Hear Indigenous History, Honor Indigenous Presence!
Tuesday October 15
Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes that Native people are the first inhabitants of the Americas, and it asks all Americans to reconsider the history of their country from that perspective. The TeachRock RUMBLE lesson plans bring Indigenous Peoples Day to life in the classroom through music and video from the documentary RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked The World, helping teachers introduce students of all ages to Native American history, perspectives, and issues.
On October 15, join educators nationwide and guide your students beyond mythology and toward a restorative history of the Americas by using one of the free, engaging, standards-aligned lesson plans featured below.
Then share your work! Post a photo, story, or a short video commentary to the TeachRock Facebook or Twitter. Don’t forget to include the tags: “#indigenouspeoplesday, #indigenouspeoplerock and “#TeachRockRumble”
Let us know how it went!
Teacher Survey
Student Survey (anonymous)
Suggested Lesson Plans
Elementary & Social Emotional Learning for All Ages: Negotiating Native Identity Through Art and Music draws on the personal story of the Black Eyed Peas’ singer Taboo and encourages every student to consider their multilayered identity.
Middle: The Music Behind The Red Power Movement explores the roles of Native American musicians and activists during the U.S. Civil Rights era.
High: Indigenous Music from Wounded Knee to the Billboard Charts uses the 1973 Redbone hit, “Come and Get Your Love” to launch an AP-aligned, document-based exploration of The Massacre at Wounded Knee, the Dawes Act, and the federal Indian boarding school system. It includes suggested techniques to scaffold for non-AP classrooms.
High: Debating Cultural Appropriation encourages students to consider cultural appropriation in varying degrees by watching RUMBLE clips of African-American “Mardi Gras Indian Tribes” from New Orleans, viewing images of sports logos, controversial fashion items, and consulting divergent viewpoints in regards to each before engaging in a structured academic controversy “debate” about the issues.
General Music or Interest: The Indigenous Roots of Rock and Roll introduces seminal Rock guitarist Link Wray and explores the ways his Shawnee heritage affected his North Carolina upbringing.
Further Reading: An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People, by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz.
This event is co-sponsored by the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, The National Indian Education Association, the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center at CSU San Marcos, and Rezolution Pictures.