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During November, we celebrate the history, culture, and contributions of Native Peoples. To help educators with their curriculum plans, we've compiled Thanksgiving lessons and resources on learning about the tribes indigenous to North America.
Educators should be mindful of cultural appropriation when teaching about other cultures and understand that Native American students in class may experience lessons differently than non-Native students.
Lesson Plans
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Student-Centered Digital Learning Activities
Check out these digital education tools, lesson plans, and resources available for free and downloadable from the National Indian Education Association.Interdisciplinary Stories, Webinars, Films, and Lesson Plans
The Global Oneness Project offers a library of multimedia stories comprised of award-winning films, photo essays, and essays, many with companion curriculum and discussion guides.Native Americans Today
Students in grades 3-5 compare prior knowledge of Native Americans with information gathered while reading about contemporary Native Americans.Alaska Native Stories: Using Narrative to Introduce Expository Text
Students in grades 3-5 use traditional stories of Native peoples to begin a study of animals in Alaska.Amplify the Voices of Contemporary Native Peoples in Your Classroom
Through Illuminative's artwork and lesson plans, students will learn about six contemporary Indigenous changemakers fighting against invisibility and their many important contributions to this country.Thanksgiving Lesson Plans from a Native American Perspective
A Story of Survival: The Wampanoag and the English
A Thanksgiving Lesson Plan Booklet from a Native American Perspective (Oklahoma City Public Schools)Harvest Ceremony: Beyond the Thanksgiving Myth, A Study Guide (National Museum of the American Indian)
American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving, Grades 4-8 (NMAI)
Additional Lesson Plan Units
Native American Dolls (PDF, 1.7 MB, 28 pgs.)
Students in grades K-12 explore the perspectives and experiences of Native doll makers from five tribal groups and discover how their work is keeping old traditions and developing new ones.Pourquoi Stories: Creating Tales to Tell Why
Students in grades 3-5 study three tales and learn about their cultures of origin, then work cooperatively to write and present an original pourquoi tale.Prehistoric Native American Lesson Plan: Pottery-making Methods (PDF, 295 KB, 5 pgs.)
Students in grades 3-12 experiment with three methods ancient people used to make pottery before the invention of the pottery wheel.Background Resources
Native American Heritage Month
Resources provided by the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Features audio and video files.A History of Native Voting Rights
Provides a brief history of the difficulties Native Americans have faced in voting since the passage of the 14th Amendment.The National Museum of the American Indian Native Knowledge 360 Educational Resources
Choose from featured resources in history, civics, geography, and STEM, or search for resources by language, nation, subject, grade, and topic.1491
Charles C. Mann, author of 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus and 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created, presents current evidence about population and agricultural advancement in the Western Hemisphere prior to European arrival.American Indian Heritage Month | Scholastic Teacher
A collection of stories and interviews to highlight American Indian Heritage.American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month: November 2021
Statistical data.Printables & Posters
Art for Action: You Are on Native Land poster
American Indian History Timeline Events, policies, legislation and laws related to Indian land tenure from 1598 to the present.
Poster gallery from the U.S. Air Force
Videos
Meet Jim Thorpe, a Real-Life Native American Superhero (grades 9-12)
Jim Thorpe, a.k.a. Wa-Tho-Huk (meaning Bright Path) was an Olympic-winning athlete, actor, and humanitarian. Learn more about his life and find opportunities to support Native American people.
Recommended Books from NEA’s Read Across America program
Elementary and Picture Books
- All Around Us
- Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story
- We Are Water Protectors
- We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga
- Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker’s Story
