Grade 5 is deeply immersed in their study of Native Americans.
In literature class, we are reading Indian No More by Traci Sorell and exploring what it felt like to be a child in the 1950s participating in the Indian Relocation Program. The main character of our book, Regina, allows us to feel the consequences and emotions of a young child during this era. For my students, the fact that this level of discrimination took place in the 1950s was a shock.

In social studies, we are studying the Indigenous people of Mesoamerica. We are learning about their communities, beliefs, and how they built their homes from the resources available to them. We have a long-term project planned and an exciting field trip to wrap up the unit.
So, recently for students, Indigenous Peoples’ Day was really just another opportunity for us to take a deeper dive into the lives of Native Americans in this country. We were inspired by We Are Still Here, a book also written by Traci Sorell. The book covered topics such as termination, allotment of land, forced assimilation and the relocation of tribes. We worked in groups exploring these topics through photos and articles. The students were very curious and engaged in our study.