Podcast Lessons for Native American Heritage Month

November is National Native American Heritage Month. Teaching students about the history, culture, traditions, music, art, and world views of Indigenous peoples is important to celebrating our shared sense of humanity. 

Listenwise has a thematically-curated Native American Stories podcast collections featuring a variety of voices and experiences, past and present. Browse the Middle School collection, the High School collection, or review the lists of resources below to find opportunities to bring American Indian heritage into your classroom this month and throughout the year.

The Listenwise podcasts below can be integrated into classroom lessons in a variety of ways:

Podcasts Highlighting Native American Culture & Language

• Chief Flying Eagle’s Thanksgiving
• Wampanoag Chief Shares Thanksgiving Recipes
• Scientific Discovery Announced in Blackfoot
• Life on a Reservation: Native American Identity in Literature
• The Significance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day
• Preserving the Cherokee Language
• Native American Cultural Burning Prevents Forest Fires
• Native Americans and the Wolf 
• Iroquois Nationals Prepare for Top Lacrosse Competition
• Washington DC NFL Team Changing Its Name

Podcasts Highlighting Native American History & Politics

• Chief Sitting Bull
• Company Aims to Address Cultural Appropriation
• The Wampanoag Story of Thanksgiving
• Historic Selection of Native American as Interior Secretary
• Resisting the Trail of Tears
• Parallel Universe: The Americas Before Columbus
• National Native American Veterans Memorial 
• Pamunkey Native American Tribe Gets Federal Recognition
• Wounded Knee and Sioux Native Americans
• ​​Treasures from the Trail of Lewis and Clark (Social Studies & ELD versions available)
• The Traumatic Legacy of Native American Boarding Schools
• The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
• Mohican Indians Reclaim Their History
• Native Americans and the Declaration of Independence
• Lewis and Clark and Prairie Dogs

Podcasts for Thematic Debate & Discussion

• Debate: Should Thanksgiving Be Taught Differently?
• Debate: Do Citizens Have a Right to Protect Themselves from the Pandemic?
• Debate: Should a River Be Granted Personhood?
• Debate: Does Media Coverage Sway Our Views?
• Debate: Should Tribal Citizenship Define Native American Identity?
• Debate: Should the U.S. Mine Lithium on Sacred Land?
• Debate: Should National Parks Be Controlled by Native Americans?
• Is Redskins an Appropriate Mascot Name?

More Quality Teaching Resources for Native American Heritage Month

Here are additional resources that can help you bring Indigenous peoples’ perspectives into your classroom:

• Listen to this podcast to hear students at Crow Agency Public School on the Crow Reservation in Montana debunk myths and stereotypes about Native life. Fifth-grade teacher Connie Michael was inspired to make this podcast with her students after working with teachers at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, where she learned that students across the country had significant misconceptions about life on a reservation.
• Listen to this NPR interview with the author of a new children’s book called Fry Bread, who wrote the book because he found few Native American characters represented in children’s literature.
• Listen to this KRCC story: The Mountain West Brings Native Lessons To The Classroom and check out the associated lessons. 
• “Stolen Lives: The Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the Indian Residential Schools” is a teaching resource from Facing History & Ourselves that illuminates an important chapter in the history of colonial and Indigenous peoples. 
• Use these lessons, activities and videos from Share My Lesson to delve into Native culture and heritage. 
• Native Knowledge 360° promotes improvement of teaching and learning about Native Americans.
• Find out whose land you’re on by using the digital locator at Native-Land.ca

Additional Notes

Terminology

According to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, all of the following terms are acceptable: American Indian, Indian, Native American, Indigenous, and Native. We acknowledge that the term Native American, while still widely used, is falling out of favor with some groups, who may prefer the terms American Indian or Indigenous American. Using the specific tribal name of the group is considered best practice.

We use Native American in this blog post frequently because it continues to be the most commonly used term, although we have made an effort to vary the terminology in some places out of respect. Listenwise commits to using specific tribal names whenever possible.

Thanksgiving

As we head into Thanksgiving later this month, it is important to recognize that for some Native Americans, the holiday is not a cause for celebration but rather a painful reminder of the devastation and loss Native communities have suffered. Learning for Justice offers teaching resources to promote understanding of the experiences of Native Americans. The lesson Teaching Thanksgiving in a Socially Responsible Way can help raise awareness of varying perspectives on the holiday.