Resources About Native Americans for Educators

Resources About Native Americans for Educators (PDF)

50 Children's Books Celebrating Native American and Indigenous Mighty Girls | A Mighty Girl
A selection of wonderful books starring Native American and Indigenous characters to share with your children. Whether reading a great piece of historical fiction, a fascinating biography, or a story that features modern Native American girls in their day-to-day lives, they’ll love these stories.

AILA - American Indian Library Association (ailanet.org)
Breaking down public perceptions of who Native Americans are. Elevating conversation around Native American issues. Promoting Native education, literacy, and community.

American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) (americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com)
Each year, AICL puts together a list of books we recommend, that we call "Best Books." Our emphasis is on books by Native writers and illustrators published that year. 

American Indians / Indigenous Peoples / Native Nations - Social Justice Books
Critically reviewed selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators.

Books | First Nations Development Institute
The staff members of First Nations Development Institute have compiled a list of what they consider to be essential reading for anyone interested in the Native American experience.

- Cynthia Leitich Smith
Official Author Site and Home of Children's & YA Lit Resources

National Native American Heritage Month - For Teachers
This Teacher's Guide from the National Endowment for the Humanities will introduce you to the cultures and explore the histories of some groups within the over 5 million people who identify as American Indian in the United States, with resources designed for integration across humanities curricula and classrooms throughout the school year.

Native American Cultures and Clothing: Native American is Not a Costume | Resource Overview (si.edu)
NK360° Helpful Handouts: Guidance on Common Questions provide brief introductions for teachers to important topics regarding Native American life, cultures, and communities. Native American Cultures and Clothing: Native American Is Not a Costume addresses the use of "Native" costumes in and out of the classroom. Use this guide to debunk stereotypes of Native Americans and explore Indigenous clothing traditions. Culturally sensitive activities and resources related to Native clothing are provided.

Native American Heritage Month Resources (americanwritersmuseum.org)
Celebrate and honor the vast contributions of Native American writers, the indigenous authors of this land who were telling their stories long before the idea of the United States of America was even close to being conceived.

Native American Literature in Your Classroom | Helpful Handout Educator Resource (si.edu)
To help educators and parents choose high-quality materials, NMAI developed a rubric that outlines five criteria groups (Authority, Accurate Representation, Tribal Specificity, Language, and Contemporary Life) to consider when selecting texts. The goal of this rubric is to promote deeper and more critical thinking about Native American literature. The rubric is structured with questions that fall under each criteria group. Some questions have a clear answer, while others are more difficult to determine. You and your students may need to do further research on questions you were unable to answer. Tribal websites and our suggested resources are a good starting point. If too many boxes are left blank or elicit a 'no' answer, you may decide not to use the book at all, or you may want to use it for conversations about stereotypes and misrepresentation. 

NK360 - Teacher Materials - Native American Literature in Your Classroom - Worksheet (si.edu)
Worksheet for Selecting Native American Children’s Literature

- Page 2 of 4 - Zinn Education Project (zinnedproject.org)
Lessons, books, films, and more on Indigenous history.

Recommended Reading - The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition
A list of recommended books on Indian Boarding School history and experiences in the U.S. 

Resources for Teaching About Indigenous Peoples  | NEA
Resources to help you educate students honestly and accurately about Native history and the people whose land we occupy.