The history of Indigenous people in the United States is boundless, rich, and at times violent. It covers a vast array of topics, from a deep connection to the earth to cultural vibrancy and survival.
Indigenous People's Day is a way to honor their stories in the classroom, but with such an enormous and sometimes heavy past, it can be difficult to know where and how to get started.
This list can help.
Here are seven lessons and activities that will help you and your students observe, reflect on, and connect with Indigenous people in meaningful, accurate, and engaging ways.
Reading a book aloud to the class is always a great way to introduce a new topic. For example, We Are Still Here by Traci Sorell and Frané Lessac is a book you can use to introduce your students to Indigenous Peoples' Day.
In addition to choosing one book to read aloud, we recommend adding additional books by Indigenous authors to your classroom library. It gives students the ability to discover Native American stories and Indigenous points of view in an organic way.
A few other books by Indigenous authors include the following:
Check out this list for more books to add to your classroom library.
Indigenous Peoples' Day coincides with Columbus Day, and that's not by mistake. Indigenous Peoples' Day is often celebrated in place of or alongside Columbus Day, as a way to correct history and shine a light on the true impact of his arrival in the New World.
Rather than ignoring or glorifying the colonization of the United States, consider planning a discussion about Christopher Columbus and what European settlers did by taking native lands.
The trick is to make sure the discussion is age-appropriate. For example, one lesson plan for three-year-olds uses puppets. Students talk about how they feel when they see a sea lion come upon a shell on the beach and decide he wants to keep it, even though there's a crab living inside it.
If you have older students, you might have a broader conversation about colonialism and colonization. It can be especially enlightening to talk about other parts of the world that have been affected by colonization.
Indigenous people of the past had a very different way of looking at North America than we do today. It is fascinating and educational for students to look at Native American cultural areas and compare them to where state lines are drawn now.
This activity also gives you the ability to focus on the tribes and cultural area native to where you and your students are located. It helps them reframe their thinking about the land they live on. It also allows you to focus on a few tribes instead of the over 500 that are federally recognized. For example, Ohioans might focus on the Shawnee in the Northeast region, while Arizonans and New Mexicans might focus on the Hopi and Navajo.
Writing a story using Native American symbols is both educational and fun. Looking at a Native American picture dictionary can help students learn about what was important to Native people. Then, they can use the pictures in the dictionary to write their own story. You can even encourage students to make up their own symbols.
They can pair up and decode each other's stories. Students can read their stories aloud to the class, or you can display pictures of petroglyphs and let students write what they think the picture story means.
Indigenous people were and still are passionate about being stewards of the land. That means taking care of local plant and animal life. One way to start the conversation about Native people and environmentalism is to add native plants to the school grounds.
You might plant milkweed to help monarch butterflies migrate in the fall or plant wildflowers to feed the bees.
It also allows you to talk about plants that were important to specific tribes. For example, the Shawnee called the time of year when the pawpaw fruits ripen the pawpaw moon. This tree also happens to host caterpillars that turn into zebra swallowtail butterflies.
This activity is a great way to get your hands dirty, get some fresh air, and learn about the Native peoples' deep appreciation for and care of the land.
Art was and still is deeply tied to Indigenous people's values and customs, which makes it a wonderful subject for students to learn about in the classroom on Indigenous Peoples' Day.
A few worksheets to check out include:
Catch a Dream with a Dream Catcher
Native American Rugs and Blankets
Native American Drums and Flutes
It's even more fun if you allow students to let Native American art inspire them to create their own art. For example, you might learn about Native American pottery as a class before having students make pots out of clay. It's a great opportunity for students to experience the challenge of creating a pot first-hand and discuss the talent and dedication it would take to become an expert potter.
Indigenous people are often spoken about in the past tense, but Native American culture is still alive today. It can be especially powerful to choose an activity for Indigenous Peoples' Day that highlights modern-day Native Americans.
Students can "meet" Indigenous people by watching videos online. Younger students can watch Native American ceremonies while older students will learn a lot by hearing TEDx Talks from Native people, like the one from Eric Hernandez, a Native American hoop dancer.
Learning about modern-day Indigenous people means learning about their activism. Research Native American activists from the 1960s to today and talk about how their activism is closely related to concepts of environmentalism.
Looking for more ways to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day? Check out edHelper's extensive list of worksheets !
Additional interactive resources include:
