Image by Reney Reney from Pixabay
On October 30, 2020, the President signed a bill into law proclaiming November as Indigenous Peoples Month.
Take time to explore these ancient and vibrant cultures with your students! The nine resources below are chock full of information, historical documents, activities for students in grades K-12, including some Thanksgiving activities. The resources on the Navajo Code Talkers are incredibly engaging, so take a look!
Students need to understand that Indigenous Peoples are not limited to the United States. Encourage them to explore other cultures and report what they found.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY Lesson Plan
This website provides a wealth of activities for students in grade K-12 focusing on Indigenous People’s contributions to our country as well as a 3-day PBL project on protecting through the indigenous ideals of respecting our Earth and restoring stewardship to them.
Curriculum and resources for Indigenous People’s Day and beyond
This resource comes from Oklahoma City and lists several sites to learn more about the Native Peoples in the state. There are also readings for grades K-5, particularly about Thanksgiving. This issue of Metro Family Magazine also has a curriculum for teaching about the Osage Nation. Check it out!
Native American Heritage Month Teacher Resources
Teacher Vision lists several great resources for teachers, including links to language arts, math, music, and drama. There are also useful resources for teaching about Thanksgiving. Try the craft project for building a tipi, a mask, or a button blanket. The bottom of the page has a link to even more resources!
readwritethink November is National American Indian Heritage Month
The resources and activities listed on the ReadWriteThink website are for grades 3-12. Students learn about Native American history through the use of pourquoi tales. Pourqoi tales explain how someone or something came to be the way it is. These lessons are an engaging way to learn about Native American culture.
PBS Learning Media – Native American Heritage Collection
It wouldn’t be a listicle of resources without PBS! Once again, the website offers a ton of lessons, videos, dances, and important documents to help students delve into Indigenous cultures around the nation.
American Indians and Indigenous Peoples of the World – Past, Present and Future
Think Global Teach Local is not a snazzy resource. You won’t find dazzling graphics or colorful photos. What you will find are lessons connected to Common Core. Though targeted for 8th graders, the lessons are appropriate for middle school students.
Share My Lesson – Indigenous Peoples Lesson Plans and Resources
Share My Lesson includes a comprehensive list of resources to help students understand the culture of America’s Native Peoples. You will find videos and lessons centered on the arts and climate change through indigenous eyes. The collection includes a (very) few resources covering indigenous people from Alaska and the Pacific islands.
Smithsonian – Native Words, Native Warriors – Code Talkers of the World Wars
One of the most influential groups responsible for the Allies’ victory in World War II were Navajo Code Talkers. These men use their native Navajo language as code to relay messages during the war. The Axis powers were unable to crack the “code’. The website includes maps, captioned photos, and documents. A companion site to check out is
This site lists several books related to the Code Talkers and several videos that allow students to hear from the men first hand.