Newsela | Native American Heritage Month Facts for Classrooms

Native American Heritage Month facts are most useful when students can connect them to real people, places, sources, and stories.

That’s where social studies lessons give you room to go deeper. Students can compare Indigenous cultures across regions, read Native voices in primary sources, and examine how Indigenous communities shaped major moments in U.S. history.

Use these Newsela Social Studies resources to build lessons that fit what you’re already teaching and help students see Indigenous history as ongoing, not just a one-month celebration.

[Native American Heritage Month facts about indigenous cultures and traditions](id-culture)

Key Takeaways

● Region matters. Students can compare how geography, resources, government, and traditions shaped different Native American cultures.
● Teach culture in the present tense. Pair history with current stories about language, community, food, art, and ceremony so students don’t leave Indigenous cultures in the past.
● Primary sources need time. Give students room to ask who created each source, what perspective it shows, and what context they need before drawing conclusions.

Native American Heritage Month facts land better when students can connect them to specific cultures, places, and sources. Use these resources to move from broad awareness into lessons about regional diversity, living traditions, and Indigenous voices.

What Native American cultures can students compare by region?

Start with a unit on Native American cultures by region when you want students to compare Indigenous cultures instead of flattening them into one story.

This unit is organized around East Coast, Central, West Coast, Alaskan, and Hawaiian cultural regions. Each topic helps students look at how geography, resources, language, government, traditions, and contemporary cultural practices shaped different communities.

You can use one region with the whole class or assign different regions to small groups. Have students look for a few comparison points as they read:

How did the environment shape daily life?
What traditions or practices continued over time?
What stories, leaders, or examples help students understand this region more clearly?

Newsela Social Studies unit

Compare Native American cultures by region

Use this table to choose a regional topic for the whole class or assign different regions to small groups for comparison work.

Region topic	What students can compare	Sample topics
East Coast Cultural Region Topic	Students can compare Eastern Woodlands and Southeast tribes by looking at government, social order, cultural traditions, and historical leaders.	Eastern Woodlands Native Americans Eastern Woodlands: Myths, Leaders, Great Cities Innovative Youth Southeast Native Americans Mounds & A Bridge-Building Leader
Central Cultural Region Topic	Students can compare the Great Plains, Southwest, and Great Basin regions through foodways, shelter, stories, resources, and traditions.	Great Plains Native Americans Sioux & Shoshone Stories Sacred Animals Of The Great Plains Great Basin Native Americans Southwest Native Americans Preserving The Navajo Language
West Coast Cultural Region Topic	Students can compare how Plateau, Northwest Coast, and California Native American communities connected culture to land, water, language, and tradition.	Plateau Native Americans Way of Life On The Plateau The Cree Language in the 21st Century California Native Americans Life On The Ocean Symbolism In The Northwest
Alaskan & Hawaiian Cultural Regions Topic	Students can compare Native Alaskan and Native Hawaiian communities by looking at environment, climate, culture, preservation, and modern influences.	Alaskan Native Americans Honoring & Preserving Arctic Culture Changing Arctic Home Native Hawaiians Native Hawaiian Modern Culture Perspectives On “Moana”

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How do Indigenous communities preserve culture and traditions today?

Use this lesson when you want students to see Indigenous culture as present-day, lived, and connected to the community. They can read about language preservation, museum work, traditions tied to the natural world, and how communities keep knowledge moving across generations.

This text set also gives students something to do with what they read. They can write about why heritage months matter, reflect on their own family traditions, or explain why traditions are worth continuing.

Newsela Social Studies text set

Resources for celebrating Indigenous culture and traditions

Choose a group based on the part of Indigenous culture and tradition you want students to explore first.

Community, celebration, and representation 4 resources

Resource	Reading Level / Runtime	Spanish?
Indigenous Americans, far from their tribes, build community around drum Article	590L–1290L
In Photos: Celebrating Native American Heritage Photos	600L–1300L	✓ Yes
Primary Sources: Cities recognize Indigenous Peoples Day Proclamation	610L–1820L	✓ Yes
Native American women shape how museums frame Indigenous culture Article	610L–1360L

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Language and place-based learning 4 resources

Resource	Reading Level / Runtime	Spanish?
Young Navajos Study to Save Their Language Article	500L–930L
Learning Nisqually tribal history starts with building a sense of place in Washington state Article	590L–1280L
Indigenous languages make inroads into public schools Article	580L–1350L
“My language has value”: Oregon institute honors Indigenous languages Article	610L–1270L

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Traditions, foodways, and environment 6 resources

Resource	Reading Level / Runtime	Spanish?
For Indigenous people, solar eclipse often about reverence and tradition, not revelry Article	710L–1220L
Basket making preserves culture, fuels economy of Maine Native Americans Article	600L–1480L
Native American seeds being reunited with their tribes Article	560L–1350L
One of America’s last Indigenous birchbark canoe builders launches hunting boat Article	630L–1250L
Tribes celebrate yucca harvest as climate change, encroachment threaten tradition Article	640L–1390L
Tribal Canoe Journey returns, bringing region’s canoes and culture to Suquamish Article	570L–1430L

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What can primary sources teach students about Indigenous voices?

Primary sources give students a way to study letters, speeches, memoirs, and documents that show how Native leaders and communicators described their own experiences.

This primary source text set also gives students analysis questions they can use across sources, including how a source addresses identity, culture, or society, and how it changes their understanding of a time period or event.

Newsela Social Studies text set

Primary sources from Native American and Indigenous voices

Open a source type to choose letters, speeches, documents, or memoirs students can analyze during Native American Heritage Month.

Letters and documents 6 resources

Letters and documents resources
Resource	Reading Level	Spanish?
Letter from the chief of the Choctaw to the American people on removal Letter	560L–1320L
The Seneca Nation writes a letter to President Washington, 1790 Letter	820L–1200L
The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace Document	620–1440L
Tecumseh calls for a united Native American resistance, 1810 Letter	560L–1160L	✓ Yes
Letter to Congress from Cherokee Chief John Ross Letter	390L–1290L	✓ Yes
Queen Liliuokalani’s Letter of Protest to McKinley Letter	680L–1690L	✓ Yes

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Speeches 6 resources

Speeches resources
Resource	Reading Level	Spanish?
Oneida activist and writer on Indigenous education in the U.S. Speech	1060L
Carlos Montezuma, “Let My People Go” (1915) Speech	810L–1150L
Confederation of Native peoples seek peace with the United States, 1786 Speech	950L–1500L
Zitkála-Šá speaks to Indigenous activists Speech	460L–950L	✓ Yes
Megan Red Shirt-Shaw’s Harvard Commencement Speech Speech	600L–1410L	✓ Yes
Red Jacket’s Defense of Native American Religion Speech	430L–800L	✓ Yes

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Memoirs 4 resources

Memoirs resources
Resource	Reading Level	Spanish?
Algonquin Native American attacks French superiority Memoir		✓ Yes
King Philip’s Complaints About English Colonists Memoir	560L–1400L	✓ Yes
Dorothy Almonjuela: Growing up Squamish Memoir	430L–930L	✓ Yes
Powhatan Exchanges Views with Captain John Smith, 1608 Memoir	530L–1320L	✓ Yes

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[Native American Heritage Month facts about leaders, advocacy, and contributions](id-leaders)

Key Takeaways

● Leadership can look different across lessons. Students can study elected office, sports, inventions, youth activism, and military service instead of treating leadership as one job title.
● Give students an action to track. As they read, ask them to name the goal, the barrier, and the evidence of impact.
● Advocacy needs context. Land rights, voting rights, tribal recognition, and veterans’ experiences make more sense when students connect the issue to history, policy, and community.

Use these resources when you want students to study leadership as action. Public service, athletics, innovation, and advocacy all fall in this category. The resources keep them looking at what people did, what changed, and what questions are unanswered.

Who are influential Native Americans students can learn about?

This text set works well when you want students to connect Native American Heritage Month facts to people, communities, and accomplishments.

They can start with the diversity of Indigenous nations, then move into examples like the Mohawk Skywalkers, Navajo Code talkers, or Alaskan seaweed farming. The lesson path also gives students a few response options, such as a presentation, speech, or writing prompts about what we can learn from different cultures.

Newsela Social Studies text set

Resources about influential Native Americans and Indigenous communities

Open a lesson group to choose resources students can use to study Indigenous Nations, major accomplishments, and modern contributions.

Diversity of Indigenous Nations 12 resources

Diversity of Indigenous Nations resources
Resource	Reading Level / Runtime	Spanish?
Native American History: Diversity among the tribes Article	380L–960L
Native American Cultures: The Northeast Indigenous Group Profile	600L–1200L	✓ Yes
Native American Cultures: The Southeast Indigenous Group Profile	580L–1270L	✓ Yes
Native American Cultures: The Great Plains Indigenous Group Profile	580L–1080L	✓ Yes
Native American Cultures: The Great Basin Indigenous Group Profile	560L–1270L	✓ Yes
Native American Cultures: The Southwest Indigenous Group Profile	540L–1270L	✓ Yes
Native American Cultures: The Plateau Indigenous Group Profile	570L–1270L	✓ Yes
Native Americans of California and Baja California, Mexico Indigenous Group Profile	590L–1270L	✓ Yes
Native American Cultures: The Northwest Coast Indigenous Group Profile	600L–1280L	✓ Yes
Native American Cultures: Alaska Indigenous Group Profile	550L–1290L	✓ Yes
Native American Cultures: The Hawaiian Islands Indigenous Group Profile	560L–1430L	✓ Yes

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20th-century accomplishments 2 resources

20th-century accomplishments resources
Resource	Reading Level / Runtime	Spanish?
How Mohawk “Skywalkers” helped build New York City’s tallest skyscrapers Article	590L–1330L
The Navajo code talkers played crucial role during World War II Article	390L–1040L	✓ Yes

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Modern contributions 4 resources

Modern contributions resources
Resource	Reading Level / Runtime	Spanish?
Nicole Aunapu Mann to make history as first Indigenous woman in space Article	610L–1130L
Is culture missing from conservation? Scientists take cues from Indigenous groups Article	600L–1260L	✓ Yes
“Sioux Chef” serves up indigenous foods: “It’s what paleo wants to be” Article	390L–1010L
Alaska’s newest gold rush could be seaweed Article	540L–1310L

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How have Native American leaders and trailblazers shaped public life?

Use the Native American leaders and trailblazers text set when you want students to see how leadership works in more than one setting. They can read about Indigenous people in elected office, sports, and innovation careers.

The lesson path also asks students to do something with what they learn: Research a leader, write a biography, create a social media post for a cause, or imagine an invention of their own.

Newsela Social Studies text set

Resources about Native American leaders and trailblazers

Open a lesson group to choose resources about public service, sports, youth leadership, and innovation.

Government leaders 5 resources

Government leaders resources
Resource	Reading Level / Runtime	Spanish?
Alaska Natives celebrate Mary Peltola’s historic U.S. House special election win Article	690L–1350L
Native American’s Interior nomination thrills tribal leaders, activists across Arizona Article	580L–1310L
“A defender of this place we call our home”: NPS’s first Indigenous American director Article	610L–1390L
First Indigenous U.S. treasurer to be appointed and will head Mint Article	610L–1360L
Record number of Native American women elected to Congress Article	570L–1150L

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Leading in sports 6 resources

Leading in sports resources
Resource	Reading Level / Runtime	Spanish?
Golden: Jim Thorpe reinstated as sole winner of 1912 Olympic pentathlon and decathlon Article	610L–1530L
For 60 years, Indigenous Alaskans have hosted their own Olympics Article	600L–1440L
Jim Thorpe: Native American Olympic hero Video	2:26
Bringing skateboarding to South Dakota schools Article	590L–1060L
Lacrosse hits Washington, D.C., as tribes vie for a spot at the Olympics Article	600L–1260L
Stickball is one of the oldest games in North America, but have you heard of it? Article	610L–1260L

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Youth leaders 2 resources

Youth leaders resources
Resource	Reading Level / Runtime	Spanish?
Indigenous youth take global stage in Madrid to voice climate change worries Article	560L–1400L	✓ Yes
Her tribal regalia was banned at graduation, so she worked to change the law Article	580L–1350L

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Leading in innovation 3 resources

Leading in innovation resources
Resource	Reading Level / Runtime	Spanish?
The Skidi Star Chart: Native American horoscope par excellence Video	1:35
Indigenous American inventions commonly used today Article	570L–1550L	✓ Yes
How the Lakota tribe understands the stars in the sky Explainer	470L–1230L

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How have Indigenous communities advocated for rights and recognition?

Use this text set when you want students to connect advocacy to issues like land and voting rights, tribal recognition, the census, and environmental action. The lesson path provides great projects and activities, like comparing sources or making a poster that explains advocacy in their own words.

Newsela Social Studies text set

Resources about Indigenous advocacy, rights, and recognition

Open a lesson group to choose resources about advocacy, land rights, voting rights, tribal recognition, and Native-led change.

Advocacy and advocates 5 resources

Advocacy and advocates resources
Resource	Reading Level / Runtime	Spanish?
What is activism? Explainer	370L–1010L	✓ Yes
Indigenous American Activism in the 1960s and 1970s Explainer	620L–1370L	✓ Yes
Gertrude Simmons Bonnin (Zitkála-Šá) and the National Council of American Indians Article	610L–1580L
Indigenous youth take global stage in Madrid to voice climate change worries Article	560L–1400L	✓ Yes
Zitkála-Šá: Advocate for the Rights of Native People Video	2:32

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Land, parks, and treaty rights 7 resources

Land, parks, and treaty rights resources
Resource	Reading Level / Runtime	Spanish?
Tribes traditionally associated with Rocky Mountain National Park Map	1160L
Sinixt people are reclaiming their ancestral home Article	610L–1260L
Wampanoag, who helped Pilgrims survive, win rights to tribal lands Article	620L–1420L
New Virginia state park honors Indigenous tribes that lived on the land for centuries Article	450L–1370L
Indigenous Americans honor 50th anniversary of Alcatraz takeover Article	610L–1290L	✓ Yes
Maine Indians sued government over broken promises in land treaties Article	620L–1420L
A Virginia tribe reclaims its past Article	610L–1160L

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Voting, census, and tribal recognition 5 resources

Voting, census, and tribal recognition resources
Resource	Reading Level / Runtime	Spanish?
Native American Voting Rights Act signed into law in Washington State Article	920L–1320L
Oregon Lawmakers give Indigenous nations a voice in state’s Declaration of Independence Article	860L–1230L
“We are still here”: Indigenous Americans fight to be counted in U.S. census Article	610L–1260L	✓ Yes
Chinook and Duwamish get another shot at recognition as tribes Article	590L–1480L
Native Americans fight back at the ballot box Article	590L–1350L	✓ Yes

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What can students learn from Indigenous veterans’ experiences?

Use this Indigenous veterans lesson when you want students to study both military service and veteran treatment. They’ll read about Native American veterans honored at the National Mall and Navajo code talkers who needed new homes. Then they’ll use evidence to answer the question: How has the U.S. government treated Indigenous veterans?

This lesson gives students a clear comparison task. They highlight details about Indigenous Americans’ military service in one color and details about the U.S. treatment of Indigenous veterans in another. From there, they can organize evidence, discuss their thinking, and build a short presentation that makes a supported judgment.

Mini lesson plan: Indigenous veterans’ experiences

Use this structure to help students compare military service, government treatment, and evidence from paired texts.

Lesson goal Students assess the experiences of Indigenous veterans and use text evidence to explain how the U.S. government has treated them.

Materials

Setup

Start with a class brainstorm about the ways communities honor veterans, then ask students what they think is the best way to thank veterans for their sacrifices.

Student task

Assign both articles. As students read, have them highlight details about Indigenous Americans’ military service in one color and details about the U.S. treatment of Indigenous veterans in a second color.

Check for understanding

Use the Paired Text Analysis to help students organize notes and answer: How has the U.S. government treated Indigenous veterans?

Assessment and reflection

Have students give the U.S. government an overall grade from A to E and justify it with details from the articles. Close with the exit ticket: If you were in a position of power, what changes would you make to the treatment of Indigenous veterans?

Key terms

Indigenous: People who originate from a particular place
Navajo Code Talker: Native Americans employed by the U.S. military to use their native language to communicate in code during World War II
Veteran: Anyone who has served in the military

[Native American history lessons for social studies classrooms](id-history)

Key Takeaways

● Context comes before conflict. Give students time with Native societies, governments, and regional differences before they analyze European contact, treaties, and violence.
● Use more than one kind of source. Articles, maps, primary sources, videos, and paired texts help students compare perspectives instead of relying on one account.
● Keep asking who is affected. Westward expansion and war lessons work best when students track not just what happened, but how decisions affected Native nations and communities.

Use these resources when students need historical context for Native American Heritage Month. These lessons look at early Native societies, westward expansion, and key wars and battles to see how they impacted each changing era.

How did Native American societies respond to early European contact?

Use this unit when students need a more complete path into early U.S. history. The resources start before European arrival, then move into Native societies, government systems, trade, treaties, and conflict.

This is a useful way to keep the lesson from becoming just a story about colonization. Students will build context about Native societies, then examine how different communities experienced and responded to European traders, settlers, and power.

Newsela Social Studies text set

Lessons on Native American experiences in the early United States

Use this sequence to help students build context before they analyze trade, treaties, conflict, and Native resistance.

Supporting question

How did diverse Native American societies experience and respond to the arrival and conquest of Europeans?

Lesson	Question to keep in mind	Sample resources
The First Americans: Migration and Settlement of Native Americans	How did humans first settle across North America?	History of the Land Bridge Theory Oldest skeletal remains in Americas to be reburied Kennewick Man’s DNA reveals he was a Native American, study says
Diversity of Native American Societies	What factors influenced Native societal structures?	Peoples and cultures of early North America Indigenous groups in the United States [Video] Indigenous North American tattoos [Video]
Native Government Systems	How were Native societies governed? How did those governments interact with each other?	How do Native American governments function? The League of the Iroquois Created a Unique Social Order of Many Nations Wabanaki governing systems The government and social structure of Mississippian peoples
Native American Trade and Treaties with Europeans	How did Native Americans and European colonists interact through trade and treaties?	French relationships with Native Americans Primary Sources: Algonquin Native American attacks French superiority Image Bank: The fur trade and beaver hats
Colonial Violence and Native Resistance	How did English settlers interact with Native Americans? How did Native Americans respond to settler violence?	Famous Speeches: Chief Minavana warns the English against taking Indigenous land, 1761 The New England colonies and Native Americans The Colonial Virginia frontier and Native American diplomacy

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How did westward expansion affect Native American communities?

Use the westward expansion and Native Americans lesson when you want students to examine topics like U.S. government policy, primary source perspectives, and long-term effects on Indigenous communities.

This is a good place to ask students to track cause and effect. As they read, have them name the policy or event, identify who was affected, and use evidence to explain the impact on Indigenous nations and communities.

Newsela Social Studies lesson

Resources about westward expansion and Native American communities

Open a group to choose informational texts or primary sources about removal, U.S. policy, land, and the effects of westward expansion.

Informational texts and explainers 6 resources

Informational texts and explainers about westward expansion
Resource	Reading Level / Runtime	Spanish?
How Native American enslavers complicate the Trail of Tears narrative Article	600L–1350L	✓ Yes
A short history of the U.S. government’s relationship with Native Americans Article	560L–1320L	✓ Yes
Where the Buffalo no Longer Roamed Article	570L–1370L	✓ Yes
“We are still here”: Indigenous Americans fight to be counted in U.S. census Article	610L–1260L	✓ Yes
Opinion: Half the land in Oklahoma could be returned to Native Americans Article	600L–1270L	✓ Yes
Expansion and Reform: The Indian Removal Act Explainer	550L–1220L	✓ Yes

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Primary sources on removal and response 5 resources

Primary sources about removal and response
Resource	Reading Level / Runtime	Spanish?
Primary Sources: Letter to Congress from Cherokee Chief John Ross Letter	390L–1290L	✓ Yes
Primary Sources: Andrew Jackson’s Letter to the Cherokee Letter	650L–1270L	✓ Yes
Primary Sources: A Soldier’s Account of the Cherokee Trail of Tears Letter	560L–1280L	✓ Yes
Time Machine (1838): The Cherokees and the Trail of Tears Petition	550L–1350L	✓ Yes
Primary Sources: Andrew Jackson’s Message “On Indian Removal” Speech	600L–1360L	✓ Yes

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How did Native Americans participate in the Seven Years' War?

Dig into this lesson when students need to connect the French and Indian War to Native nations, diplomacy, land, and power struggles. Resources include texts about French relationships with Native Americans, territorial changes after the war, battle maps, and more

This lesson focuses on the French and Indian War. It includes texts about the war, its causes and its consequences.

Newsela Social Studies text set

Resources about Native American participation in the Seven Years’ War

Use these resources to help students examine the French and Indian War, its causes, and its consequences for Native American communities.

Resource	Reading Level	Spanish?
French relationships with Native Americans Article	550L–1270L	✓ Yes
North American territory changes after the French and Indian War Map	640L–930L	✓ Yes
Settlement: George Washington’s French and Indian War Article	540L–1290L	✓ Yes
The Royal Proclamation of 1763 Explainer	540L–1060L	✓ Yes
French and Indian War Battles, Forts, and Victories Map	750L–1100L	✓ Yes
Chief Minavavana warns the English against taking Indigenous land, 1761 Speech	410L–860L	✓ Yes
British colonists respond to the French and Indian War Newspaper Articles, Letters, and Sermons	530L–1660L	✓ Yes

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What roles did Indigenous peoples play in the American Revolution?

Many Native Americans tried to stay neutral in the conflict between Britain and the American colonies. Over time, many sided with the British because they saw an independent United States as a threat to their freedom and way of life.

This lesson asks students to examine those choices, then connect participation in the war to the events that came before and and the consequences that came after.

This lesson works well as a paired-text analysis because students track three related ideas:

Interactions with the colonies.
Native American involvement in the Revolutionary War.
The impact of the war’s outcome on Native Americans.

Mini lesson plan: Indigenous peoples in the American Revolution

Use this structure to help students examine Native American participation, perspective, and consequences during the Revolutionary War.

Lesson question How and why did Native Americans participate in the American Revolution?

Materials

Setup

Play “Untold stories of the Revolutionary War” from 1:15 to the end, or play the full video as a review. Ask students how the war affected some Native American societies and why perspective matters when people retell Revolutionary War stories.

Student task

Assign both articles. In the first article, students highlight information about interactions between Native Americans and the American colonies. In the second article, students highlight Native American involvement in the war in one color and the war’s impact on Native Americans in another.

Check and assess

In small groups, have students identify colonial and Revolutionary period events that affected Native American participation in the war. Then have students complete the Paired Text Analysis using the question: How did events before and during the Revolutionary War impact Native American participation in the war?

Reflection

Close with a custom write prompt: How did the American colonists justify their decision to take over Native American land at the conclusion of the war? How do their actions toward Native Americans relate to the founding ideals and ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence?

Key terms

Cherokee Nation: A sovereign Indigenous government and people located in the southeastern woodlands of the United States
Haudenosaunee (Iroquois): A confederacy of six Indigenous nations, including the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora, located primarily in the northeastern United States
Royal Proclamation of 1763: A proclamation by King George III that transferred French territory in North America to Great Britain after the French and Indian War

Bring Native American Heritage Month into your social studies lessons with Newsela Learning Suite

Native American Heritage Month facts can help students do more than remember a calendar date. They can compare Native American cultures by region, study Indigenous voices in primary sources, learn from leaders and advocates, and connect major moments in U.S. history to their effects on Native nations and communities.

Start with the question that fits your unit, then choose the resource that gives students the right kind of evidence. You don’t have to cover everything at once. Just make sure students build a clearer, more specific understanding of Indigenous history, culture, leadership, and contributions.

With Newsela Learning Suite, you can keep building those connections throughout the year across ELA, social studies, STEM, and writing. If you’re not a Newsela customer, sign up for free. Then, you can start your 45-day trial of premium content to access everything you need to teach about nearly any Heritage Month, historical event, or holiday in your classroom.