Quick Links

Sign up for the News Update.

E-mail Article

Native American Land Curriculum: 6th Grade Teacher Resource: Standard Three Lessons

Working...

Ajax Loading Image

 

6th Grade: Native American Land Curriculum, Standard Three Lessons

by Shannon Britton

 

Native American Land Curriculum

6th Grade

Standard Three:  Contemporary American Indian Land Issues

 

Standard One Goal: Students will develop knowledge and understanding of the myriad of issues affecting American Indian lands and the abilities of tribes and tribal communities to exercise sovereign powers.


Rationale: The third standard grapples with a variety of issues concerning Indian land that are relevant today. The evolution of federal Indian land policy has created a special “trust relationship” between the US federal government and American Indian tribes and tribal communities which extends to the lands they occupy. This trust relationship has created a complex set of issues that must be thoroughly understood by Indian communities in order for them to effectively exercise their sovereign powers and prevent further land loss, regain lost lands, realize benefits from good land stewardship and revitalize traditional connections to the lands. While contemporary challenges tribes face are very complex, these lessons will introduce the students to some basic concepts and knowledge that will stimulate their thinking about the importance of land to their community. Contemporary issues include continued land losses, land management problems, jurisdictional conflict, natural resource disputes, infrastructure shortcomings and the protection of sacred sites.

 

Lesson 1:  Develop knowledge of ways of using natural gifts in a manner that either restores or balances environmental impact and support traditional relationships with the land.

 

Achievement Goals:  Study the works of several tribal natural resource management practices and determine how they work to protect the natural gifts of the tribe.

In this lesson, students will participate in a short research project in which they will find information about a tribal department, an Indian non-profit organization or a federal agency devoted to care of tribal lands. They will summarize their findings in a short article about the groups they research and help create a map that shows these tribal environmental activities across the United States. Finally, they will brainstorm and write about what sort of environment and stewardship activities they would like to see done on Indian lands by a tribe or non-profit organization.

6th Grade, Standard 3,Lesson 1: Background, Student Activity, Evaluation, Resources

 

Picture from Round Valley Indian Tribe website.

6th Grade, Standard Three, Lesson One, Lesson Plan Overview

Here are some links you can try for this lesson:

U.S. Bureau of Land Management:

Nez Perce Dept. of Natural Resources

Round Valley Tribes Comprehensive Integrated Resource Management Plan

Hupa Tribal Environmental Protection Agency

Tulalip Tribal Natural Resources Department

Sitka Tribe of Alaska Resource Protection Department

Wampanoag Tribe Natural Resources Department

Nooksack Indian Tribe Natural Resource Department

White Earth Nation Natural Resources

Seminole Environmental Resource Management Department

Osage Tribe Environmental and Natural Resources

Pueblo of Sandia Environmental Department

Coeur D'Alene Tribe Environment

Native American Fish and Wildlife Society

 

 

 

Lesson 2:  Gain an understanding of the various types of Indian land ownership and management by tribe, tribal members, and federal and state agencies.

 

Achievement Goals: Obtain maps and study various reservations that demonstrate the checkerboard pattern of land ownership by tribes, individual Indians, non-Indians, federal government, churches and other entities.


This lesson will provide the outlines of an in-class lecture that seeks to explain to students the relevance of the Dawes Act to tribal sovereignty and Indian community well-being today. Although the lecture centers on exploring the allotment of Fond du Lac Reservation, the educator who chooses to teach this lesson should explore the possibility of using as the example the reservation on which most or all of the students live, if this is the case. The goal of this lesson, regardless of which reservation is examined, is for the students to understand the relevance of the Dawes Act and allotment today on many Indian reservations and why it is important for tribes to consolidate their landbases.

6th Grade, Standard 3,Lesson 2: Background, Student Activity, Evaluation, Resources 

 

6th Grade, Standard 3,Lesson 2: Lesson Plan Overview

Fond Du Lac Maps

Fond Du Lac Maps 2

Fractionation
 

Link for Lesson:

Fond Du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

Link for Lesson:

Indian Land Tenure Foundation - Land Issues

 

 

 

 
 

Back To Top