Native American History Vocabulary List (10 Key Terms for Kids)

We know that language matters, especially when talking about history. As you begin teaching your Native American History unit, have you considered what vocabulary words your students will need to know to understand the concepts? 

I know how precious your time is as a teacher. This list of 10 key terms and suggested activities will take the guesswork (and prep time!) out of your vocabulary instruction. Even better, you and your students will be ready to have thoughtful discussions about Native American History.  

Why Teach Native American History Vocabulary?

Vocabulary is a crucial key that unlocks student understanding. If a student hasn’t learned certain words, there are some concepts they simply will not understand. You also want to teach your students to use respectful language and terminology when discussing Native American historical events, contributions, and key figures. 

In this blog post, Lauren Brown illustrates the power of vocabulary. She said:

Students often whine about vocabulary tests. They just don’t see the point of memorizing a bunch of words that, to them, just mean the same thing as other words they already know. “Why do we need to know squalid,” they ask. “Can’t we just say dirty?”

But the [immigrant] tenements weren’t just dirty. They were, according to one definition of squalid, “extremely dirty and unpleasant, especially as a result of poverty or neglect.” This seven-letter word speaks volumes about the conditions of the urban poor at the turn of the century in a way that “dirty” or “really bad” just doesn’t convey.

According to Brown, “Vocabulary is a tool of thought.” As such, student thought is simplistic if they do not have a rich vocabulary. When students develop a more complex vocabulary, they can have more complex thoughts. And more complex thinking leads to greater success in school and beyond!

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Tips for Teaching Native American Key Terms

To develop a wide vocabulary, students need both direct and indirect instruction. In addition, students need to interact with the words multiple times. As vocabulary words are studied repeatedly and in a variety of meaningful contexts, student understanding will increase.

Here are some of my favorite ways you could teach Native American History Vocabulary:

• Involve students in creating a Native American History word wall. 
  • As each key term is taught, students add meaningful illustrations and definitions to the wall. Ensure each student has a copy of the word wall they can reference. You can do this in a vocabulary notebook!
• Play games with the terms. Playing games with vocabulary terms will help students understand and internalize word meanings in a fun and non-threatening environment. For example:
  • Memory: The goal of this game is to match the vocabulary term with the correct definition. 
    • First, create your memory cards. Do this by writing the vocabulary terms and corresponding definitions on separate cards (ex: if you have 15 vocabulary words, you should have 30 memory cards).
    • Next, lay out all of the memory cards face-down so students cannot see the words/definitions.
    • Then, students take turns flipping over two cards, one at a time. After each card is turned over, the student says the vocabulary word/definition aloud. If the definition matches the word, the student keeps the pair! The student with the most pairs “wins.” 
    • Hint: Extend this activity even further by having your students make their own memory cards!
  • Flyswatter: The goal of this game is to have students compete to identify the vocabulary word first when given an oral definition. 
    • First, bring (at least) 2 flyswatters to class! 
    • Then, write all the key terms on the board and quickly review the words with your students. 
    • Next, divide the class into (at least) two teams.
    • Students take turns trying to ‘swat’ the word first after hearing the definition. 
      • Make it more challenging by offering an example of the word in action, synonyms, etc.
  • 3 in a Row/Bingo: The goal of this game is to see who can get a completed row first! 
    • First, have students fill in a 3×3 grid with each of the vocabulary words. (You can make this grid larger if you have more words on your list.)
    • Next, call out definitions and have students mark off that square. 
      • Alternatively, you can have them write an example or sentence in the box to get additional practice with the vocabulary!
    • The first student to get a row filled in wins! 
      • Another way to ‘win’ could be to complete the whole board. 

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Why I Chose These Native American History Words

When searching for Native American History Vocabulary, I tried to include a mix of words students would experience throughout their study of social studies (like culture and region). I also included words more specific to studying Native Americans (like tribes and reservations). And in case you are interested, there are also words here that students would likely encounter multiple times in my Native American History unit!

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10 Native American History Words

1. Region: An area of land that has common features
2. Tribe: A society linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader
3. Indigenous:  Inhabiting a land from the earliest times or from before the arrival of colonists
4. Native: A person born in a specified place or associated with a place by birth, whether subsequently resident there or not
5. Culture: A way of life for a group of people, including their behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols
6. Colonize: To send a group of settlers to (a place) and establish political control over it
7. Reservation: An area of land reserved for a tribe under a treaty or other agreement with the United States as a permanent tribal homeland
8. Plains: A large area of flat land with few trees
9. Natural Resource: Materials from the earth that are used to meet human needs
10. Assimilation: The process of absorbing people, ideas, or culture into a wider society or culture

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Click Here to Download the Free Native American History Vocabulary List

Hopefully, these tips and resources can help make learning vocabulary more exciting and meaningful in your classroom. 

More Resources for Teaching about Native American Regions

With these ideas under your belt, I hope you’re feeling excited to introduce your Native Americans unit! And while starting right is clearly important, so is being prepared for the rest of the unit! 

If you enjoyed this post, you may be interested in my Native American Regions unit. This all-inclusive unit provides 15 interactive lesson plans about Indigenous groups from eight cultural regions: Eastern Woodlands, Great Plains, Southwest, Pacific Northwest, Plateau, Great Basin, California, and Southeast. In just a few minutes, the next 3 weeks of your social studies curriculum will be ready to go! Students will love the variety of activities and will create a cultural atlas as their culminating project. 

If you’re still deciding, take a look at my preview of the unit. I think you’ll appreciate how much prep time you’ll save AND how invested your students will be in class. I hope both you and your students enjoy your study of Native American regions and cultures!   

Here is what educators are saying about the Native American Regions unit:

 

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