NACI Lesson Plans are Powerful in the Classroom

Amplifying Native Voices & Building Bridges

Amplifying Native Voices in the classroom and building bridges between Native and educational communities are the goals of the BYU ARTS Partnership’s Native American Curriculum Initiative (NACI). Many teachers are using the in-depth and culturally accurate resources from the initiative to further the knowledge, connections, and personal expression of their students.
 
Talia Walker, who teaches fifth grade in the Alpine School District in Utah, uses the lesson plans that are part of the NACI. “I feel like these lessons are important because they are a reliable source to use with accurate information in regards to Native American studies,” she said. “The lessons I had the opportunity to present to my class were engaging because they are taught using different modalities of learning—movement, art, reading, et cetera.”

 Lessons that Look at History from a Different Lens

What would Walker say to other teachers who are considering using the lesson plans in their classrooms? Use them! “These lessons are an excellent resource that provides grade-level content. The art produced in the lessons helps students connect to the emotional sides of American history,” she said. “The American story is not the prettiest from the perspective of Indigenous peoples, but I think that is the power of these lessons—they are a powerful, creative way of looking at history through a different lens.” 
 
One example of a lesson from the NACI that Walker used with her fifth graders is "Coyote Steals Fire,” an integrative lesson that incorporates literacy, art, and science. Students learn about the history and culture of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone people and paint a landscape of an environment with Utah wildlife.
 
During the lesson, Walker’s students were able to connect concepts that they had learned about ecosystems. “They loved the lesson. It was a chance for a lot of students to not only learn watercoloring techniques, but also an opportunity to learn about the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone tribe,” Walker said.
 
In addition to using the lessons in her classroom, Walker’s school, Trailside Elementary, hosts a Native American Cultural Celebration every year. The event celebrates and honors Native American Heritage Month through music and dance. 2023’s celebration included nationally-ranked hoop dancers, local Native American dance performers, and drum groups.

More Tribe-Approved Resources

Other NACI lesson plans include titles such as “Father Sky and Mother Earth: A Navajo Tale”; “From Eaglet to Eagle: A Hoop Dance Story”; “Fry Bread”; and “Navajo Rug Geometry” to name a few.
 
In addition to lesson plans, the NACI website has a plethora of information about correctly and respectfully teaching about and integrating Native American history and art into the curriculum. There is information about professional development for educators, a Native American Teaching Artist roster (created in partnership with UA&M), information about culturally accurate Native American children’s books, tribe-approved maps, and more.
 
Lesson plans can also be found on the BYU ARTS Partnership website at education.byu.edu/arts/lessons/

Laura Giles is a lover of all things art, a first-grade teacher in Alpine School District, a writer for The Daily Herald newspaper, an Arts Leadership Academy graduate and has earned the Arts Integration Endorsement from Brigham Young University. She can be reached at LauraCGiles@gmail.com.