Idaho Social Studies 9-12.US2.1
The Standard
Analyze how federal policies established the relationship between the United States government and American Indian tribes, and the intended and unintended outcomes. • Allocation and Assimilated Period 1879-1934 • Tribal Reorganization Period, 1934-1958 • Termination and Relocation Period, 1953-1971 • Self-Determination Period, 1968-present
Idaho Content Standards: K-12 Social Studies · Federal Indian Policy Period, 1879 - Present
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students trace how federal policies changed tribal land, federal recognition, and control over services from the late 1800s to today. They compare each policy's stated goal with its effects on tribal nations.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students can put allotment, reorganization, termination and relocation, and self-determination in order. They can name a policy from each period and explain an intended goal and an outcome using source evidence.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think allotment gave tribes more land, when it divided tribal lands and opened some land to non-Native ownership. They may assume reorganization gave tribes full independence or that termination affected every tribe. They may also treat tribal nations as if each experienced these policies in the same way.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Compare the Dawes Act with the 1975 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. For each, state its goal and one effect on tribal control.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs four dated policy cards and a blank timeline; have them place each card and mark a change in tribal authority.
Read a short excerpt from the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act. Ask: What control did tribes gain, and what remained under federal oversight?
Play policy match: students pair four policy names with actions and consequences, then explain one match to a partner.
Read a tribal education department webpage; have students identify one decision the tribal government makes and one question about federal funding.
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