This article offers ideas and activities to help develop a multidisciplinary unit that motivates students to learn about the languages, legends, and lifestyles of Native Americans. (DF)

In this activity, elementary students analyze and discuss photographs of an American Indian tribe--the Minnesota Dakota family--and compare and contrast the Dakota family with their own family. They learn that families are alike in their basic structure. (RM)

Discusses Native American foods, focusing on Native American cultivated crops, methods of cooking, and methods of preserving food. Includes suggestions for 19 classroom activities, including collecting wild plants used as food, gathering/drying and eating various wild plants and plant products (such as acorns and corn), and making a garden. (JN)

Comprised of two separate booklets, this resource unit assists elementary teachers in explaining how the Ojibwe people harvest maple sugar and wild rice. The first booklet explains the procedure of tapping the maple trees for sap, preparation for boiling the sap, and the three forms the sugar is made into (granulated, "molded," and…

This biography for elementary school students highlights the life of Charles Bender (Ojibwe), an American Indian who became a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953, and includes his photograph and a map of Minnesota showing his birthplace, Brainard. A teacher's guide following the biography contains background information on…

Describes a two-part social studies unit on Native American living. Includes rationale for the fifth-grade unit, unit goals, instructional strategies, and student activities (including the practice of skills Native Americans used). (JN)

A biography for elementary school students of a 19th century American Indian physician and author, Charles Alexander Eastman (Sioux), includes photographs of Dr. Eastman and his wife. A teacher's guide following the bibliography contains information on the Sioux Uprising of 1862 and the Wounded Knee Massacre, learning objectives and directions for…

A biography for elementary school students describes the life and career of Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve (Sioux), a Native American free-lance writer, and includes her photograph and a map of South Dakota reservations. A story by Mrs. Sneve tells about a half-Sioux boy who confronts his heritage when his grandfather makes a long journey between his…

The notion that Indians are curiosities of the past tends to be reinforced in many classrooms, particularly at Thanksgiving. Resource materials and classroom activities are suggested to help dispel myths about Native American culture and history. Concentrating on present-day Indian customs and handicrafts is recommended. (PP)

This curriculum guide was developed to provide material about the Indian culture of Northwest California for students in grades K-6. Many of the units were developed for a specific grade, but can be adapted for older or younger children. The material can be integrated with such curricular areas as language, literature, social studies, science, and…

Two resource units give elementary students an understanding of American Indian arts and crafts. The first unit consists of seven beading activities for early elementary students using beads the teacher and/or students make themselves. The unit gives a short history of American Indian beadwork, describes the materials and designs used by Plains…

This publication presents guidelines and suggestions for expanding the role of Native American studies in the present K-12 social studies curriculum. A comprehensive understanding of America's past can only be gained when the history of the Native American people is included. American history is still too often presented as the history of European…

A biography for elementary school students presents an account of an American Indian television reporter, Tom Beaver (Creek), and includes a map of Oklahoma showing the location of Indian tribes. A teacher's guide following the biography contains information about the Creek tribe and the history of television, learning objectives and directions…

This integrated teaching module provides elementary and junior high school teachers with a "hands-on" approach to studying the Anasazi Indian. Emphasis is on creative exploration that focuses on integrating art, music, poetry, writing, geography, dance, history, anthropology, sociology, and archaeology. Replicas of artifacts,…

The curriculum guide presents lesson plans and suggested activities for a six-week mini course for secondary students on the culture and history of the Narragansett Indians. It is part of the Narragansett Tribe Ethnic Heritage Program. An outline of the general format and content suggests a time allotment for each of the 12 lessons. The lessons…