Bring Native American Studies to Life with This Free Museum Exhibit Project
Engage, assess, and inspire with a hands-on social studies performance task
Looking for a meaningful way to wrap up your Native American unit? Want to assess student learning in a way that goes beyond a quiz or worksheet?
I’ve got the perfect solution: the Native Voices Museum Exhibit — a FREE performance-based assessment that helps middle schoolers synthesize their learning about geography and pre-colonial Native American cultures in a creative, standards-aligned way.
And if you're ready for a fully done-for-you experience, there's also a complete 5-Day Mini-Unit available on Teachers Pay Teachers that integrates the project. Whether you want a free tool to enhance your teaching or you're ready to grab a comprehensive unit, I’ve got you covered.
What’s the Native Voices Museum Exhibit?
This is not your average assessment. Students step into the role of museum curators to design a visually engaging and content-rich exhibit that explains how geography and climate shaped the culture of one Native American group in pre-colonial North America.
The free download includes everything you need:
Task overview and final product checklist
Curator’s statement writing prompts
Artifact guidelines with explanation requirements
Rubric-ready expectations for maps, visuals, and written content
Want the Full 5-Day Mini-Unit?
The free PBA is just the final piece of a powerful learning experience. If you want step-by-step daily lesson plans, guided note-catchers, nonfiction readings, project modeling tools, and gallery walk reflection sheets, the 5-Day Mini-Unit is available now on TpT.
🛒 Click here to grab the full mini-unit on TpT
Here’s what the unit covers:
Day 1: How Geography and Climate Shape Culture – Two-column notes with guided analysis
Day 2: Regional Adaptations – Text-based inquiry into how tribes adapted to their environment
Day 3: Telling the Story of Place – Drafting curator’s statements
Day 4: Designing Museum Exhibits – Planning and building visual displays
Day 5:Gallery Walk & Reflection – Students view and learn from each other's work
Why Teachers Love It
Encourages student voice & creativity
Centers Indigenous perspectives and place-based learning
Teaches research, synthesis, and visual presentation skills
Perfect for formative or summative assessment
Aligned with middle school social studies & literacy standards
Ready to Dive In?
Download the FREE Native Voices Museum Exhibit PBA
Grab the Complete 5-Day Mini-Unit on TpT
Don’t let this topic be a passive lesson—make it an active, memorable, and meaningful experience your students will never forget.
Let’s help them not just learn history, but curate it.