Speak/Sing Native Professional Development

Aug 19, 2025

Curriculum Overview and Key Concepts

Welcome to the Speak/Sing Native Curriculum—a dynamic, culturally grounded arts education curriculum that uplifts the voices, knowledge systems, and creative expressions of the First Peoples of what is now called the United States.

This curriculum is more than a set of lessons—it is an invitation to engage with Indigenous ways of knowing through music, movement, story, and art. It is designed to honor the sovereignty, resilience, and brilliance of Native nations while cultivating a deeper, more accurate understanding of Indigenous cultures and futures. For Indigenous students, this curriculum affirms cultural identity, reclaims language and expression, and provides a mirror in which their heritage is honored. For non-Indigenous students and staff, this curriculum offers opportunities to increase cultural literacy, disrupt stereotypes, and engage in learning that is rooted in respect, reciprocity, and relationship. Engaging with Native arts and perspectives benefits all learners by:

  • Expanding worldviews and dismantling stereotypes.
  • Fostering empathy, humility, and cultural awareness.
  • Developing critical thinking about whose voices are included in curricula—and why.
  • Encouraging creative expression that is culturally and socially relevant.

You do not need to be an expert in Indigenous cultures to teach this curriculum. You are invited to be a thoughtful facilitator—one who leads with curiosity, respect, and a willingness to learn alongside your students. Whenever possible, we encourage collaboration with local Native communities, artists, Elders, and culture bearers whose lived experience provides immeasurable richness to this work. Within the teacher guide, you’ll find:

  • Historical and cultural context to support your understanding.
  • Protocols for respectful engagement with Indigenous content.
  • Lesson plans adaptable across grade levels and content areas.
  • Reflections and inquiry questions that deepen both teacher and student learning.

Speak/Sing Native is part of a broader effort to create inclusive, just, and accurate educational experiences for every student. This work is about past, present and future, reflecting a fuller, more complex story of this land and its people.

Thank you for your commitment to transformative education. We are honored to support your journey as you bring this curriculum to life in your classroom and community.

    What You Will Need

    • Time. About 2 hours
    • Materials. A notebook and pen or pencil to write down notes and answer reflection questions.

      Resources

       

      The Speak/Sing Native curriculum was inspired by Floy C. Pepper, legendary musician Jim Pepper’s mother. She was a leader in education and worked with Native American students.

      The following quotes from Ms. Pepper comes from The Oregon Historical Quarterly, Spring 2006: “Oregon Voices: Mutual Respect and Equality: An Advocate for Indian Students in Oregon” by Floy Pepper, with Eliza Elkins Jones).

      “I said I had faith in the students….”

      “I was in demand as a speaker for a lot of different occasions. I spoke on equality. I spoke on how to teach Indian students, because they had to be taught differently than other students. I spoke on getting along with people, how you can do that….

      “I used to tell people they needed to have group discussions with their students, and people said that when you get Indians in a group they wouldn’t discuss anything. Yet, I could take a group of Indian students and within ten minutes have them all chattering about something. I think I did that by showing belief in them. You have to show your belief in them and trust them to speak.

      “When presenting the concept of group discussions, I preferred to work with a group of students to demonstrate the technique. I had been told that ‘Indian students do not talk and it would be useless to try to carry on discussions with them.’ I said I had faith in the students….”

      (Floy describes a demonstration with students before an audience of teachers)

      “…The audience was amazed that the students talked freely…It was interesting that the youngsters did not want to leave. I invited them to stay and suggested that we talk about the traditional values of their elders as compared to the values they presently held. They came to the conclusion that they preferred the values of their elders….

      “The demonstration was a success. When I got through, I said the audience could ask the students anything they wanted to, but the Indians didn’t have to answer if they didn’t want to. They asked one boy why he answered me and discussed in the group. He said,

      ‘Well, Mrs. Pepper would have waited on me all day…She wanted to know what I had to say, and she listened and stayed with me until I got it said.’…”

       

      Course Content