Explore 13 Classroom Activities for Indigenous Peoples’ Day

In 1990, South Dakota became the first state to celebrate what they called “Native American Day” on the second Monday of October. In 2021, the White House proclaimed that Indigenous Peoples’ Day would occur on the same day as Columbus Day to honor America’s first inhabitants and the Tribal Nations that still thrive today. 

You can help your students understand the history of this holiday with classroom activities for Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day in both social studies and ELA:

• Explore the history and significance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day with social studies activities
• Discover more about the cultures we recognize on Indigenous Peoples’ Day with ELA activities

[Explore the history and significance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day with social studies activities](id-ss)

Use these Newsela Social Studies activities to help students understand why some states and cities celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day and how the holiday evolved over the years.

Teach students why some states recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Indigenous Peoples’ Day honors the cultures and histories of the Native peoples of our continent and its surrounding territories. Help students dive into the holiday’s significance with resources like:

• A photo essay that explores how various Indigenous peoples celebrate and maintain their culture, heritage, and values in a changing world.
• The full text of some U.S. cities' proclamations acknowledging the change from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day.
• An article about the Portage Path Trail, an 8-mile trail that connects the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas rivers in Ohio.

Explore significant moments in Indigenous history

Indigenous history is also American history. Teach students more about some of these significant moments and events that have had an impact on our culture, with articles on topics like:

• The push for more Indigenous studies classes to be taught in schools, with states like Connecticut, North Dakota, and Oregon paving the way.
• How revamped U.S. history classes are helping students better understand the past and how it connects to their futures.
• The Taíno, an Indigenous group of people who lived in the Caribbean, who aren’t often mentioned in Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day curriculum.

Dig deeper into the journey that prompted Columbus Day

Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day happen on the same date each year. If your state or town celebrates both, or you want to bring activities for both into your classroom, you can use this inquiry lesson to help students reflect on three key areas:

• Debating Columbus: Consider the question “How should we remember Columbus?” and read historical accounts to help decide.
• Columbus’ Life: Explore primary sources and maps illustrating Columbus’ journey to the Americas.‍
• Columbus’ Legacy: Explore primary sources and pro/con articles that compare and contrast how we remember Columbus in America.

Explore Indigenous cultures of North America

Indigenous Peoples is a broad term that describes those with Native Roots across North, South, and Central America. Explore the histories, cultures, and struggles of North American groups with students like Indigenous Peoples of the:

• Great Plains
• Northeast
• Southeast
• Southwest
• Great Basin
• Alaska

[Discover more about the cultures we recognize on Indigenous Peoples’ Day with ELA activities](id-ela)

Use our Newsela ELA lessons to explore the world of Indigenous literature, poetry, and current events to better understand the cultures we recognize on this holiday:

Recognizing the U.S. as Native Land

When we’re so used to living in today’s world, it’s easy to forget that our country didn’t always look the way it does now. Before the first English settlers arrived, Indigenous groups inhabited the land that now makes up much of the United States' boundaries. Teach students more about the relationships between those groups and the early settlers this Indigenous Peoples’ Day:

• Assign an article about the complex relationship between Indigenous people and English settlers in the New England territories.
• Read the full text of Indigenous leader Tecumseh’s letter to Governor Harrison in 1810.
• Discover what Indigenous land acknowledgement is and why it exists.

Making current events connections between Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Over the last several years, many cities and towns across the U.S. have begun to question whether they should celebrate Columbus Day, Indigenous Peoples Day, or both. Help students make past-to-present connections about the holidays celebrated in your state with the following lesson:

• Pose the guiding question, “Why are some groups calling for the observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day?”
• Next, have students read articles and primary sources about the history of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples in the United States.
• Finally, ask students to complete a comparing multiple sources graphic organizer to look at how the sources frame each holiday similarly and differently. Try customizing it with Luna!

Making genre connections using Indigenous literature

Like many other cultures, Indigenous groups in the Americas have passed down stories from one generation to the next. These stories teach lessons, share values, and explain events in nature. Students can learn more about the cultures and experiences of these groups by reading and analyzing texts like:

• “How Grandmother Spider Brought Fire,” a Choctaw myth that explains the creation of the sun, moon, and stars.
• “A Time of Troubles,” a fiction story by Ruth Spencer Johnson that describes the potential struggles of a Sioux family living on a reservation in the 1880s.
• “A Song of a Navajo Weaver,” a poem by Bertrand N.O. Walker that reflects on the Navajo culture.

Discovering Indigenous culture through novel studies

Build background knowledge about Indigenous cultures with paired primary sources and texts in our Novel and Book Studies collection for popular titles like:

• “There There” by Tommy Orange
• “Firekeeper’s Daughter” by Angeline Boulley
• “Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie”
• “The Birchbark House” by Louise Erdrich
• “The Marrow Thieves” by Cherie Dimaline

Recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day with poetry

See the world through the eyes of Indigenous writers by exploring poetry selections like:

• “Autumn” by Alexander Posey
• “Changing Is Not Vanishing” by Carlos Montezuma
• “A Mojave Lullaby” by Bertrand N.O. Walker
• “America, I Sing Back” by Allison Adelle Hedge Coke
• “Navajo Mountain” by Norla Chee

Newsela’s products go beyond Indigenous Peoples’ Day

We hope these resources make it easier for you to develop relevant, engaging activities about the history and celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day in your classes. But Newsela’s products have even more great content, interactive activities, and assessment tools that you can use all year.

If you’re not a Newsela customer yet, sign up for Newsela Lite for free and start your 45-day trial of our premium content to access everything you need to teach about nearly any historical, current event, or student interest topic in your classroom.