American Indian Resources

Educator Resources

This page serves as a dynamic link to resources about the unique cultures, diverse history, contributions and resilience of the Native Americans in Utah and throughout North America.

Learning Resources Lesson Plans Professional Development General Information Frequently Asked Questions

Learning Resources

We Shall Remain
A multimedia project from the award-winning PBS series American Experience that presents Native history as an essential part of American history.
Native American Curriculum Initiative
Discover a collection of authentic, accurate and relevant resources for enhancing classroom learning through the arts. Resources include cultural arts, tribal approved lesson plans, opportunities to invite contemporary artists for classroom visits, culturally responsive book recommendations and more.
Indian Citizenship Act June 2, 1924
The American Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, also known as the Snyder Act, granted U.S. citizenship to all Native Americans born within the territorial boundaries of the United States. Prior to the act, Native Americans were not considered citizens and were instead treated as wards of the federal government.
A Native History of Utah: We Shall Remain
A five-part series on five indigenous tribes of the Great Basin Region we now call Utah. View We Shall Remain Lesson
The Utah American Indian Digital Archive: Utah’s Tribes
With articles, books, government documents, oral histories, photographs and maps pertaining to the Northwest Shoshone, Goshute, Paiute, Utah Navajo, White Mesa and Ute Indian, this unique archive captures the complicated history of Utah’s tribes from multiple perspectives.
Native Knowledge 360: Essential Understandings
Explore the framework and foundational concepts that build on the ten themes of the National Council for the Social Studies’ national curriculum standards for teaching about Indigenous peoples in a culturally and historically appropriate, respectful way. From the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.
UEN/FNX TV
First Nations Experience channel presents Native American stories and content to create a diverse and entertaining channel across all media platforms 24/7.
PBS Learning Media
Free, standards-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans and more. There are thousands of resources available when you search for American Indian.
CyArk/Bears Ears National Monument 3D Guided Tour
Explore Mule Canyon Village and House on Fire in 3D guided tours of Bears Ears National Monument and learn about the history of Ancestral Pueblo people and the significance of the landscape to descendant communities today.
Art heals: The Jingle Dress Project
The Jingle Dress Project originated from artist Eugene Tapahe’s dream to unite the beauty of the land and the healing power of the jingle dance.
Artful Teaching Podcast
The "Native American" series of the "Artful Teaching" podcast focuses on providing teachers with culturally sensitive content to use in the classroom.
Native American Curriculum Initiative - Video Playlist
View all the companion videos that go along with the "Native American" Series of the "Artful Teaching" Podcast and other videos that support the NACI.
Native Voices Virtual Field Trip
The Indian Advisory Committee advises the Natural History Museum of Utah on a broad range of issues affecting the use, care, study, and interpretation of Native American collections.
First Peoples Virtual Field Trip
Discover how the physical geology of Utah influenced hunting and gathering techniques and examine food preparation tools and artifacts.
First Native American Woman in Space
Nicole Aunapu Mann will be making history as the first Native woman to fly into space fall 2022.
Skipping Stones
Skipping Stones is a non-profit children's literary magazine that encourages cooperation, creativity and celebration of cultural and linguistic diversity.
3 Poems and Classroom Activities to Teach Joy Harjo, National Poet Laureate
Here are three poems and accompanying classroom activities to get started teaching Joy Harjo, one of the United States' great living poets. All three of these mini-lessons incorporate many of the anchor standards from the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
Orange Shirt Day
Orange Shirt Day is a time to reflect on the history and ongoing impacts of both the Canadian residential school system and Indian Boarding School system in the United States
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Lesson Plans

5 Tribal Groups, 8 Sovereign Nations
Explore movement concepts connected to learning about and from the five tribal groups, and more specifically the eight sovereign nations located in Utah. Lesson from BYU ARTS partnership and goes well along with Utah's Eight Tribal Nations video.
Bear River Massacre
Engage students in primary source analysis through activities by historian and BYU professor Dr. Jeffrey D. Nokes.
Nation Indian Education Association
Find digital education tools, lesson plans, and resources for grades PreK-2, grades 3-5 and grades 6-12.
Native American Curriculum Initiative - Lesson Plans
Discover a collection of authentic, accurate and relevant lesson plans that support teachers and children in the learning and teaching of Native American cultural arts.
We Shall Remain: Utah Indian Curriculum Project
These teaching guides and lesson plans are suitable for grades 4-12 and may be used either alone or with We Shall Remain videos for Utah Studies, US History, Government, Geography and similar courses.
Native Knowledge 360: Educational Resources
Explore featured instructional and informational resources or use the search tool to find more educational materials from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.
Fall in Line, Holden!: Dance and Creative Movement
When we dance our own ideas, we show we are unique. We can be creative and express how we see something individually, differently from others through dance and creative movement.
Fall in Line, Holden: Creative Vocal Play
This lesson is centered around the book Fall in Line, Holden written by Daniel Vandever, a Diné/Navajo author. Vandever states in his author’s note that the book was written with the intention of promoting creative thinking and originality.
Walk the Line
Using the books Fall in Line, Holden! and/or When We Were Alone, students will create a collaborative visual art piece.
When We Were Alone: Every Child Matters
Gently explore the history and experiences of Native American children who attended boarding school.

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Professional Development

Native Knowledge 360: Professional Development Opportunities for Teachers
These live and interactive programs introduce educators to NK360° and its extensive resources. From the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.
University of Utah Native American Heritage Month
Find recorded panel discussions, an interactive atlas and more on the unique challenges faced by Native people past and present and the solutions tribal citizens are working for. Presented by the University of Utah’s Student Affairs. 
Utah NAME
Utah NAME is to promote and support education that is multicultural as a means of achieving full academic potential of every learner in Utah. 
Urban Institute For Teacher Education
The mission of the UITE is to prepare educators to serve urban students and educational communities in all their rich diversity. 

Students from the American Indian Resource Center
Join hosts Dani and Matt in this episode of UEN Homeroom as they welcome guests Anisha Marion and Leonard Almero from the American Indian Resource Center to discuss ways educators can support Native American learners in K-12 classrooms. From cultural sensitivity to awareness training, learn how to create a more inclusive learning environment for your students.
Native American Culture and Education with This Land's Rebecca Nagle
On this episode of UEN Homeroom, Matt and Dani get the pleasure of speaking with "This Land" podcast host and activist, Rebecca Nagle about Native American culture and education. Their conversation covers storytelling, uplifting marginalized voices and how educators can learn more about Native American culture.
Native American Curriculum Initiative with Heather Francis and Brenda Beyal
In this episode, Dani and Matt are joined by Heather Francis and Brenda Beyal from the BYU Arts Partnership's Native American Curriculum Initiative. They talk about the initiative, why it exists, how they built the curriculum and how it will help educators. 

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General Information

USBE: Title VI American Indian Education
Find and apply for grants, loans and work-study funds for college or career school.
Native Knowledge 360: Educator Resources
Native Knowledge 360 provides educators and students with new perspectives on Native American history and cultures. From the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.
We Shall Remain: Utah Indian Curriculum Project
These teaching guides and lesson plans are suitable for teaching the history, culture and current issues of American Indian tribes located in Utah to students grades 4, 7 and 9-12.
IllumiNative
Challenge stereotypes with authentic, contemporary information by and about Native peoples from an initiative designed to increase the visibility of Native people in American society.
Native Now
Native Now has created resources to educate non-Native people and support Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Complete with Lesson Plans for teachers, social media graphics, a coloring book and with a Do’s and Do Not Factsheet.
Unspoken: America's Native American Boarding School
Break the silence around the history of American Indian boarding schools and how they impacted the lives of Native children, families and communities by aiming to eradicate Indigenous languages and culture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Check out the answers to some of the questions that educators frequently ask about Native Americans. More topics will be added periodically so check back often.

Thanksgiving
How is Thanksgiving experienced from a Native Person’s Perspective?
Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day
Does Utah recognize and celebrate Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day?
Mascots
Where does Utah stand on Mascots & Indigenous People?
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