Native Americans
Native peoples have lived in North America for thousands of years, and hundreds of Native nations are still here today. This unit explores how nations in every region lived on the land, the leaders who shaped history, and the art, languages, and traditions that continue today.
Nations and Regions
Explore the homes, food, clothing, customs, and art of eleven nations and groups across North America's culture regions.
Explore Nations
Famous Native Americans
From Squanto and Pocahontas to Sitting Bull, Sequoyah, Billy Mills, and Deb Haaland.
Meet the People
Activities
Build a pueblo, engineer an iglu, bend a bentwood box, crack the Navajo code, design Seminole patchwork, and more: an activity for every nation.
Try an Activity
Art and Trade
Compare the art of many nations and follow the trade routes that carried shells, turquoise, and beads.
See the Art
Early Civilizations
Cities, pyramids, roads, and calendars: the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, Inca, Ancestral Puebloans, and Cahokia.
Explore
Sacred Objects
Everyday, sacred, or it depends? Learn which objects are respectful to make, and why museums are returning sacred objects.
Start the Lesson
Teaching Materials
The free lapbook, charts, reading guides, vocabulary, and research project rubrics.
See the MaterialsFor Teachers
Download the free lapbook with organizers for the culture regions map, homes, foods, famous Native Americans, art, clothing, villages, regions, and games. Students can find everything they need to complete the organizers on these pages. Start with the Native American Chart.
How to Read a Picture from History
Many pages in this unit have a Look Closely box. Before you trust a picture, ask:
- Who made it? Was it a painting, a drawing, a photograph, or a student model?
- When was it made? During the events, or long after?
- Did the artist see what is shown, work from someone else's picture, or imagine it?
- What details do you notice, and what might have been added or left out?