Museum of the American Indian – Print Resources

http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=education&second=pub
These educational programs feature downloadable PDFs, including guides, posters, and lesson plans. For example, the teaching poster, Lone Dog’s Winter Count, which was developed for grades 4-8, includes a lesson plan and reproducible student activity sheets. Students learn about the oral culture and history-keeping of the Nakota people, who made the Lone Dog winter count. (Grade levels: K-12)

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Multi-Agency Education Project – A Teacher’s Guide to Navigating Change

http://www.hawaiiatolls.org/teachers/NavChange.php
Navigating Change is a program of environmental awareness and education envisioned by Nainoa Thompson and the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS). Its mission is to inspire and challenge educators and students to take actions in their classrooms and communities that perpetuate ocean and island health, thereby making Hawai’i a vital and sustainable environment for future generations. Parts of the curriculum cover the history and myths of the Native Hawaiian people. (Grade levels: 4-5)

PBS: POV

  • American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i

    http://www.pbs.org/pov/americanaloha/lesson_plan.php
    The film, American Aloha, documents the practice of hula within communities of Native Hawaiians who have moved away from Hawai’i. This accompanying lesson plan guides students through class discussions, activities and writing tasks to learn about conducting dialogue and debate in the highly contested arena of the politics of culture. (Grade levels: 10-12)

  • In the Light of Reverence

    http://www.pbs.org/pov/inthelightofreverence/lesson_plan.php
    In the Light of Reverence is an account of the struggles of the Lakota in the Black Hills, the Hopi in Arizona and the Wintu in California to protect their sacred sites. Based on this film, PBS offers two lesson plans on religious freedom through study of the First Amendment. (Grade levels: 7-12)

University of Hawai'i at Mānoa’s Curriculum Studies Department – Kūlia I Ka Nu'u

http://manoa.hawaii.edu/coe/kulia/publications/pikoi.html
Kūlia I Ka Nu'u, a project funded by the Native Hawaiian Education Act, is dedicated to preparing teachers to support Native Hawaiian students’ success in science and related STEM fields where they are underrepresented. (Grade levels: K-12)

Wisdom of the Elders – K12 Curriculum

http://k12.wisdomoftheelders.org/
The Wisdom of the Elder Curriculum Project was developed to increase understanding of and appreciation for the diverse cultural arts and history of several Northwest tribes by tribal and public school educators and students. Materials have been aligned to Oregon educational benchmarks in social studies, language arts, environmental science, and arts (traditional arts, music and storytelling). (Grade levels: K-12)

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