Resources for Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month
November is Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month, also known as Native American Heritage Month. Reading A-Z and Raz-Plus have the resources you need to explore the contributions Indigenous people have made to American history and culture. The Indigenous Peoples of North America Theme and News Pack can be adapted to various learning levels and include folktales, shared readings, and biographies about influential Indigenous people, while offering a range of content that’s ideal for discussing their history and contemporary culture. With a subscription to Reading A-Z or Raz-Plus, you can highlight Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month in your classroom by engaging with printable, projectable, and digital texts.
Indigenous Peoples of North America Theme and News Pack
The Indigenous Peoples of North America Theme and News Pack includes books, picture cards, graphic organizers, maps, and poetry that help students understand Indigenous communities from a range of perspectives. This variety of materials introduces students to concepts related to the diversity of Indigenous cultures.
Supporting Materials
Reading A-Z and Raz-Plus feature books that complement the concepts and ideas introduced in the Indigenous Peoples of North America Theme and News Pack while offering:
- Shared Reading opportunities: Enjoy engaging fiction and nonfiction shared reading books that give students a glimpse into the lives, the history, and the culture of Indigenous people in North America. Wojapi Time, for example, shares the story of a mother introducing her daughter to the tradition of gathering blueberries in the same way that her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother did when they were young. In addition, informational shared reading books such as The First Thanksgiving present common misconceptions about the first Thanksgiving holiday while accurately depicting the role Indigenous people played in the history of this national holiday.
- History: Take a deep dive into the history of Indigenous culture with historical texts such as Code Talkers. Created to explain how Navajo-speaking soldiers developed a code to transmit secret messages during WWII, Code Talkers helps students explore the history of the man who first proposed this language and provides pictures, maps, and charts to paint an accurate picture. In addition, students can learn the history of important figures in Indigenous communities in texts such as Sacajewea, the biography of a Shoshone woman who guided Lewis and Clark’s journey to the Pacific.
- Contemporary culture: Get an inside look at the cultural and spiritual practices of Indigenous people with texts such as The Powwow Beat, an inside look at the songs, dances, and celebrations that take place at powwows across the continent.
Want to learn more about how Reading A-Z and Raz-Plus can help you add culturally relevant materials to your classroom?