Grade 2 Fall History - The Native Peoples of Our Region: Living Nations, Land, and Knowledge
Lesson 1 45 min hist.g2.f.lesson_01

We Are Still Here - Launching the Living Nations Inquiry

Skills targeted
Objectives
  • Students state in their own words that Native American peoples are LIVING peoples today, not only of the past.
  • Students generate at least one compelling question and one supporting question about the Native peoples of our region for the I-Wonder Living-Nations chart.
Vocabulary
nationIndigenousNative AmericanFirst Peoplestodaylivingpresent-tensehomelandTribal Nation

Lesson plan

Warm-up

7 min

Notice/Wonder photo set - 4 contemporary photos of Native people in present-day settings (a Navajo Code Talker grandfather and granddaughter at his graduation 2019; Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. at his desk 2024; Lakota high-school basketball team at South Dakota state finals 2023; Mvskoke teen drummer at a powwow 2024).

Teacher moves
  • Project all 4 photos at once.
  • Prompt: 'These are Native people. WHEN do you think each photo was taken?'
  • Surface and gently correct the misconception that Native people lived only long ago.
  • Affirm specific noticings ('the basketball jersey is from 2023').
Media
M-2-F-CUL-01-A Photograph
Curated 4-photo grid (each ~8x10): (1) Diné/Navajo Code Talker veteran Peter MacDonald with granddaughter at her UNM gra

Curated 4-photo grid (each ~8x10): (1) Diné/Navajo Code Talker veteran Peter MacDonald with granddaughter at her UNM graduation 2019 photographed by Tara Trotter for AP; (2) Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. at his Tahlequah Oklahoma desk 2024 with the Cherokee flag visible; (3) Crow Creek Sioux Tribe high-school girls' basketball team at South Dakota state finals 2023 from Sioux Falls Argus Leader; (4) young Mvskoke (Muscogee) drummer in regalia at the Drum Mound powwow Oklahoma 2024 from Mvskoke Media. Each labeled with (Person/Nation/Year). Color-corrected, faces visible, dignified composition. NO sepia, NO 'historical' filter.

Direct instruction

12 min

Today we begin a 16-week inquiry about the FIRST peoples of the land where our school stands. We are going to learn from Native authors, Native artists, and Native nations themselves. The most important rule of this whole unit: we speak about Native peoples in the PRESENT TENSE because they ARE here, today, RIGHT NOW. Let's read Traci Sorell's 'We Are Still Here!' together. Traci Sorell is Cherokee Nation - this is her telling her own people's story.

Key examples
  • The book uses the words 'we are' - present tense. We will use those words too.
    model Native people are running their own governments, speaking their own languages, going to school, voting, making art, and protecting the land - TODAY.
    prompt After the read-aloud, what is one thing the book tells us that Native people are doing TODAY?
Checks for understanding
  • Thumbs up if Native people live in the United States today.
  • Show me on the map: where do Native people live? (correct answer: many places, including where WE live).
Sourcework
Source type
Indigenous-authored book + contemporary photographs
Routine
PRESENT-TENSE source-check: 'Does this source show Native life ONLY in the past, or also today?' Apply to all 4 photos + the book.
Media
M-2-F-CUL-01-B Illustration Physical / non-image

Anchor poster 24x36 inches, cream background, hand-lettered title 'WE ARE STILL HERE' centered. Below: 8 'hello' words in 8 Indigenous languages with audio QR codes for each (e.g. Cherokee 'osiyo', Diné 'yá'át'ééh', Lakota 'háu', Mvskoke 'hesci', Anishinaabemowin 'aaniin', Ojibwe 'boozhoo', Wampanoag 'wuneekeesuq', Choctaw 'halito'). Each word in its own colored panel with the nation name beneath. Bottom margin: small note 'pronunciations recorded by enrolled tribal members at the request of [tribal education office].' No stereotyped imagery - no feathers/tipis/headdresses. Style: warm letterpress, dignified, contemporary.

Guided practice

10 min
Tasks
  • Sticky-note brainstorm: each child writes (or dictates) ONE wondering about the Native peoples of our region for the I-Wonder chart.
    scaffold Sentence frame: 'I wonder __ about the __ people who live(d) here.'
  • Sort the sticky notes with the class into compelling vs. supporting questions - teacher labels.

Formative assessment

5 min
Exit ticket
  • Finish this sentence: 'Native people ___ today.' (Acceptable: are here / live here / run their nations / speak their languages / etc.)
scoring Present-tense verb = mastery snapshot; past-tense = practicing + 1-on-1 reteach next session

Closure

3 min
Moves
  • Add 'living', 'today', 'nation' to Word Wall
  • Preview tomorrow: we will learn there is no ONE Native people - there are 574+ nations

Homework

5 min
Tasks
  • Ask one grown-up at home: 'Whose land did our town used to be? Whose land is it?' Bring back any answer you get tomorrow.

Exercises in this lesson

hist.g2.f.cul.indigenous_living_nations_today.ex_01
Read this sentence: 'Native Americans LIVED in our region a long time ago.' Is this sentence in past tense or present tense? Rewrite it...
 tense check · diff 1
hist.g2.f.cul.indigenous_living_nations_today.ex_02
Look at the four photos (M-2-F-CUL-01-A). For each photo, write the YEAR you think it was taken AND one detail that tells you when. Are...
 photo dating · diff 2
hist.g2.f.cul.indigenous_living_nations_today.ex_04
Find one image of 'Native American' people in a book, magazine, or online (with a grown-up's help). Apply the 3 checks: (1) Is the image...
 media audit · diff 5

Differentiation

Scaffolds
  • Sentence-frame strip 'Native people ___ today.'
  • Pre-read photo captions aloud
  • Pair non-writers with a writing buddy
Extensions
  • Research extension: find one news headline from this month about a Tribal Nation.
English Learners
  • Spanish/Mandarin/Arabic translation of 'Native people are here today' on the Word Wall
  • Bilingual sentence frame
Ieps 504s
  • Voice-typed sticky note (ASR sidecar)
  • Photo-only response acceptable for non-writers

Teacher notes

CRITICAL PROTOCOL: Before this lesson, contact the local tribal nation's education office and ask for guidance on which nations to center, which words to use, and which read-alouds the nation recommends. Many nations have specific protocols on what may be shared with non-Native children. If a tribal nation declines or asks for changes, FOLLOW their guidance, not the curriculum text. This is the foundational stance of the entire unit. PRESENT-TENSE LANGUAGE IS NOT OPTIONAL - it is a respect protocol named in NMAI Essential Understandings #1 and #6. Correct 'lived' to 'live' every single time.