Though we began a more formal study of U.S. history earlier this year, starting with life in America before the arrival of Europeans, I have been teaching my boys about Native Americans in a variety of ways over the past few years. The resources listed here will reflect that. I will return to this page and add more resources as we continue to learn about Native American history and culture.

(Note: We are also continuing our study of world history, and eventually I’ll post a lesson log about Ancient Rome.)

Sources I’ve used for this topic:

Web

My husband’s lecture and screencast titled “North American Before 1842” and “Contact: Europeans and Native Americans”

Home Library

Suitable for small children:

The Very First Americans by Cara Ashrose

North American Indians by Marie and Douglas Gorsline

The True Story of Pocahontas by Lucille Recht Penner (Though I am weary of any resource that claims to be “the true story.”)

Raven: a Trickster Tale From the Pacific Northwest

 

Suitable for older elementary kids or teens:

Smithsonian Children’s Encyclopedia of American History, pp. 18-21

Life in a Pueblo, A Bobbie Kalman Book

Exploring Bandelier National Monument by Sarah Gustafson

 

Fiction:

The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich

The Game of Silence by Louise Erdrich

The Porcupine Year by Louise Erdrich

(Click to read my reviews of the Birchbark books. I highly recommend these books, and we intend to finish the series.)

From the Local Library

The Cherokee: native basket weavers by Therese DeAngelis

Sequoyah by Doraine Bennett

The Cherokees by Jill Ward

Only the Names Remain by Alex W. Bealer

Journey to Cahokia: A Boy’s Visit to the Great Mound City by Albert Lorenz

Red Power on the Rio Grande by Frank Folsom (I do not recommend this particular book for young children or sensitive kids.)

Field Trips

See my post Trip West. We visited Bandelier National Monument, the Indian Cultural Arts Center, Petroglyph National Monument and many other cool places.

Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University

Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, GA

On our bucket list: Etowah Indian Mounds