Tens of thousands of young people from Indian communities all across America were sent to the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania between 1879-1918. What was the purpose, the strategy, the outcome? What can we learn from interrogating this historical, educational experiment about the goals of its founders, the students who were sent there, the impact on their families and communities, U.S. military and domestic policy related to Indian tribes, the history of American education, about race and ethnic relations? Because of the significant role it played in American and Native American history the Carlisle Indian Industrial School (CIS) continues to be a major site of memory for many Native peoples across the U.S. and Canada, as well as a source of research and study for descendants, students and scholars around the globe.
Lesson Plans have been designed around various themes and skills for both secondary (8-12) and college and university classes. The aim is to guide teachers, students, and researchers as they begin to explore and use this digital resource center. Teacher guides, followed by student worksheets, are posted in WORD so that people can easily and freely access and adapt them. The document below is an overall guide for the teaching modules for the Carlisle Indian School Digitial Resource Center and includes information on additional resources for research.
