Students will research one of the seven federally recognized tribes of Native Americans in Virginia to identify local features of the land, their language, the region of Virginia where they originally lived, where the tribal lands are today, and how they interacted with their environment. From this research, the student groups will design a visualization of this data using a poster, online design tool, or a presentation. Student groups will present their information to each other, and the classroom will design a chart to find similarities and differences between the tribes.

This lesson recounts efforts to improve homesteading laws and make land ownership possible for more settlers. The distribution of government lands had been an issue since the Revolutionary War. Preemption -- settling the land first and paying for it later -- became national policy; however, supporting legislation was stymied until the secession of Southern states. See one of the first applications for land under this law. Teaching activities are included.

Students will gather information regarding the cultural and economic interactions between Europeans and American Indians during Westward Expansion. Students will work in groups to analyze several primary sources and create a visual representation depicting the Native vs. European perspectives of westward expansion. 

is a guide to these mounds, built between 100 B.C. and 1700 A.D. to bury important members of tribes and to serve as platforms for temples or residences of chiefs. This website highlights 11 mound sites and includes itineraries and three essays that provide historical context for these sites.

This lesson presents 13 documents and photos related to the 1804-6 expedition into the newly acquired Louisiana Territory. The documents include a list of Indian presents Lewis purchased, his receipts for wine and tobacco, Jefferson's letter to Madison announcing the purchase of Louisiana, and Jefferson's message to Congress communicating the discoveries of the expedition.

This lesson encourages students to study a variety of documents to understand the impact of a particular piece of legislation and relates to the powers granted to Congress in Article I, Section 8 , of the Constitution, related to making laws. It correlates to the National History Standards and the National Standards for Civics and Social Sciences. It also has cross-curricular connections with with history, government, global studies, and music.

A collection of resources for lesson planning and learning more about Native Americans, past and present. This resource was created through a partnership between CodeVA and the Virginia Tribal Education Consortium (VTEC). 

This activity is to be used after they have been taught native American resources. Students will need to fill in a Google Drawings chart for the Native American Resources by dragging each photo into the rectangle that it belongs to. When they are done, they will fill out the chart asking for them to justify their descions. They will need to describe what the photo is and why they put the photos in each rectangle. After they have explained, they will need to write the name of the tribe the resource belonged to (Inuit, Lakota, Iroquois, Pueblo, or Kwakiutl).

This lesson teaches students about artificial intelligence and its use in history. Students will be able to use AI technology to create drawings about Native Americans.

Students will investigate the Dakota Access Pipeline and the timeline of events surrounding it. They will collaborate to research the impact this new technology has had, and continues to have, on Native People in that area, as well as create a decision making model to compare and contrast the supporting and opposing perspectives.

This lesson examines Native American sovereignty and the Constitutional power granted to the president and the Senate to make treaties with foreign nations. The site presents the Treaty and related documents, including a photograph of the Indian leader, Spotted Tail. Explanatory text, materials for teachers, and links to further resources accompany the documents.

Students will learn about treaties and what important role they have played in with Virginia’s Native Americans. They will learn why there are treaties and how they affected the tribes and the Europeans and where they stand in the 21st century. In the second lesson, the teacher will go through the slides with the students explaining what was agreed between the Natives in Virginia and the Europeans that came to their land. This lesson can last as long as it takes to get through the slides, or the teacher can pick some of the agreements and discuss with students.