Resources for Celebrating Indigenous Communities

We’re helping educators recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day and National American Indian Heritage Month by sharing classroom resources that teach students about the cultures, histories, and traditions of a vast array of Indigenous communities. We hope these templates help raise awareness about challenges Indigenous people have faced both historically and in the present, while also celebrating the history, culture, and achievements of Indigenous people.

Below, you’ll find ready-to-teach lessons and activities made in partnership with Newsela and PBS NewsHour Classroom. Keep an eye on this page for even more new resources!

PBS NEWSHOUR CLASSROOM

PBS NewsHour Classroom:
After helping Pilgrims, today’s Wampanoag tribe fight to preserve their heritage

Students will learn about today’s Wampanoag People, the Native American tribe who interacted with the Pilgrims at Plymouth nearly 400 years ago. Students will also examine current issues in which Wampanoag tribes continue to fight for their ancestral homelands and discuss the meaning of the Thanksgiving holiday.

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PBS NewsHour Classroom:
Wampanoag descendants revive history of Native culture on Martha’s Vineyard

Martha’s Vineyard, with its beautiful shoreline and farm land, has long been a summer destination, but most visitors know little about the history of the Wampanoag people. The Wampanoags were the Native Americans who helped the pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving, and not long after suffered attacks and decimation by them.

A group on the island has worked for several years to revive the Wampanoag history by educating children and adults about the Native culture and traditions while also aiming to protect the planet.

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PBS NewsHour Classroom:
Salmon collapse in Alaskan river drastically changes Native ways of life

For the second year in a row, a severe and sudden salmon collapse is impacting Indigenous residents on Alaska’s Yukon River and causing food insecurity. The traditional villages whose ways of life have revolved around the fish for thousands of years are now also facing a devastating loss of culture.

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NEWSELA DAILY DECKS

First Indigenous woman to fly in space
Nicole Aunapu Mann will soon become the first Indigenous woman to fly to space.
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Celebrating historic win for Alaska Natives
Mary Peltola won the special election for Alaska’s only U.S. House seat on August 31.
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Push for Indigenous American curriculum in schools
A new law requires Connecticut schools to teach Indigenous American studies, with an emphasis on local tribes.
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‍NPS's first Indigenous American director
For the first time, an Indigenous American is serving as the National Park Service’s director.
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Native American women reclaim language
Linguists estimate that up to 90 percent of Indigenous languages worldwide will die out by the end of the century.
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