Resources for K-6 Teachers

Whose Land Are You On? 

Source: native-land.ca

Teach your students about whose land your school and your city is built on. Use this website to explore the map with your students. Have them shout out cities they know or are familiar with and learn the names of the original inhabitants of that land. If your city has a land acknowledgment written by the Indigenous people of that place, read it to the kids, or have them read it to you. You may also want to read it to them everyday before the start of every class. 

Emphasize that Native people exist today, we are living and thriving in the USA. 

Children’s Story Books 

Source: www.readbrightly.com/native-american-history-experience-kids-teens

• First Laugh - Welcome, Baby! 
  • by Rose Ann Tahe, Nancy Bo Flood, and Jonathan Nelson
• We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga
  • by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Frané Lessac
• Arrow to the Sun
  • by Gerald McDermott
• At the Mountain's Base
  • by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre
• The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush
  • by Tomie dePaola
• Tallchief: America's Prima Ballerina
  • by Maria Tallchief with Rosemary Wells, illustrated by Gary Kelley
• Talking Leaves
  • by Joseph Bruchac
• Two Roads
  • by Joseph Bruchac
• Soldier Sister, Fly Home
  • by Nancy Bo Flood, illustrated by Shonto Begay
• Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two
  • by Joseph Bruchac

10 Tips to Decolonize Your Classroom 

Source: prezi.com/pgep_dtkrqyj/10-tips-to-decolonize-your-classroom obtained via teachnativehistories.umass.edu

• Toys and Games 
  • Discard of any toys that perpetuate Native stereotypes 
  • Avoid games that depict Native Americans as bad guys (e.g. “Cowboys & Indians”) 
• Halloween 
  • Have a discussion with your students (before Halloween!) about why some costumes are inappropriate to wear (e.g. dressing up as an Indian) 
• Thanksgiving 
  • If you discuss pilgrims and Native Americans, be sure to explain that both groups have living descendants 
  • Read current research on history of Thanksgiving
  • Online Game: You Are the Historian: INVESTIGATING THE FIRST THANKSGIVING 
• US History 
  • Native American history is an integral part of the history of the United States (even before there was a “United States)
  • Be sure to include Native perspectives into non-Native specific topics 
    • WWII: Talk about the Diné (Navajo) Code Talkers and their contributions to the war effort 
• Include current Native issues in your curriculum 
  • Stay informed on current Native issues by using Native news sources like Indian Country Today
• Diversity 
  • Teach your students about the diversity of the Native American population in the United States 
  • There are currently 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States and many more still fighting for recognition 
  • Use the map designed by native-land. co to show your students what the original Native territories looked like 
• Who Lived Here? 
  • Indian country is all around you, even right now as you sit here reading this web page. 
  • Teach your students about whose land they are learning and living on.
  • Questions to Investigate: 
    • When was your town or community established? 
    • Who was living here before? 
    • What do the Native people call the place you live? 
    • Can you identify Indigenous words or or place names in your community? 
• Who lives here now?
  • You may have Native American students in your class
  • There are certainly Native Americans living in your community 
  • Look for local organizations and tribes, potential speakers or visiting artists, and events you and your students can attend
    • Events you “attend” with your students can be virtual events
• When speaking about Native people, use the PRESENT tense
  • We are still here, we exist today 
  • Using past tense freezes Native people in past reinforces the idea that Native people do not exist today 
•  Books and Web Sources 
  • Some of the most popular books about Native Americans do more harm than good 
  • Make sure you do research on the books you select to teach your kids about Native Americans