Reaffirming Indigenous Narratives in Education: 2024 Native Knowledge 360° Teach-In
Map of Participants
On November 2, 2024, hundreds of educators from across the U.S. gathered online to participate in the annual Native Knowledge 360° Teach-In, co-hosted by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and Teaching for Change. This virtual event offered teachers access to rich classroom resources and professional learning sessions focused on uplifting Native voices and perspectives. Through a blend of keynotes, workshops, and collaboration, the event aimed to support effective, accurate, and inclusive teaching about Native American history, culture, and contemporary life.
Following Dr. Elizabeth Rule’s (Chickasaw Nation) keynote, teachers selected from a range of workshops designed to deepen their understanding and expand their resources. Workshops included discussions on popular children’s books that narrate Thanksgiving, an exploration of Native American Code Talkers’ legacy, and sessions dedicated to teaching Indigenous histories of Central America. Each session provided teachers with tools and resources from NMAI’s Native Knowledge 360° and Teaching for Change, emphasizing critical thinking and inclusion of Native voices in educational narratives.
Throughout the day, educators exchanged ideas and resources, reflecting on the importance of Indigenous-centered learning. Participants expressed gratitude for the event’s thought-provoking content and for providing a space to consider how the lessons and insights could be integrated into their teaching practices to foster more inclusive, accurate, and respectful education about Native American cultures and histories.
Participants shared:
Amazing resource and tools. Loved the breakout rooms with the opportunity to stay actively involved, analyze primary and secondary sources, and think critically with our peers.
I feel a little more qualified to conduct a lesson on Native American/Indian stories in my ESL classroom and am excited to explore the great resources that were shared.
I really benefited from the walk-through of museum resources. They are of excellent quality and are easy to use once you know where to find them!
Teaching Indigenous Narratives in the Nation’s Capital and Beyond
This year’s program featured a keynote address by Dr. Elizabeth Rule (enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation). She highlighted the centrality of Native peoples to the history of the District of Columbia, showcased Indigenous contributions to the capital city, and discussed efforts underway to reaffirm D.C. as an Indigenous place. She also explored what teaching about Indigenous peoples in the nation’s capital looks like in a modern context and how teachers can become allies with the Native community in D.C. and beyond by imparting lessons, inspiration, and empowerment.
About the Keynote Speaker
Our keynote speaker, Dr. Elizabeth Rule (enrolled citizen of Chickasaw Nation), is a writer, public scholar, policymaker, and advocate for Indigenous communities. She is the author of the monograph Indigenous DC: Native Peoples and the Nation’s Capital and the creator of the Guide to DC mobile application. Rule is an assistant professor of critical race, gender, and culture studies at American University and currently holds a social practice residency at the Kennedy Center.
Workshops
Americans: A Dialogue Toolkit for Educators Grades: 4–12 Participant reflections:
This was a well-designed space. I loved the walk-through of the toolkit and the opportunity to engage with small groups.
Learning how to facilitate dialogue about stories that may be misrepresented was SO helpful, and can be applied not only to stories about Indigenous people, but also other under-represented minorities throughout the greater U.S. history narrative.
Workshop Description
American Indians represent less than one percent of the U.S. population, yet names and images of Indians are everywhere — from state, city, and town names, to advertising campaigns, to the Tomahawk missile. And how about that heroine connected to Jamestown, Pocahontas? Join Erin Lee, an experienced classroom teacher, for a look at the Americans exhibition, with a focus on images of Pocahontas, that examines how Americans have always been fascinated, conflicted, and profoundly shaped by their relationship with American Indians. Teachers will also spend time exploring how to fill in the story of Pocahontas with the people themselves through Life Along the River: The Pamunkey Indian Tribe of Virginia, a digital storybook and one of the museum’s online toolkits, and consider how the questions and understandings about American Indians presented can fuel dialogue and learning in the classroom. Grades 4–12.
By the Book: How Popular Children’s Books Tell the Thanksgiving Story Grades: 3–8 Participant reflections:
It’s reminding me that much of what kids are exposed to are based on secondary resources and faulty information that we also learned as children. We need to be more critical of what’s in our libraries, what voices are represented, what story is being told.
The definition of “National Story” is one I hadn’t heard before and one that gives context to how a lot of students learn about different pieces of American history.
Workshop Description
How do we learn and teach accurate and balanced stories about Thanksgiving and the Wampanoag? DC Public Library Children’s Librarian Alexandra Genia (Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa) will dive into supporting question one in the new NK360° resource and the related ELA and SS Standards. Focusing on the children’s book Keepunumuk with this set of questions will teach learners to think about Thanksgiving books critically and to evaluate outdated and inaccurate sources with important questions in mind. NMAI’s literature rubric will also be shared as a tool for critically analyzing books about and by Native people.
The “First Thanksgiving”: How Can We Tell a Better Story? Grades: 3–5 Participant reflections:
An excellent walkthrough of the resources available on the website regarding the lesson on Thanksgiving. I also learned about a new model: the inquiry design model.
I had read some history books for adults about the Wampanoag and King Philip but I had a better time connecting the facts and narrative after seeing the resources on your website.
Workshop Description
The “First Thanksgiving” as a foundational national story is inaccurate and incomplete. Yet, the Thanksgiving myth is still commonly taught and can play an outsized role in the celebration of national holidays in schools. NMAI education specialist Nichelle Garcia (Winnemem Wintu) will introduce a new NK360° resource to help students and teachers dispel the misconceptions and misunderstandings of the “First Thanksgiving.” This inquiry-based resource will examine a more complete story through sources that add nuance, multiple perspectives, and age-appropriate detail, including Wampanoag voice and perspectives that have been largely absent in this narrative. Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°) provides educational resources and teacher training that incorporate Native narratives, more comprehensive histories, and accurate information to enlighten and inform teaching and learning about Native America. Open to all teachers but recommended for grades 3–5.
Identifying Indigenous Narratives in Children’s Books Grades: K–12 Participant reflections:
It is important to read older books written by non-Indigenous authors with a great deal of critical thinking and to teach that critical thought. It is best to populate our classrooms with books by Indigenous authors.
It was a good reminder that we need to be vigilant to look for and refuse to perpetuate false narratives.
Workshop Description
In “Teaching Indigenous Narratives in the Nation’s Capital and Beyond,” Dr. Elizabeth Rule’s keynote lecture for the eighth annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day Curriculum Teach-In, Rule asked teachers to think about Native presence in the nation’s capital. In her workshop, Debbie Reese of American Indians in Children’s Literature will ask us to think about Indigenous narratives in children’s books. She will use Jacqueline Woodson’s essay “Who Can Tell My Story” to help teachers see whose story is being centered in classic and popular books found in curriculum materials and to identify Indigenous narratives in children’s books by Native authors and illustrators.
Native Words, Native Warriors: Honoring the Legacy of Native American Code Talkers Grades: 4–8 Participant reflections:
I am excited to include this info in my lessons about Veteran’s Day, especially the significance behind the National Native American Veterans’ Memorial.
Many Native American language speakers produced “coded language” in their native language to facilitate the communication of sensitive national defense messaging. They spoke about the schools where Native American children were sent, as well, and the kinds of oppression of their native language and culture that was present.
Workshop Description
Alexandra Harris, NMAI senior editor and co-author of Why We Serve: Native Americans in the United States Armed Forces, will discuss the history of code talking during World Wars I and II using the Native Knowledge 360° resource “Native Words, Native Warriors.” Rachelle Pablo (Diné), US Army veteran, will give an overview of the National Native American Veterans
Memorial, its origins and meaning in honoring Native American veterans. Bert Correa (Taíno), NMAI museum program specialist, will guide educators through the online lesson “Native Words, Native Warriors.” The lesson uses photos, primary sources, and classroom resources to support teaching and learning about American Indian men and women who served in the United States military.
Pipeline Protests: Putting Climate Civil Disobedience Into the Curriculum Grades: 6–12 Participant reflections:
I can see this as a highly beneficial way to get students engaged in the content and help them see activist role models and ways to be engaged in environmental justice.
Thinking about how to incorporate discussions of place into my lessons, learning about different people involved in the climate justice movement, and how different actions are all required to make fundamental change.
Workshop Description
This workshop is built around the documentary film Necessity: Oil, Water, and Climate Resistance. The film details the story of multiple climate activists, including Indigenous leaders in the climate justice movement, valve turners who use civil disobedience to stop the flow of oil, and legal teams that use the “necessity defense” in the courts. Participants will deepen their understanding of this intricate story through role-play exercises where they take on the perspectives of real-life subjects from the film. Attendees will gain a stronger foundation for teaching about climate change and the environmental crisis. Facilitated by Suzanna Kassouf, high school teacher, Zinn Education Project Prentiss Charney Fellow, and Rethinking Schools contributor.
Teaching Indigenous Central America Grades: 1–12 Participant reflections:
The highlighting of Blackness in Indigeneity and need for solidarity across “race” even with Latinx-ness. The tie between destabilization of institutions and governments to lack of protection of people and Earth’s resources from corporate interests that will deplete, destroy, devour all and everything.
I learned that there is a whole movement of books, knowledge, lessons, activities to help us work on our curriculums to help students learn more, reflect, critically think, and explore at such a young age.
Workshop Description
Many students in U.S. classrooms can trace their roots to Central American countries, yet the history of the region is largely absent from the curriculum. There is even less regional-specific content focused on Central America’s rich and centuries-old Indigenous cultures, such as the Mayans. This interactive session will provide teachers with strategies and resources from Native Knowledge 360⁰ for introducing the Indigenous history of Central America in their classroom. Participants will explore the Popol Vuh, the Maya origin story, which highlights the importance of corn and nature to the Maya and other Indigenous communities. They will also learn about the Garifuna, an Afro-Caribbean culture in Central America. This workshop will help teachers share with their students a deeper understanding of Indigenous communities throughout the Americas and the challenges they face today. Facilitated by Jonathan Peraza Campos, middle school teacher and Teach Central America program specialist.
Zitkala-Ša: From Reservation to Boarding School to Washington, DC Grades: 3–12 Participant reflections:
This session was SO helpful in gaining knowledge of sources and additional voices I can add into my classroom teaching to represent under-represented voices in our curriculum. I’m so excited to put this into practice!
I learned about who Zitkala-Sa was and ways of beginning to engage critically with her and the larger topics of colonization, forced assimilation, the history of education in the U.S. for BIPOC people, etc. she discussed in her work and lived experiences. These “Unsung heroes” or “untold” stories are so crucial for students to learn whole stories now white-washed ones.
Workshop Description
Participants will engage in a lesson that demonstrates how to use contemporary and historical sources to explore the meaning and legacy of boarding schools. The lesson will showcase a connection to local D.C. history through the extraordinary life and work of Zitkala-Ša. We will analyze a piece of boarding schools-themed artwork by renowned mixed media artist Shan Goshorn from her series “Resisting the Mission; Filling the Silence.” The session will include an examination of Zitkala-Ša’s experiences as a student and teacher at Indian boarding schools. Teachers will learn about Ša’s rejection of forced cultural assimilation and her tireless advocacy for Indigenous sovereignty and power through her work with the Society of American Indians, her founding of the National Council of American Indians, and her fight for the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. Participants will walk away with classroom-ready resources that underscore how Native people resisted settler colonialism and how Indigenous histories are an integral part of local Washington, D.C., history. Facilitated by Tiferet Ani, high school social studies educator, curriculum developer, and Zinn Education Project Prentiss Charney Fellow.
Reaffirming Indigenous Narratives in Education: 2024 Native Knowledge 360° Teach-In
On November 2, 2024, hundreds of educators from across the U.S. gathered online to participate in the annual Native Knowledge 360° Teach-In, co-hosted by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and Teaching for Change. This virtual event offered teachers access to rich classroom resources and professional learning sessions focused on uplifting Native voices and perspectives. Through a blend of keynotes, workshops, and collaboration, the event aimed to support effective, accurate, and inclusive teaching about Native American history, culture, and contemporary life.
Following Dr. Elizabeth Rule’s (Chickasaw Nation) keynote, teachers selected from a range of workshops designed to deepen their understanding and expand their resources. Workshops included discussions on popular children’s books that narrate Thanksgiving, an exploration of Native American Code Talkers’ legacy, and sessions dedicated to teaching Indigenous histories of Central America. Each session provided teachers with tools and resources from NMAI’s Native Knowledge 360° and Teaching for Change, emphasizing critical thinking and inclusion of Native voices in educational narratives.
Throughout the day, educators exchanged ideas and resources, reflecting on the importance of Indigenous-centered learning. Participants expressed gratitude for the event’s thought-provoking content and for providing a space to consider how the lessons and insights could be integrated into their teaching practices to foster more inclusive, accurate, and respectful education about Native American cultures and histories.
Participants shared:
Amazing resource and tools. Loved the breakout rooms with the opportunity to stay actively involved, analyze primary and secondary sources, and think critically with our peers.
I feel a little more qualified to conduct a lesson on Native American/Indian stories in my ESL classroom and am excited to explore the great resources that were shared.
I really benefited from the walk-through of museum resources. They are of excellent quality and are easy to use once you know where to find them!
Read below to learn more about each session.
Padlet With Keynote and Workshop Resources
Keynote
Teaching Indigenous Narratives in the Nation’s Capital and Beyond
This year’s program featured a keynote address by Dr. Elizabeth Rule (enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation). She highlighted the centrality of Native peoples to the history of the District of Columbia, showcased Indigenous contributions to the capital city, and discussed efforts underway to reaffirm D.C. as an Indigenous place. She also explored what teaching about Indigenous peoples in the nation’s capital looks like in a modern context and how teachers can become allies with the Native community in D.C. and beyond by imparting lessons, inspiration, and empowerment.
About the Keynote Speaker
Our keynote speaker, Dr. Elizabeth Rule (enrolled citizen of Chickasaw Nation), is a writer, public scholar, policymaker, and advocate for Indigenous communities. She is the author of the monograph Indigenous DC: Native Peoples and the Nation’s Capital and the creator of the Guide to DC mobile application. Rule is an assistant professor of critical race, gender, and culture studies at American University and currently holds a social practice residency at the Kennedy Center.
Workshops
Americans: A Dialogue Toolkit for Educators
Grades: 4–12
Participant reflections:
This was a well-designed space. I loved the walk-through of the toolkit and the opportunity to engage with small groups.
Learning how to facilitate dialogue about stories that may be misrepresented was SO helpful, and can be applied not only to stories about Indigenous people, but also other under-represented minorities throughout the greater U.S. history narrative.
Workshop Description
American Indians represent less than one percent of the U.S. population, yet names and images of Indians are everywhere — from state, city, and town names, to advertising campaigns, to the Tomahawk missile. And how about that heroine connected to Jamestown, Pocahontas? Join Erin Lee, an experienced classroom teacher, for a look at the Americans exhibition, with a focus on images of Pocahontas, that examines how Americans have always been fascinated, conflicted, and profoundly shaped by their relationship with American Indians. Teachers will also spend time exploring how to fill in the story of Pocahontas with the people themselves through Life Along the River: The Pamunkey Indian Tribe of Virginia, a digital storybook and one of the museum’s online toolkits, and consider how the questions and understandings about American Indians presented can fuel dialogue and learning in the classroom. Grades 4–12.
By the Book: How Popular Children’s Books Tell the Thanksgiving Story
Grades: 3–8
Participant reflections:
It’s reminding me that much of what kids are exposed to are based on secondary resources and faulty information that we also learned as children. We need to be more critical of what’s in our libraries, what voices are represented, what story is being told.
The definition of “National Story” is one I hadn’t heard before and one that gives context to how a lot of students learn about different pieces of American history.
Workshop Description
How do we learn and teach accurate and balanced stories about Thanksgiving and the Wampanoag? DC Public Library Children’s Librarian Alexandra Genia (Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa) will dive into supporting question one in the new NK360° resource and the related ELA and SS Standards. Focusing on the children’s book Keepunumuk with this set of questions will teach learners to think about Thanksgiving books critically and to evaluate outdated and inaccurate sources with important questions in mind. NMAI’s literature rubric will also be shared as a tool for critically analyzing books about and by Native people.
The “First Thanksgiving”: How Can We Tell a Better Story?
Grades: 3–5
Participant reflections:
An excellent walkthrough of the resources available on the website regarding the lesson on Thanksgiving. I also learned about a new model: the inquiry design model.
I had read some history books for adults about the Wampanoag and King Philip but I had a better time connecting the facts and narrative after seeing the resources on your website.
Workshop Description
The “First Thanksgiving” as a foundational national story is inaccurate and incomplete. Yet, the Thanksgiving myth is still commonly taught and can play an outsized role in the celebration of national holidays in schools. NMAI education specialist Nichelle Garcia (Winnemem Wintu) will introduce a new NK360° resource to help students and teachers dispel the misconceptions and misunderstandings of the “First Thanksgiving.” This inquiry-based resource will examine a more complete story through sources that add nuance, multiple perspectives, and age-appropriate detail, including Wampanoag voice and perspectives that have been largely absent in this narrative. Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°) provides educational resources and teacher training that incorporate Native narratives, more comprehensive histories, and accurate information to enlighten and inform teaching and learning about Native America. Open to all teachers but recommended for grades 3–5.
Identifying Indigenous Narratives in Children’s Books
Grades: K–12
Participant reflections:
It is important to read older books written by non-Indigenous authors with a great deal of critical thinking and to teach that critical thought. It is best to populate our classrooms with books by Indigenous authors.
It was a good reminder that we need to be vigilant to look for and refuse to perpetuate false narratives.
Workshop Description
In “Teaching Indigenous Narratives in the Nation’s Capital and Beyond,” Dr. Elizabeth Rule’s keynote lecture for the eighth annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day Curriculum Teach-In, Rule asked teachers to think about Native presence in the nation’s capital. In her workshop, Debbie Reese of American Indians in Children’s Literature will ask us to think about Indigenous narratives in children’s books. She will use Jacqueline Woodson’s essay “Who Can Tell My Story” to help teachers see whose story is being centered in classic and popular books found in curriculum materials and to identify Indigenous narratives in children’s books by Native authors and illustrators.
Native Words, Native Warriors: Honoring the Legacy of Native American Code Talkers
Grades: 4–8
Participant reflections:
I am excited to include this info in my lessons about Veteran’s Day, especially the significance behind the National Native American Veterans’ Memorial.
Many Native American language speakers produced “coded language” in their native language to facilitate the communication of sensitive national defense messaging. They spoke about the schools where Native American children were sent, as well, and the kinds of oppression of their native language and culture that was present.
Workshop Description
Alexandra Harris, NMAI senior editor and co-author of Why We Serve: Native Americans in the United States Armed Forces, will discuss the history of code talking during World Wars I and II using the Native Knowledge 360° resource “Native Words, Native Warriors.” Rachelle Pablo (Diné), US Army veteran, will give an overview of the National Native American Veterans
Memorial, its origins and meaning in honoring Native American veterans. Bert Correa (Taíno), NMAI museum program specialist, will guide educators through the online lesson “Native Words, Native Warriors.” The lesson uses photos, primary sources, and classroom resources to support teaching and learning about American Indian men and women who served in the United
States military.
Pipeline Protests: Putting Climate Civil Disobedience Into the Curriculum
Grades: 6–12
Participant reflections:
I can see this as a highly beneficial way to get students engaged in the content and help them see activist role models and ways to be engaged in environmental justice.
Thinking about how to incorporate discussions of place into my lessons, learning about different people involved in the climate justice movement, and how different actions are all required to make fundamental change.
Workshop Description
This workshop is built around the documentary film Necessity: Oil, Water, and Climate Resistance. The film details the story of multiple climate activists, including Indigenous leaders in the climate justice movement, valve turners who use civil disobedience to stop the flow of oil, and legal teams that use the “necessity defense” in the courts. Participants will deepen their understanding of this intricate story through role-play exercises where they take on the perspectives of real-life subjects from the film. Attendees will gain a stronger foundation for teaching about climate change and the environmental crisis. Facilitated by Suzanna Kassouf, high school teacher, Zinn Education Project Prentiss Charney Fellow, and Rethinking Schools contributor.
Teaching Indigenous Central America
Grades: 1–12
Participant reflections:
The highlighting of Blackness in Indigeneity and need for solidarity across “race” even with Latinx-ness. The tie between destabilization of institutions and governments to lack of protection of people and Earth’s resources from corporate interests that will deplete, destroy, devour all and everything.
I learned that there is a whole movement of books, knowledge, lessons, activities to help us work on our curriculums to help students learn more, reflect, critically think, and explore at such a young age.
Workshop Description
Many students in U.S. classrooms can trace their roots to Central American countries, yet the history of the region is largely absent from the curriculum. There is even less regional-specific content focused on Central America’s rich and centuries-old Indigenous cultures, such as the Mayans. This interactive session will provide teachers with strategies and resources from Native Knowledge 360⁰ for introducing the Indigenous history of Central America in their classroom. Participants will explore the Popol Vuh, the Maya origin story, which highlights the importance of corn and nature to the Maya and other Indigenous communities. They will also learn about the Garifuna, an Afro-Caribbean culture in Central America. This workshop will help teachers share with their students a deeper understanding of Indigenous communities throughout the Americas and the challenges they face today. Facilitated by Jonathan Peraza Campos, middle school teacher and Teach Central America program specialist.
Zitkala-Ša: From Reservation to Boarding School to Washington, DC
Grades: 3–12
Participant reflections:
This session was SO helpful in gaining knowledge of sources and additional voices I can add into my classroom teaching to represent under-represented voices in our curriculum. I’m so excited to put this into practice!
I learned about who Zitkala-Sa was and ways of beginning to engage critically with her and the larger topics of colonization, forced assimilation, the history of education in the U.S. for BIPOC people, etc. she discussed in her work and lived experiences. These “Unsung heroes” or “untold” stories are so crucial for students to learn whole stories now white-washed ones.
Workshop Description
Participants will engage in a lesson that demonstrates how to use contemporary and historical sources to explore the meaning and legacy of boarding schools. The lesson will showcase a connection to local D.C. history through the extraordinary life and work of Zitkala-Ša. We will analyze a piece of boarding schools-themed artwork by renowned mixed media artist Shan Goshorn from her series “Resisting the Mission; Filling the Silence.” The session will include an examination of Zitkala-Ša’s experiences as a student and teacher at Indian boarding schools. Teachers will learn about Ša’s rejection of forced cultural assimilation and her tireless advocacy for Indigenous sovereignty and power through her work with the Society of American Indians, her founding of the National Council of American Indians, and her fight for the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. Participants will walk away with classroom-ready resources that underscore how Native people resisted settler colonialism and how Indigenous histories are an integral part of local Washington, D.C., history. Facilitated by Tiferet Ani, high school social studies educator, curriculum developer, and Zinn Education Project Prentiss Charney Fellow.
Schedule
EASTERN TIME
12:00 PM – 12:35 PM: Welcome & Keynote Address
12:40 PM – 1:30 PM: Workshops Round One
1:35 PM – 2:25 PM: Workshops Round Two
2:25 PM– 2:35 PM: Evaluation
2:35 PM – 3:00 PM: Grade Level Collaboration and Resource Exchange
Posted: November 14, 2024