November 17, 2022 · curriculum
It’s November! We made it through most of the Fall and the election! Thanksgiving (and a break!) is around the corner, so sharing some reminders and activities. Here are some from the past: Thanksgiving & Native American Heritage Month Resources & Reminders . Always center Native American perspectives however you address Thanksgiving in your classroom (and in general). For example, you and your students could look at the Native Land map to see whose land you're on and emphasize that they are still here. You could research the tribe whose land you are on and find out about where they are living now. Also, show students the table depicting original tribal names and note that many tribal names were changed by white settlers. Learn about land acknowledgements by watching Land Acknowledgement | Molly of Denali . (Sidenote, Molly of Denali is a great example of representation, own voices, and
ThanksgivinggratitudegratefulNative American studiesNative American Heritage Month
October 1, 2022 · current events
Our first joint Halloween costume - a double high five! Our 5th graders were amused. Rebecca Nagle reminded me that it was suddenly fall and a perfect time to share resources and reminders for the upcoming holidays. Her tweet thread explains it beautifully and shares helpful resources. Our blog posts below share different strategies and ideas for addressing Columbus Day (Indigenous Peoples Day), Halloween, and Thanksgiving in the classroom. We taught these lessons with elementary school students (3rd or 5th grade), but they can easily be adapted for older learners. Columbus Day (Indigenous Peoples Day): October 12th Unfortunately, Columbus Day is still a federal holiday, although more and more communities have voted to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day instead. We facilitated Columbus Day Debates with our students one year and led a Holiday Inquiry: Columbus Day another year. If you
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November 17, 2021 · curriculum
Resources & Great Place to Start American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) Teaching for Change 2021 Indigenous Peoples’ Day Curriculum Teach-In (especially the section about Native Voices in Children’s Literature by Dr. Debbie Reese, the creator of AICL) Native American Heritage Month Resources For Teachers Our ideas for addressing Thanksgiving in 3rd grade this year (on top of expressing gratitude to all the people who take care of us at school): The word Indigenous - explained l CBC Kids News Newsela article: A Native American poet reimagines Thanksgiving and the poem referenced in the article: America, I Sing You Back by Allison Adelle Hedge Coke Read aloud: We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell We also just bought two new books that we are VERY excited about: Classified, The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer by Traci Sorell JoJo Makoons by
thanksthanksgivingNative American studiesNative American Heritage Monthread aloud
May 25, 2017 · simulations
An except from a student's reflection homework the night after the simulation. When we start teaching Native American studies, students often refer to Native Americans only in past tense or as peoples who “used to live here.” We correct this misconception and learn about American Indians TODAY, but we also ask our students where they got this idea from and why this so often is the dominant narrative about indigenous Americans. This exploration requires some understanding of history (which remains limited by the literal mindedness of 5th graders) and the reality of extermination, eradication, and (forced) assimilation that native peoples experienced. Before we start learning about boarding schools in detail, we want our students to have an experience they can use as a parallel to forced assimilation. Another student's reflection showing revised thinking! An important disclaimer is that
simulationNative American studies
June 10, 2016 · Uncategorized
Students participating in a "gallery walk" admiring each other's final projects! Our final Social Studies project for this year was a case study of a Virginia Indian tribe. We wanted students to learn about the peoples who have been in this area for thousands of years and understand that each tribe is different. For the final product, students wrote a top ten list indicating the top ten things you should know about this tribe. They also designed an annotated illustration to go along with their top ten lists. We were very impressed with their work. One of our students who studied the Rappahanock Tribe reflected: "This particular tribe and many other tribes are facing a challenge that is that they do not have enough money. This is because of the white settlers pretty much completely. Many of them live on their reservation but if they did not many of them would be having a tough time
Native American studiesVirginia IndiansCase Studies
May 5, 2016 · Uncategorized
In our classroom we have a Social Studies unit focused on Virginia's (and Maryland's) Indigenous people. This unit developed after we noticed that our students had no idea about the people, cultures, and communities that have been on this land for thousands of years. One part of this unit that we are just getting into is an investigation about the one and only Pocahontas. She is from a tribe in the Virginia area, called the Pamunkey (part of the Powhatan Confederacy) and thus is very relevant. She also was a source of great interest to our students-- so we went with it! Investigations are a great way to get students (or anyone!) invested in a conversation, and gives the space for everyone to get some more background information before taking on a heavier or more dynamic conversation. Our Pocahontas Investigation was structured by having small groups (3-4 students) doing what is
Native American studiesIndigenous peoplesinvestigationPocahontas