A theme page about the Native Americans, suitable for intermediate level (A2-B1) students, year 7-9 in Sweden.
Related topics: Thanksgiving 3-7, Colonisation of North America 8-9, Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Background
Native American Homes: Wigwams, Longhouses, Tepees, Lodges, and other American Indian houseshttp://www.native-languages.org/houses.htm
There is a common misunderstanding that all “Indians” lived in Teepees. This article shows various types of housing that different tribes used.
Warm-up
2014 Native American Tribal Nation Map – American Indian College Fundhttps://www.npr.org/assets/news/2014/06/Tribal_Nations_Map_NA.pdfA map of the natives’ tribes before the White Man came. There may have been as many as 8 million Native People at this time
Rhythm of the Heart – Native American – Buffalo – Plains – Sioux – YouTube (5:35) https://youtu.be/vnP-__wW0Xc
Song title is “Rhythm of the Heart” composed by “Ah Nee Mah.” Use your prior knowledge and this wordless film to write sentences about the life of the Native People before the White Man arrived
Music
Vocabulary
Lesson Plans
America’s native prisoners of war – Aaron Huey | TED-Ed (15:27)https://ed.ted.com/lessons/america-s-native-prisoners-of-war-aaron-huey
Aaron Huey’s effort to photograph poverty in America led him to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where the struggle of the native Lakota people — appalling, and largely ignored — compelled him to refocus.
Pocahontas
Pocahontas – The True Story of a Native American Princess – YouTube (21:10) https://youtu.be/96bS4t-v3C0
Follow Pocahontas, the Native American Princess, as she travels to spread her message of peace and unity No video, just listen and read. Clear speech and subtitles (Year 7-9)
Reading
Native American Stories, Myths and Legends for Kids and Teachers – Native Americans in Olden Times for Kidshttps://nativeamericans.mrdonn.org/stories/index.html
Myths and stories from various Indian tribes both in Word and PowerPoint format (Yr 7-8)
What Does It Mean To Be a Native American? | Wonderopolishttps://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-native-american?fbclid=IwAR0Ry7efM1z44jAOrC1R46cLR2IMOoHDJ9j9i_7lexj7fcuJMtLYsbtfoZ0
Today’s Wonder of the Day pays tribute to those Americans who have the deepest roots of all. – Audio available (Yr 8-9)
American West – White Man’s Opinion of the Plains Indians – Historyhttps://www.historyonthenet.com/american-west-white-mans-opinion-of-the-plains-indians
As the population of America grew, so people began to move away from the cities and towns onto the Plains. – Short paragraphs stating the facts. Suits best to be copied and read together. Activities available on the right-side navigation bar: American West Worksheets. Use the top 3-5 only (Yr 8-9)
Native American Tribe Battles to Keep Land (6:57)https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/native-american-tribe-battles-to-keep-land/4354896.html
Money from casinos has lifted many Native American tribal economies and made some tribes rich. But the road to casino riches can be rocky, as the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe of Massachusetts has discovered. (Yr 8-9)
Listening
A Conversation With Native Americans on Race | Op-Docs – YouTube (6:23)https://youtu.be/siMal6QVblE
This week we bring you “A Conversation With Native Americans on Race,” the latest installment in our wide-ranging “Conversation on Race” series. (Yr 9)
Viewing
Native American societies before contact | Period 1: 1491-1607 | AP US History | Khan Academy – YouTube (5:24)https://youtu.be/Ht0FW7RwRmc
What was life like in North America before Europeans arrived? In this video, Kim explores how different environmental factors in North America shaped a variety of Native American societies.
Inside life on the Lakota Sioux reservation l Hidden America: Children of the Plains PART 1/5 – YouTube (6:28) https://youtu.be/IJapHc7B8Xs
Children of the Plains Part 1: Robert lives in a crumbling trailer but has Oval Office dreams. (Yr 7-8)
“We Are Still Here” — A Documentary on Today’s Young Native Americans – YouTube (8min) https://youtu.be/HnPKzZzSClM
What is today’s young Native American’s life like? What are the challenges they are facing? How the historical traumas influenced their life? (Yr 8-9)
Rewrite: The Protests At Standing Rock | The Last Word | MSNBC – YouTubehttps://youtu.be/PwsCuG1kSRk
In the Rewrite, Lawrence explains why a protest by Native Americans in North Dakota reminds us of the history American always tries to forget. Also in Lesson Plan, see belowProtests Over North Dakota Pipeline (Year 8-9)
Native American Cultures (1491-1607) – (APUSH Period 1 / APUSH Chapter 1) – YouTubehttps://youtu.be/zG_Q50JDeLo
This video lesson summarizes the key characteristics of the cultures of the major Native American people groups in North America at the time of European contact (Yr 8-9)
What if America Was Never Colonized? – YouTube (3:51)https://youtu.be/9NybRWNoYow
What if Europeans never colonized America? America as in North and South America. What if the Plague never wiped out the native population? (Yr 8-9)
The Natives and the English – Crash Course US History #3 – YouTube (11:26)https://youtu.be/TTYOQ05oDOI
In which John Green teaches you about relations between the early English colonists and the native people they encountered in the New World.
Tara Houska: The Standing Rock resistance and our fight for indigenous rights | TED Talk Subtitles and Transcript | TED (11:03)https://www.ted.com/talks/tara_houska_the_standing_rock_resistance_and_our_fight_for_indigenous_rights/transcript?language=en
TED Talk Subtitles and Transcript: Still invisible and often an afterthought, indigenous peoples are uniting to protect the world’s water, lands and history — while trying to heal from genocide and ongoing inequality (Yr 9)
Speaking
Final Words
Blue Corn Comics – The Essential Facts About Indians Todayhttp://www.bluecorncomics.com/essntial.htm
In the University of Chicago Magazine, February 2000, anthropologist and activist Terry Straus lists the things every US citizen should know about Native Americans today:
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