As part of a unit on Native American art studies, students researched Navajo sand painting. They used Navajo image resources to develop designs for their sand paintings. The process and precautions for this lesson are described in this article.

This curriculum unit on Navajo art consists of three lessons, each of which can stand alone or be used in conjunction with the others. Teacher and students will explore Navajo traditions in the unit and use the insight gained to create artworks that connect people to their community and natural environment. The key artworks provide the foundation…

The ubiquity of documentary films in social studies courses, along with their potential to influence what students learn, clearly show that documentary films matter in social studies education. While the high rate of documentary film usage by social studies teachers indicates that they are amenable to bringing new films into their classrooms, they…

On the battlefield during World War II, maintaining military secrecy went far beyond poster campaigns because it was essential for victory and breaking enemy codes was necessary to gain the advantage and shorten the war. The ability to send and receive codes without the risk of the enemy deciphering the transmission was the most desirable end…

Provides background information on the development of and work performed by the Navajo code talkers during World War II. Includes teaching activities for classroom use as well as examples from the code. Includes the Navajo dictionary and words with the English and Navajo meaning. (CMK)

Discusses the tremendous barriers to success in college that Navajo students face. Discusses five major forms: financial difficulty, family obligations, prescriptive attitudes toward Standard American English, instructor/faculty ethnocentrism, and ambivalence toward Western education. Discusses ways faculty can work to mitigate these barriers as…

This booklet was designed in conjunction with a Festival of American Folklife focusing on New Mexico, but can be used when teaching lessons on the culture of New Mexico. It introduces young children to activities adapting Santa Clara Pueblo pottery designs, adobe model making, Rio Grande blanket designs, tinwork picture frames, and ramilletes de…

This book helps teachers of Native American students to facilitate learning in school through awareness of cultural and values differences between Native Americans and the mainstream culture. Most of the specific cultural information presented comes from the Navajo and Hopi Reservations in northeastern Arizona, but the associated ideas,…