In honor of Native American Heritage Month Scholastic is excited to share several resources that highlight the extraordinary traditions, cultures, and trailblazing accomplishments of North America’s indigenous peoples, including new books, articles, lesson plans, and more.
Daniel Vandever, a contributing author for the upcoming Our Voices: School & Friends collection (June 2024), relates the importance of sharing diverse stories and lived experiences: "In the age of challenged and banned books, it's a responsibility of mine and others to use our voice to share our stories, traditions, and history. In this way we honor and celebrate Native American Heritage Month and every other month of the year we exist. T'ahdii kǫ́ǫ́ honiidlǫ́ (we are still here).”
Check out the below resources to learn more about how Native American histories can be implemented in the classroom, and the home, during this commemorative month and beyond!
- Resources to use at home or in the classroom
- Scholastic News Edition 4, “Proud to Play!”*
- Read about the North American Indigenous Games, where 756 Native American nations come together and compete in 16 different sports every four years. During this special event, students across the North American continent share their culture and traditions with others, learning about different heritages, food, music, and more.
- Scholastic News 1, “Proud to Play!”*
- Meet Jheneli, a member of the Seneca Nation, and learn more about the history of lacrosse and how her family bonds together through this community-driven sport.
- Storyworks 2, “Turtles Race with Bear”*
- Share this Seneca folktale with students, as retold by Abenaki storyteller Joseph Bruchac. Engage students with an accompanying author video and discuss the rich history of how folktales have taught lessons through the ages.
- Chief Standing Bear: The Fight for Civil Rights
- Introduce your students or children to a Civil Rights icon, Chief Standing Bear, a member of the Ponca Tribe, who fought for the rights of Native Americans to be recognized as people by the U.S. government in the trailblazing case Standing Bear vs. Crook.
- Maria Tallchief: The First Prima Ballerina
- Waltz along with Maria Tallchief, the country’s first prima ballerina, and the first American to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet. As a member of the Osage Nation, she continues to inspire young dancers everywhere!
- The Navajo Code Talkers: Differentiated Comprehension Activity
- Meet the amazing Navajo patriots from World War II, who helped transmit secret messages for the U.S. army in the pacific using their complex and unwritten ancestral language.
- Book recommendations
- Nonfiction Books to Teach About Native American Nations
- Discover the diverse traditions and histories of Native American tribes with this selection of nonfiction titles, specifically for grades 1–5.
- Fiction Books That Celebrate Native American Heritage
- Dive into these fictional accounts of indigenous historical figures and contemporary stories that all grade levels can enjoy.
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*These Scholastic Magazines+ resources will be available for free for a limited time.
