Teacher Resources
Throughout the history of public education and the development of curriculum in the United States, American Indians have been portrayed in various ways when they are mentioned in textbooks or resource materials. Often American Indians have been described as savages, tribal groups who practiced strange rituals, noble redmen, wild and untamable tribes, fierce warriors, or friendly to the white men. But rarely in the curriculum of public education has the true and rightful story of the American Indian been told.
The American Indian/Alaskan native committee made recommendations to the State Board of Education, which were approved, to develop U.S. History and Utah Indian history curricula that are historically accurate and culturally relevant. Further “these curricula will honor cultural values and positive contributions to society. The curricula will improve students’ self-image and improve Indian community support.” All curricula are aligned with and follows state adopted core standards.
The Committee was formed by invitation to tribal educators, classroom teachers, community members, USOE staff, principals of urban and tribal schools and higher education professionals. The reviewers of the materials were from the Division of Indian Affairs, Tribal Education Directors, Title VII Coordinators from various districts, and some contributing authors of A History of Utah’s American Indians.
The purpose of our Committee was to tell the story as truthfully and historically accurate as possible. We have used research and information from varied sources and they are listed, often in each lesson. The development of lesson plans for teachers to use in teaching history has been a labor of love and interest for the teachers, principals, USOE staff and community members who participated. It has been a learning experience for all of us. We are not historians, but we become more knowledgeable as we read, researched and wrote about the story of American Indians and integrated that information into the curriculum to be taught in the public schools of Utah.
The lessons that are presented here have been written using the research based Understanding by Design format and are also linked directly to the Standards set by the State Board of Education for each grade level. The assessment of each lesson is aligned with the Standards for each graded level and they vary from oral reports, written reports, written tests, group or individual presentations or computer generated graphics to tell student knowledge.
The project is only the beginning and the intent is to continue to write more lesson plans for each grade level. The lesson plans are teacher friendly, interactive and our assessments will determine if students achieve more interest and knowledge about the American Indian. They should develop interest in reading more about American Indians then and now. Students will understand that American Indians are not artifacts but like all people have evolved into modern society while maintaining their tribal customs and languages.
The important component of professional development for the classroom teacher is critical for the successful use and the teachers should have training on what would make them work best. This critical component will continue throughout the coming school year and each year there after for new teachers.
The resources books and materials that have been used in the lesson plan development are listed with each lesson plan. Internet links are included in the lessons for teachers to be able to use immediately. Additional resources and books will be added to the information once the lesson plans are placed on the Utah State Office of Education’s web site in the Social Studies and under Indian Education’s web site.
Dolores Riley
Project Consultant
Shirlee Silversmith
Indian Education Specialist
Utah State Office if Education
