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Click on the picture in order to complete the Thanksgiving activities assigned.

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A fresh look at Thanksgiving

We're bringing you a fresh look on America's original holiday with a roundup of the best basic resources as well as others designed to thoughtfully examine the United States' relationship with the Native American community.

Thanksgiving basics

This self-paced lesson provides historical context for Thanksgiving and presents students with writing-based activities. This is an activity that students can complete in class, or it can be assigned as a take-home activity (depending on computer and Internet access) for family participation.

The Library of Congress has a rich resource collection of Thanksgiving-related primary source documents and the tools needed to use them with your students.

Indigenous peoples then and now

Looking to engage your students in critical analysis of the history of the United States and Native Americans? The Zinn Education Project provides free resources focusing on groups who too often receive only token attention, like workers, women and people of color.

This TED Talk by world renowned anthropologist Wade Davis helps students understand the challenges faced by indigenous people and appreciate their contributions to the global community. There is also a TED Talk: Dreams from endangered cultures - Student guide

Match Wade Davis'collection of photographs taken from his decades in the field with a global map of indigenous peoples to explore the cultures of the correlating areas.

PBS NewsHour Extra features stand out STEM professionals to raise awareness about exciting future careers available to students from all backgrounds. Learn how Noelani Kristine Lee Yamishita is using traditional methods to return the Hawaiian Island of Molokai to its once-thriving ecosystem. Ka Honua Momona, her nonprofit organization, accomplishes its mission by revitalizing natural and cultural resources, perpetuating traditional knowledge and stewardship and evolving with modern technology.

Native American communities, especially in remote areas such as Alaska, face many challenges, including education. This story explores an effort to turn that around by creating more teachers within the Native community. Use our informational text and student guide to enhance and support your students' understanding of the topic.

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A fresh look at Thanksgiving | PBS NewsHour Extra

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We're bringing you a fresh look on America's original holiday with a roundup of the best basic resources as well as others designed to thoughtfully examine the United States' relationship with the Native American community. This self-paced lesson provides historical context for Thanksgiving and presents students with writing-based activities.

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Video can be found at the link above. Click on the picture.

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Assignment #2-Explore Primary Sources on the Library of Congress website. Use the Source Analysis tool below:

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Assignment #2-Explore Primary Sources on the Library of Congress website. Use the Source Analysis tool below:

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Primary Source Analysis Tool | Teachers - Library of Congress

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Free online tool allows students to record responses to a primary source, and e-mail or print their work. Prompts help students to observe, reflect, question and further investigate the primary source. Part of the Teachers section at the Library of Congress.

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Explore some of the many articles on the website. Click on the Zinn Education Project link from the Thanksgiving link above.

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Watch the Ted Davis on Endangered Cultures video. Find it in the Thanksgiving link above.

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Explore the map of Indigenous people below.

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Explore photos below

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Pages: HOME |WADE |PHOTOGRAPHS |FILMS |BOOKS |LECTURES |BLOG |CONTACT |Book: River Notes |Book: Into the Silence |Book: The Sacred Headwaters |Book: The Wayfinders |Book: One River |Book: The Serpent and the Rainbow |Book: Shadows in the Sun |Book: Light at the Edge of the World |Book: Passage of Darkness |Book: Lost Amazon |Book: Light at the Edge of the World |Book: Grand Canyon: A River at Risk |Book: Nomads of the Dawn

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Daily Video
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In Alaska, where roughly half of all students do not graduate from high school, teachers are working to address graduation rates by incorporating Native Alaskan traditions into the classroom.

The town of Dillingham, Alaska, has 2,000 residents, approximately half of whom are Alaska Native, particularly from the Yup'ik tradition. They maintain subsistence traditions, with many families bringing children to week-long moose hunting trips in the fall.

Ina Bouker, an Alaska Native who has taught in Dillingham for over 30 years, said it is important to respect those traditions as an educator. She has seen this firsthand: when Bouker was in school in a nearby village, students who spoke Yup'ik instead of English were slapped on the wrist.

It is helpful for teachers to have common cultural ground with students, but it is difficult to find Native teachers who were raised Yup'ik.

Many educators in Alaska have few cultural ties to the communities in which they teach. Most teachers-about 75 percent-are from out-of-state and tend to stay for shorter periods of time than those who are from Alaska, which is difficult on students.

"Some of our students start feeling like, well, why should I work hard for you? Why should I do that assignment? Because you are not going to be here anyway next year," Bouker said.

Bouker began writing a curriculum for the statewide Future Educators of Alaska program in 2007; since then, the $5.5 million project has encouraged Alaska Native students to pursue education careers.

The effort is a good step toward increasing graduation rates, Ahniwake Rose, executive director of the National Indian Education Association, said.

"It's time for us to really stand up and say, you know what, we're going to take back the inherent right that we have to educate our own citizens," she said. "We know that our students are going to do better when they have those faces and similar cultural experiences."

Warm up questions

1. Do you identify with a specific culture or are there family traditions that are special to you?

2. How do teachers feel about students missing a whole week of school? Is it hard to catch up afterwards?

Critical thinking questions

1. Teacher Ina Bouker described incidents where students were punished for speaking their Native language. How would you have felt in that situation?

2. Why do you think it would be important for teachers in Dillingham to be aware or share the culture of their Alaska Native students?

3. Do you think having more Alaska Native teachers will improve the dropout rate of their students? Why or why not?

4. Bouker described one effect short term teachers have on their students, "Some of our students start feeling like, well, why should I work hard for you? Why should I do that assignment? Because you are not going to be here anyway next year." As a student, does this sentiment resonate with you? How do you feel about teachers or principals who don't stay very long?

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Alaskan Native students stay and teach | PBS NewsHour Extra

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DOWNLOAD VIDEO In Alaska, where roughly half of all students do not graduate from high school, teachers are working to address graduation rates by incorporating Native Alaskan traditions into the classroom. The town of Dillingham, Alaska, has 2,000 residents, approximately half of whom are Alaska Native, particularly from the Yup'ik tradition.