W.5.3

“Qa’-Soy” Published in News from Native California © Elaine Palmer

Qa'-Soy: a Pomo Tale of Traditional Ecological Knowledge

RL.5.1, RL.5.2, SL.5.1, SL.5.2, SL.5.3, W.5.2, W.5.3, W.5.7, RI.5.3, HSS 4.2, HSS 4.3, HSS 4.4

This 3 part unit was written by Pomo educator, weaver and artist, Elaine Quitquit Palmer. A story recollecting a cherished childhood memory, with her father, is the focal point. The story of Qa’-Soy illustrates the passing on of traditional knowledge. Students will read this story and interview an elder in their community. Some students will have a grandparent they can ask about traditions in their family. If a family member is not available, the teacher can help the student identify an appropriate community member the student may interview. “Elders are highly respected in California Native American culture. They remember our history and teach culture, share stories, and pass down traditional knowledge. It is important for the youth today to learn how to respect and communicate with their elders so that they maintain their family histories.” Elaine Quitquit Palmer

Joy Harjo The First Indigenous US Poet Laureate

Joy Harjo: The First Indigenous US Poet Laureate

RL.5.1, RL.5.2, RL.5.4, RL.5.5, RL.5.6, W.5.3, W.5.5, W.5.8, W.5.10, RL.6.4, RL.6.5, RL.6.6, W.6.3, W.6.5, W.6.10

This interdisciplinary poetry unit invites students to explore voice, identity, memory, gratitude, and interconnectedness through the lens of Joy Harjo’s poetry and worldview. Over the course of five multi-session lessons, students will read, analyze, and respond to poems by Joy Harjo—the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate—while crafting their own original poetry. Blending reading, writing, visual art, and social-emotional learning, the unit supports students in reflecting on their lived experiences and expressing themselves creatively.

Early Invasion in Northern California

Early Invasion in Northern California

HSS 5.1, HSS 5.3, HSS 5.4, HSS 5.8, W.5.3

This lesson introduces students to a more complex understanding of invasion and colonial settlement in California and builds on elementary knowledge of U.S. history by including an analysis of Russian settlers at Fort Ross, located in present day Sonoma county California, between 1812-1840. This lesson also engages students’ imagination and encourages curiosity about layered and complex histories with a creative writing activity that asks them to describe this historical era from a unique point of view.

Cambodian man and woman at the Cambodian New Year Parade in Long Beach

Glimpse of Cambodian Culture through a Photo (Snapshot)

RI.5.7, W.5.3

No specific prior learned background information is needed, but rather former knowledge of one's own and other cultures, based on previously viewed photos. Culture can be defined as shared behaviors, values, customs and beliefs in a society. Culture will shape how a group interacts with the world around them. However, the teacher should have a clear understanding of the Cambodian cultures presented through the previewed photographs to clarify and help guide students through analysis of the photographs. They can reference this resource if they need additional information https://www.britannica.com/place/Cambodia/Cultural-life.

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