Lesson 2: Code Talkers
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Dublin Core
Title
Lesson 2: Code Talkers
Description
This lesson plan is meant to be integrated into a larger discussion about World War II and how native peoples narratives have been largely ignored in relation to their military contribution. The lesson plan details the achievements of code talkers, native recruits who were able to write an unbreakable code during the war, and how instrumental their role was in winning the war. The classroom activities are centered around two primary source documents from military officers in both WWI and WWII in an effort to demonstrate the legacy of code talkers in major military battles.
Creator
Ruth Isaac
Date
1914-07-28/1918-11-11
Lesson Plan Item Type Metadata
Duration
1 Day
Objectives
Students should understand the importance of having an unbreakable code when the German's were expert code breakers. By the end of the lesson, students should also understand that not only were Native Americans vital to winning WWII but also how the legacy originated in WWI.
Materials
Lesson 2 PowerPoint; Lesson 2 worksheet
Lesson Plan Text
Description: This lesson plan is meant to be integrated into a larger discussion about World War II and how native peoples narratives have been largely ignored in relation to their military contribution. The lesson plan details the achievements of code talkers, native recruits who were able to write an unbreakable code during the war, and how instrumental their role was in winning the war. The classroom activities are centered around two primary source documents from military officers in both WWI and WWII in an effort to demonstrate the legacy of code talkers in major military battles.
Essential Questions: What are the implications of excluding Native American contributions to World War II; why has it been erased? What was the role of native peoples in the war? Why is it important to know that code talkers existed prior to WWII?
Introduction (20 minutes):
* Lesson plan should be emedded in the WWII unit
* Remind students of last few lessons that discussed what students knew about code talkers/Native peoples in WWII (with statistics on number of Natives killed in the war)
* Have students go around the room and either tell what they know about code talkers or guess why they were important in the war
o Make sure to brainstorm, as a class, a few reasons why it's bad that code talkers are frequently left out of the narrative
* Power point slide accompanied with a 15 minute lecture on the role of code talkers in WWII
o Make sure to analyze the pictures in the PowerPoint slide as well
Body Activity (25 minutes):
* Divide class in half (students should work in pairs within the two groups); analyze the two primary documents found below about native code talkers in both WWI and WWII
o Why is it important that code talkers existed prior to WWII?
* Do a classroom share where each group presents their document and their analysis of the document
o Student pairs in document I, should link up with student pairs in document II and share their documents.
o When doing the class room share out, make the students doing WWI documents do their share out first -> then WWII students go next (to show continuity)
o As a class, talk about why it's important that Native code talkers were present in both WWI and WWII. What does it mean that despite their contributions to both wars they are rarely talked about in textbooks?
Wrap-Up Activity (5 minutes):
* Bringing together the two primary source documents
o Learning goals after analyzing both documents: understanding that Native code talkers influence in the wars was instrumental in U.S. victory and that the continuity of their contributions to the wars have been widely unacknowledged
Essential Questions: What are the implications of excluding Native American contributions to World War II; why has it been erased? What was the role of native peoples in the war? Why is it important to know that code talkers existed prior to WWII?
Introduction (20 minutes):
* Lesson plan should be emedded in the WWII unit
* Remind students of last few lessons that discussed what students knew about code talkers/Native peoples in WWII (with statistics on number of Natives killed in the war)
* Have students go around the room and either tell what they know about code talkers or guess why they were important in the war
o Make sure to brainstorm, as a class, a few reasons why it's bad that code talkers are frequently left out of the narrative
* Power point slide accompanied with a 15 minute lecture on the role of code talkers in WWII
o Make sure to analyze the pictures in the PowerPoint slide as well
Body Activity (25 minutes):
* Divide class in half (students should work in pairs within the two groups); analyze the two primary documents found below about native code talkers in both WWI and WWII
o Why is it important that code talkers existed prior to WWII?
* Do a classroom share where each group presents their document and their analysis of the document
o Student pairs in document I, should link up with student pairs in document II and share their documents.
o When doing the class room share out, make the students doing WWI documents do their share out first -> then WWII students go next (to show continuity)
o As a class, talk about why it's important that Native code talkers were present in both WWI and WWII. What does it mean that despite their contributions to both wars they are rarely talked about in textbooks?
Wrap-Up Activity (5 minutes):
* Bringing together the two primary source documents
o Learning goals after analyzing both documents: understanding that Native code talkers influence in the wars was instrumental in U.S. victory and that the continuity of their contributions to the wars have been widely unacknowledged
Files
Collection
Citation
Ruth Isaac, “Lesson 2: Code Talkers,” Native History Project, accessed July 11, 2026, https://native-history.sites.grinnell.edu/items/show/33.