ARIZONA STATE MUSEUM: AN INTRODUCTION
ASM Collection Objects Coloring Books
For Kindergarten – 2nd grades: A coloring book of ten objects in ASM’s collection.
Muse2You! Tours Introduction to ASM and Anthropology
For 3rd - 5th grades: Meet your tour guide, Miss Mae, to discuss what is anthropology and culture, research and the scientific process, and Native Nations of Arizona to prepare for virtual Muse2You exhibit tours. The Introduction video is 5 minutes long and best used with the exhibit tours found below about O'odham, Yaqui, and Western Apache history and culture.
AMERICAN INDIAN CULTURE AND HISTORY
ANCIENT TWIG ANIMALS AND WOVEN SANDALS
For 1st – 3rd grades: Receive an introduction to ancient items found in caves in northern Arizona. Learn about split-twig animal figurines from 3,000-4,000 years ago and marvel at sandals worn 700-800 years ago. Follow a lesson to make your own split-twig animal.
HISTORY AND CULTURAL PRACTICES OF COMMUNITIES IN TUCSON
At the Foot of Black Mountain reader and discussion guide.
For 4th – 7th grades: A bilingual guide provides an overview of Tucson's early history, and shares findings from the Rio Nuevo archaeological excavations conducted by Desert Archaeology, Inc. in downtown Tucson. The guide covers events from prehistoric times up to approximately 1900 through the stories of some of Tucson's earliest residents.
Discover Community in the Borderlands augmented reality experiences and lesson plans.
For middle school and up: Hear stories of Tucson community history and culture through immersive AR experiences. Meet culture specialists and tradition bearers, see 3D objects, photographs, and videos, and watch dance, hear music and poetry. These experiences were collaboratively created by the University of Arizona partners Arizona State Museum, UA Center for Digital Humanities, and UA Poetry Center with community partners Dunbar Pavilion, Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, Pascua Yaqui Tribe’s Department of Language and Culture, Mission Garden, and Borderlands Theater.
Discovery Community in the Borderlands, an augmented reality (AR) series of mini exhibits. Use your phone to scan the QR codes to access the experiences on the website or at each location in the community.
Related Lesson Plans for high school students: Explore Chinese, Hispanic, Black, Tohono O’odham and Pascua Yaqui history, culture, and gardens in Tucson.
Related Writing Prompts for middle school students.
ARIZONA NATIVE NATIONS HISTORY AND CULTURE
Arizona Native Nations: Test Your Knowledge
Activity sheet for middle–college students.
For middle and high school students: Dressed to Express: Exploring Dress, Culture and Identity in American Indian Objects and Dress Curriculum Module.
By doing the activities in this unit, students build research, observation, and analysis skills, as well as develop respect for different people’s expressions of and ownership of identity. The exercises focus on three contemporary Indigenous artists’ works that reflect their cultural identity and the environment where they live.
For middle and high school students: Photo ID: Portraits by Native Youth.
An online exhibit that asks students to consider how we construct identity. They will learn about how Native peoples have been represented historically by non-Native photographers, such as Edward S. Curtis, and will see contemporary photographs by Native youth. More recently photography has been used as a social justice tool by youth and other groups to establish and express their own identities. Students will be invited to create their own portraits in response to the exhibit.
Pascua Yaqui History and Culture
For 3rd – 6th grades: Muse 2 You! Virtual Exhibit Tour Video.
Join Miss Mae to learn about the history and culture of the Yaqui people in this 32 minute exhibit tour video, includes discussion questions. The virtual tour reinforces skills in using primary sources, visual literacy, observation, listening, map reading, scientific process, farming methods, cultural competency. (Tour created by Dr. Larea Lewis, a former ASM school program tour guide and member of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.)
Use these resource materials to extend your lesson:
Yaqui Tour Background Information (pdf)
Yaqui Tour Vocabulary (pdf)
Yaqui Tour Discussion Questions (pdf)
Paper Flower Making Instructions (pdf)
Tour of Yaqui exhibit (32 min). Learn about the history, culture, and religion of the Yaqui people on this virtual exhibit tour with Miss Mae. Includes discussion questions.
Online Exhibit Exploration: Our Song Is Our Strength.
For high school students. This online exhibit of highlights the resilience and determination of the Yaqui people from their homelands near Rio Yaqui in Mexico through government enslavement and persecution, and their exodus north into the United States. This exhibit uses original artworks and poetry from Pascua Yaqui artists Fransisco Fraire, Jr, Mariana Rivera, and Luis Rodriguez to highlight contemporary issues and community pride.
Yaqui Musical Instrument Lotería Game.
Students will become familiar with musical instruments used for Yaqui celebrations and ceremonies. Download boards and cards for this tri-lingual (Yaqui, English, Spanish) “bingo” game. Included are fully colored boards and cards, as well as a set that can be colored once downloaded. There is also a PDF giving the history of lotería and instructions for playing the game.
Yaqui and Mayo Masks from ASM’s James S. Griffith Collection.
Includes reference materials and images on the history, symbolism, and how Yaqui and Mayo masks are made.
Tohono O’odham and Akimel O’odham History and Culture
For 3rd – 6th grades: Muse 2 You! Virtual Exhibit Tour Video.
Join Miss Mae to learn about Tohono O’odham and Akimel O’odham history and culture in this 34 minute exhibit tour video, includes discussion questions. The virtual tour reinforces skills in using primary sources, visual literacy, observation, listening, map reading, scientific process, farming methods, cultural competency. (Tour created by Dr. Larea Lewis, a former ASM school program tour guide and member of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.)
Use these resource materials to extend your lesson:
O’odham Tour Background Information (pdf)
O’odham Tour Vocabulary (pdf)
O'odham Tour Discussion Questions (pdf)
O’odham Tour Crossword Puzzle (pdf)
O'odham Crossword Answers (pdf)
Sonoran Desert Writing Activity Lesson Plan and Images (pdf)
Tohono O'odham Traditional Foodways (pdf)
Tour of O’odham exhibit (34 min). Learn about the history and culture of the Tohono O’odham and Akimel O’odham on this virtual exhibit tour with Miss Mae. Includes discussion questions.
For high school students: Online Exhibit Exploration: Su:dagi/Shu:thag: Rekindling Our Connections exhibit.
This online exhibit uses historic photographs, objects, and videos to explore the historic loss of water resources for the Gila River and Salt River tribes (Akimel O’odham, or River People), their fight for water rights and cultural reparations, and how their traditional knowledge can be harnessed to create a healthy future. Curated by Jacob E. Butler Sr. of the Gila River Indian Community and Aaron Sabori of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.
Invisible No More! exhibit.
This online exhibit explores the Hia-Ced O’odham (Sand People) process to achieve federal recognition, and how this decision will support their cultural reparations and future as a distinct tribe. Curated by members of Hia-Ced Hemajkam, LLC.
For 3rd-12th grades: Tohono O'odham Saguaro Harvesting with Stella Tucker.
For 3rd -5th grades: Tohono O’odham Community Action Y.O.U.T.H. on Health, Family and Community
For 3rd -5th grades: Traditional Tohoho O'odham Foodways
Western Apache
For 3rd – 6th grades: Muse 2 You! Virtual Exhibit Tour Video.
Join Miss Mae to learn about the history and culture of the Yaqui people in this 38 minute exhibit tour video, includes discussion questions. The virtual tour reinforces skills in using primary sources, visual literacy, observation, listening, map reading, scientific process, farming methods, cultural competency. (Tour created by Dr. Larea Lewis, a former ASM school program tour guide and member of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.)
Use these resource materials to extend your lesson:
Western Apache Tour Background Information (pdf)
Western Apache Tour Discussion Questions (pdf)
Tour of the Western Apache (38:07 min). Learn about the history and culture of the Western Apache people on this virtual exhibit tour with Miss Mae. Includes discussion questions.
LINKING PAST TO PRESENT: U.S. IMMIGRATION HISTORY AND POLICY
For high school and college students: A film providing a short overview of of the reasons and policies that have shaped US history and immigration policies from founding to 2016. Included are the experiences of immigrants and immigrant descendants. Created by UA’s Center for Latin American Studies and Arizona State Museum in 2016.
Video | Discussion Guide | Timeline
MEXICAN INDIGENOUS DRESS AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Mexican Indigenous Dress and Musical Instruments
For 3rd – 5th grades: This Arizona State Museum Smithsonian Learning Lab explores Mexican Indigenous dress and Yaqui traditional instruments through various images collections and activities.
What Would Frida Wear?
For 3rd – 5th grades: Download a Frida paper dolls and traditional Mexican huipils and the quechequemiti she favored wearing.
WRITING AND VISUAL LITERACY ACTIVITIES
Be a Detective: Look at Photographs for Clues
For 3rd – college students: Activity Sheet.
Exploring Walls
For High School Students: Writing prompts and activities to creatively explore ideas and information about border walls across the globe. These activities were inspired by a traveling exhibit featured at ASM in 2020, A History of Walls: The Borders We Build.
Writing and Visual Literacy Activities.
Writing and Visual Literacy Activities
Poems written by students at Pueblo High School and City High School in Tucson, Arizona after a six-session workshop based on these materials in 2021.
Read and listen to the poem by Taylor Cleland's class, Pueblo High School.
Read and listen to the poem by Caroline Fioramonte's class, Pueblo High School.
Read and listen to the poem by Annie Holub's class, City High School.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Arizona State Museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. These Smithsonian resources will help you teach about Native American history and culture.
American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving
Impact of Words and Tips for Appropriate Terminology
Knowledge 360
NK360° provides educational materials, virtual student programs, and teacher training that incorporate Native narratives, more comprehensive histories, and accurate information to enlighten and inform teaching and learning about Native America. NK360° challenges common assumptions about Native peoples and offers a view that includes not only the past but also the vibrancy of Native peoples and cultures today.
Navajo Treaty of 1868
Webinar: How do we teach about treaties and their relevance today?
Lesson Plan: Examine the Navajo Treaty of 1868 and the nation's journey home to understand how a people's agency and strength reaffirms and rebuilds Navajo (Diné) nationhood, culture, and sovereignty.