Web Sitings: Native Americans
Sites loaded with lessons, activities and primary sources for
Native American studies.

By Francine Cabreja

Discovery School Lesson Plans
school.discovery.com/lessonplans/
For ready-to-use lessons on Native American history, go to Discovery School. Click on Lesson Plans: K–5 and under U.S. History/Government, click "Create Your Own Native American Board Game." This grade 4–5 game/lesson plan includes everything from the objectives to suggestions for extensions. In Lesson Plans: 6–8, also under U.S. History/Government is: Trails of Understanding: The Earliest Immigrants. This cooperative lesson plan links to sites that look at whether Native Americans were the first immigrants to North America. The lessons are complete and include standards drawn from McREL. Everything in one neat package.

American Indians and the Natural World
www.carnegiemuseums.org/cmnh/exhibits/north-south-east-west/index.html
This spectacular site features four Native American nations: Hopi, Tlingit, Lakota, and Iroquois. Sub-sites are organized by elements that are distinct to each Native American nation with regard to history, nature, beliefs, and how each one has adapted to changes in modern society. For example, when exploring the Iroquois, you can discover how the Iroquois Confederacy was formed; learn about their natural resources such as the yellow bass and deer; and find out how their men, known for their ability to work at great heights, became construction workers who helped to build modern skyscrapers. The site is an excellent way to compare many aspects of these four important Native American nations.

Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/
This PBS site is an extension of their documentary about Lewis and Clark. Start by clicking on "The Native Americans" to read some of Lewis and Clark's accounts of their expedition—from tensions with the Blackfoot and the Tenton Sioux, to friendships they had with the Arikara and the Shoshone. In Classroom Resources, there are 16 lessons for social studies, mathematics, science, and language arts. Each lesson includes downloadable worksheets and reproducibles (in Adobe). Another important feature is the Archive, which contains maps of the journey. Explore Journals for firsthand accounts by Lewis and Clark. The site can be used together with the documentary (available on video from PBS) or on its own.

Native American Women
http://photoswest.org/exhib/gallery4/leadin.htm
A great resource for primary sources, the site is an electronic gallery of photographs from the late 19th century, depicting the daily life of the Native American woman. Hosted by the Denver Public Library, there are four different parts: Dwellings, Children, Daily Life I, and Daily Life II. In Dwellings, the photos show women constructing a teepee, demonstrating the role they played in building housing for their families. The captions under the photos are informative, and give us a sense of what daily tasks were like. In Children, see how children helped their mothers and how babies were cared for. These beautiful photographs make a Native American lesson come alive. Please note, however, that computers not equipped with higher-speed modems may take longer to load the photos, but they are worth the wait.

Native American Craft Unit
www.teachersfirst.com/summer/nativecrafts.htm
Celebrate Native American culture by making easy crafts from this Web site. Each project includes a list of materials, illustrations, techniques, and step-by-step instructions for activities such as making a dreamcatcher, a corn husk doll, or a pinch pot. The crafts listed here have historical value and they make a Native American unit fun. This site also includes some traditional Native American recipes for dishes such as boiled corn and pemmican.
 

Francine Cabreja is the publishing coordinator of Instructor.