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This historical significance enquiry seeks to explore the experiences of the Dakota, and wider groups of Indigenous peoples in North America from the late 19th century onwards. It asks students to explore the significance of the Dakota activist Zitkala-Sa and asks them to consider what story we should tell about her. The unit currently sits at the end of Year 8 and draws on pupils’ prior knowledge of industrialisation, the campaigns for voting rights in the UK, and the First World War.

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A summary of the CPATHS Principles for History Teaching

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A summary of the CPATHS Principles for History Teaching

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Full details on each Principle can be found at the end of this section

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Full unit outline plan

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How does the content link with one or more of the Principles?

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How does the content link with one or more of the Principles?

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This unit starts from the premise that Key Stage 3 pupils should be given the opportunity to explore and question the judgments about historical significance. Pupils are asked to challenge the exclusion of Zitkala-Sa from mainstream  explorations of history (Principle 1/6) by creating their own claims for the significance of Zitkala-Sa (Principle 2). The framing of the enquiry aims to help pupils feel they are history makers in bringing the story of Zitkala-Sa to a wider audience (Principle 7).

The focus asks pupils to engage with a wide range of historical traces, including the oral testimonies, as well as visual sources rooted in Dakota traditions (Principle 2). There are opportunities to study the experiences of children through Zitkala-Sa’s own writings about boarding schools. Pupils are asked to engage directly with Dakota culture, both historically and in the present, as well as recognise the continuing presence of Indigenous peoples in North America (Principle 3/6). The unit prioritises the use of Dakota and other Indigenous voices in exploring these cultures (Principle 6). There is a significant focus on the use of the Dakota language (Principle 6).

The enquiry asks pupils to be directly aware of the ways in which settler-colonialism has shaped the past and the present of the United States and how this has led to the violent repression of Indigenous peoples at many points in history (Principle 4). It also engages pupils with the ways in which these issues play out in the present in battles over land, sovereignty, and recognition (Principle 5).

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How do the pedagogical choices link with one or more of the Principles?

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How do the pedagogical choices link with one or more of the Principles?

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Pedagogies for this enquiry have been carefully selected to promote five key aims:

·       To enable pupils’ significant scope to engage with historical traces – time is devoted to allowing pupils to discuss and make sense of complex and sometimes difficult source materials with a focus on drawing their own meanings and conclusions (Principle 2)

·       To encourage dialogue about the histories being covered. Time is dedicated to allowing pupils to respond to the content they are covering and to ask questions about the history but also about connections to the present day (Principle 4/7).

·       To prepare pupils for action. Tasks are designed to prepare pupils to create their own historical accounts of Zitkala-Sa and therefore play a role as historical meaning makers – connecting the past and present with reference to ethical issues as well as historical construction (Principle 1/2/5).

·       To promote the use of Indigenous voices and the Dakota language. Where possible Dakota words have been used for key ideas and places, challenging erasure narratives and focusing on the continued presence of Indigenous peoples. In a similar way, the voices of Dakota elders and other Indigenous voices have been used wherever possible to convey core knowledge (Principle 6).

To recognise the need for sensitive engagement with the subject matter. Activities recognise the inherent violence of settler-colonialism but avoid the sensationalisation of violence. Equally activities promote thoughtful engagement and seeking of understanding from pupils whilst also putting down careful frameworks for respectful engagement (Principle 3).

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How do the outcomes / pupil responses link with one or more of the Principles?

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How do the outcomes / pupil responses link with one or more of the Principles?

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Pupils are asked to reflect at key points in the curriculum on the ways in which Indigenous peoples, especially the Dakota, have been sidelined or marginalised in history. They are given an opportunity to respond through the medium of storytelling. However, pupils are also offered further information on how they can find out more about current activism in North America related to the legacies of settler-colonialism. All students are also provided with some Indigenous children’s authors who they can choose to read to find out more about the histories (Principle 4/5/6).

The final assessment of this enquiry asks pupils to write their own historical ‘story’ of Zitkala-Sa in the style of the ‘Great Women Who Changed the World’ books. The task is quite open ended and allows pupils to consider their own criteria for telling the story (Principle 2/4/5/6/7).

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This is a copy of the CPATHS Principles for History Teaching to help guide you in your responses in this section.

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2025 - Curriculum PATHS Principles - Approved

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The following text, created by Alex Ford, was used to support the creation of this unit in school. Use of this resource is free but acknowledgements for text / images are required: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TUvev6z1aBVXwgMsq3NIHvF5QLQeOwQL/view?usp=sharing

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You can find further helpful resources, especially interviews with Lakota and Dakota elders at: WoLakota Project –

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Welcome! Visit our North Dakota sister site, www.TeachingsofOurElders.org "WoLakota" implies balance and coming together. The WoLakota project supports students in high-need schools, pairing trained mentor-teachers with new teachers and providing Courage to Teach circles to tend to the ʻheartsʼ of each. Mentors support the embedding of the Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings (OSEU) into practice, complementing standards in any ...

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There are some excellent maps of Indigenous lands at Native-Land.ca | Our home on native land

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Mapping

We strive to map Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages across the world in a way that goes beyond colonial ways of thinking in order to better represent how Indigenous people want to see themselves.

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Native Land is a resource to learn more about Indigenous territories, languages, lands, and ways of life. We welcome you to our site.

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You can find the writings of Zitkala-Sa on Project Gutenberg at: American Indian Stories by Zitkala-Sa | Project Gutenberg

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Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by volunteers.

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·       Dunbar-Ortiz, R. and Reese, D. (2019) An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People.

·       Estes, N. (2019) Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance. London ; New York: Verso

·       Lewandowski, T. (2016) Red Bird, Red Power: The Life and Legacy of Zitkala-Ša. American Indian literature and critical studies series volume 67. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press

·       Treuer, D. (2019) The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present.

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·       Cynthia Leitich Smith’s ‘Ancestor Approved’ anthology is an award winning collection of stories by Native writers .

·       Louise Erdrich’s ‘Birchbark House’ series of books tells the story of an Ojibwe family and their experiences of settler colonialism in the 1850s. It is a fantastic read for all ages. You can also get it as an audiobook.

·       #Notyourprincess is a book showcasing the voices of young Native women from It explores issues which young Native women are grappling with everyday.

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A bit of me talking about the unit and how we approached the teaching

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A bit of me talking about the unit and how we approached the teaching