Contact: Kara O’Keeffe
Madison, Wisconsin – The Wisconsin Historical Society along with the Wisconsin Act 31 Coalition partners announces the launch of a new website, WisconsinFirstNations.org. This website offers free classroom and educator professional development resources and comprehensive resources for learning about Wisconsin American Indian Nations.
“The Wisconsin Historical Society has been a partner in the Act 31 Coalition for many years, working to provide accurate and authentic resources about our state’s American Indian Nations,” said Kathy Borkowski, editorial director for the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. “This effort grew out of the legislative mandate, known as Act 31, which requires educators at all levels to teach about the history, culture, and tribal sovereignty of the American Indian Nations in the state.”
This newly designed website provides access to a wide range of resources for teachers and students including PreK-12 educational videos, lesson plans, books, images and maps. These learning tools also address the current academic standards and enhance understanding when teaching about Native cultures.
Teachers can also use the website to access development resources, including a Frequently Asked Questions section for answering hard-to-ask questions that they may have when teaching about Native cultures and videos of Wisconsin teachers modeling how to incorporate American Indian studies into students’ everyday learning.
WisconsinFirstNations.org fulfills Wisconsin Act 31 which requires that all school districts provide instruction in the history, culture and tribal sovereignty of the American Indian Nations in the state.
For more information, visit WisconsinFirstNations.org.
About the Wisconsin Historical Society : The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit wisconsinhistory.org.
About Wisconsin Act 31 Coalition Partners: This network of organizations in Wisconsin are dedicated to the development of resources and implementation of Wisconsin Act 31. The Act 31 Coalition partners include WPT Education, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the Wisconsin Indian Education Association, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education, the Wisconsin Historical Society, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay First Nation Studies, and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission.
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