The Curriculum From Home delves into the rich and diverse histories of Native American tribes across different regions and how they acclimated to those territories. The opening chapter examines each region of the continental United States with attention to unique housing, diet, and cultural adaptations. Supplemental material takes students through a letter from Hernán Cortés which details the marvels of Tenochtitlan. In the chapters that follow, tribes are progressively introduced with attention to their architecture, diet, and cultural institutions. By surveying the fullness of the continent, students gain a richer understanding of the diverse histories of regionally distinct tribes.

The Curriculum From Home encourages students to critically examine the interactions between Native Americans and Europeans, focusing on issues of identity, race, and power dynamics. For example, students explore the Valladolid Debate in chapter two supplemental material. In this assignment, students dive into an actual debate that occurred centuries ago, considering Spanish thoughts about the status of Indians as justification for subjugation. Later, in chapter nine, students read competing essays by Native activists arguing over the nature of an Indian and what it means to be a real Indian. These and other elements help students understand and critique the complex power dynamics at play as historical and contemporary actors sought to define Indianness.

The curriculum highlights the importance of understanding and respecting diverse Native American perspectives and their experiences throughout history. Many assignments invite students to compare competing views, such as the Valladolid Debate (Chapter 2) and Native Activists (Chapter 9). Other examples include chapter three’s discussion of how French colonizers often embedded themselves among and learned to adopt Indian lifeways. Chapter six supplemental content on Indian removal policy invites students to read arguments in favor and against the policy to better understand competing viewpoints. These readings encourage students to both evaluate and appreciate differing perspectives on Native culture and aspirations.

The curriculum emphasizes the role of Native Americans in shaping U.S. history and their ongoing contributions through civic engagement. Chapter five supplemental material contrasts competing tribal calls for military alliances with the English and colonists during the American Revolution. Chapter nine walks’ students through the rise of Red Power and explores how young adult leaders refashioned advocacy as a civic duty in the 1960s and 1970s. In the supplemental material, students will also read proclamations issued by several of those groups. These stories inspire students to engage in civic activities and promote social responsibility.

The curriculum critically examines the systems of oppression faced by Native Americans and their efforts to overcome these challenges. Dispossession and erosion of sovereignty is a major theme caring through many of the chapters, particularly the second (Spanish Colonization), third (French and Dutch colonization), and fourth (English colonization). Additionally, supplemental material for chapter six includes legal codes for enslaving Native Americans. Chapters six and seven illustrate the final thrust to remove tribal people onto reservations and undermine their political and cultural sovereignty through federal policy. These critical examinations help students recognize and address historical and contemporary systems of oppression and inequality.

The curriculum provides rich content that enhances students' research, critical thinking, and analytical skills through the exploration of Native American history and ethnic studies themes. Each chapter includes periodic review questions and concludes with a graphic organizer activity that challenges students to reconceptualize content as a Venn diagram, table, T-chart, concept map, or other method. Additionally, end of chapter review questions challenge comprehension. Each of the nine chapters is also accompanied by two supplemental material projects that introduce primary sources and challenge students to draw on contextual knowledge to analyze more narrowly focused content. Students may review an ancient Mesoamerican code (chapter 1) or ethnographic notes from the American Southwest (chapter 2), but also will find opportunities to compare and contrast competing arguments, such as the causes of King Phillip’s War (chapter 4) or Congressional explanations for failed Indian policy (chapter 7). In reading and responding to primary sources, students develop essential academic skills of interrogating texts while deepening their understanding of course themes.