What grade levels are included?

The collection includes a 2nd grade biography, upper elementary reading passages for grades 3–5, and middle school passages for grades 6–8. Check the level on each passage before choosing a text.

Which people and Native nations do these passages cover?

Topics include Sacagawea, Sequoyah, Chester Nez and the Navajo Code Talkers, Tisquantum, the Wampanoag, Nimiipuu, Seminole, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and Taos Pueblo.

Can I use these passages outside November?

Yes. These passages can support social studies, biography reading, and reading comprehension throughout the school year.

Native American Heritage Month Reading Passages

Reading for Native American Heritage Month

November is Native American Heritage Month. This collection brings together reading passages about specific Native nations, historical figures, languages, and communities. Teachers, tutors, and homeschool families can use the texts to connect reading comprehension with social studies.

Biographies, languages, and Native nations

Read about Sequoyah and the Cherokee syllabary, Chester Nez and the Navajo Code Talkers, or Sacagawea and her role in the Lewis and Clark expedition. Other passages introduce the Wampanoag, Nimiipuu, Seminole, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and Taos Pueblo. Each text offers a starting point for learning about a particular person, place, or community.

Choose a passage for your readers

The collection includes a 2nd grade biography, upper elementary passages for grades 3–5, and middle school passages for grades 6–8. Choose a text that fits your readers, then practice finding the main idea, explaining events in sequence, using context clues, and supporting answers with evidence from the passage.

Make a passage that fits your lesson

Looking for a different reading level or a specific topic? Create your own reading passage about a Native nation, historical figure, language, or community. Choose a focused subject, such as Sequoyah and the Cherokee writing system or how the Wampanoag language is being revitalized today, and build on what your students are learning.