English Language Arts / 3rd Grade / Unit 4: Honoring Indigenous Peoples / Independent Reading Suggested Books

Independent Reading Suggested Books for Honoring Indigenous Peoples

See our Teacher Tool Independent Reading (K-5) for guidance on how to use the suggested texts below.

Fiction Texts with Connecting Topics and Themes

Fatty Legs by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton (850L) **
Hiawatha and the Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson (740L)
I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day
I am Not a Number by Dr. Jenny Kay Dupuis and Kathy Kacer (640L)
Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis and Traci Sorell (720L)
Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light by Tim Tingle
Stolen Words by Melanie Florence (530L) *
When I Was Eight by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton (760L) **
When We Were Alone by David A. Robertson and Julie Flett (600L)

Informational Texts to Build Content Knowledge

A Kid’s Guide to Native American History: More than 50 Activities by Yvonne Wakim Dennis
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (1220L)
My Heroes, My People: African Americans and Native Americans in the West by Morgan Monceaux (1120L) **
True Books: American Indians series by Kevin Cunningham

* lower Lexile or qualitative measures than core text.

** higher Lexile or qualitative measures than core text.

Note: Some of the links below are Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you click and make a purchase, we receive a small portion of the proceeds, which supports our non-profit mission.

Dive Deeper with ELA Professional Learning

Join our Summer Institutes in July and August 2023.