This lesson introduces students to the history and traditional astronomical knowledge of both Hupa and Chumash Peoples of California. Students will learn how Oral Histories have been passed down and preserved for hundreds of years and will learn to appreciate how cultural and/or family knowledge is passed down in their families.
This lesson introduces students to the life and artwork of Brian D. Tripp (Karuk), a groundbreaking Native California artist, poet, singer, and ceremonial practitioner. Tripp was a powerful early voice in the modern Native California art movement. His work blends traditional imagery and symbolism from Karuk, Yurok, and Hupa cultures with bold, modernist expression, giving visual form to cultural identity, ancestral memory, and contemporary Native experiences.
In this lesson, students will explore the life and artwork of Harry Fonseca, a celebrated Native California artist of Nisenan Maidu, Hawaiian, and Portuguese ancestry and a citizen of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians. Fonseca used his art to express identity, honor Native traditions, and respond to historical events like the California Gold Rush. Through vibrant paintings, symbolic imagery, and recurring figures like the trickster Coyote, Fonseca’s work invites students to think deeply about storytelling, cultural resilience, and how art can be both personal and political.
In this lesson, students will learn about Judith Lowry, a Native American artist whose work powerfully reflects her cultural heritage and important moments in Native history. We will begin by reading a short biography to understand her life story, including how her mixed background and experiences have influenced her art. Then, students will explore several of Lowry’s vibrant paintings, using them as a window into Native perspectives and stories that are often overlooked or misunderstood. Through guided discussion and observation, students will discover how Lowry uses her art to challenge stereotypes, celebrate Native identity, and bring attention to the challenges Native communities face today. This lesson aims to help students appreciate art as a form of storytelling and social activism, while inspiring them with the creative strength and resilience of Judith Lowry and other Native artists.
Students will be able to analyze and articulate how Hmong American history has influenced and contributed to intergenerational trauma within the Hmong community, and they will critically examine the long-term impacts on successive generations. Students will also be able to identify how the Hmong community has engaged in healing practices as a response to coping with the trauma and make connections with present-day society and their own lives in a Socratic Seminar discussion.
Buddhism was founded more than 2500 years ago by Siddhartha Gautama in India. After witnessing The Four Sites, Siddhartha Gautama left the palace. Siddhartha lived several years as an ascetic before obtaining enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree where he became Buddha Gautama. He composed the Four Noble Truths, four primary teachings that reflect the reality of existing in this life. Buddha Gautama established the Noble Eightfold Path as a guide to help people end the cycle of suffering. The Three Jewels of Buddhism are the Buddham, Dharma, and Sangh. Currently Three Traditions of Buddhism survive at the time of this writing: Vajrayana, Mahayana, and Theravada. Each with their own doctrine. Buddhism is the dominant religious belief of the Cambodian (Khmer) people of the World. The majority of Khmer people follow the Theravada tradition of Buddhism. The institutions of Buddhism were systematically oppressed in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge Communist Regime from 1975–1979 resulting in the destruction of pagodas and the death of monks. Buddhism in Cambodia was restored after the Khmer Rouge Communist Regime was removed from power. (History Channel)
This lesson introduces students to the concept of food sovereignty and its importance to California Native communities. Students will explore how historical events disrupted traditional foodways and analyze the challenges Native communities face in regaining control over their food systems. Through reading, discussion, and a Venn diagram activity, students will develop an understanding of the cultural and ecological significance of food sovereignty and reflect on its role in improving health and preserving traditions. Students will understand the concept of food sovereignty and its importance to California Indian communities.
This lesson introduces students to the Oak Woodlands ecosystem, an area of cultural and ecological significance for the Pomo people. Students will learn about key species, their roles within the ecosystem, and their importance to Native traditions. Additionally, students will explore the connections between culture, ecosystems, and sustainability through vocabulary activities and food chain exploration.
Students will trace the origin of Hmong Romanized Popular Alphabet (written language script) to the Catholic Church in Laos and Father Yves Bertrais and its influences. By practicing the Hmong alphabet and common words/phrases, students will be able to create a Personal Dictionary and share their understanding with the class.
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.
This lesson utilizes “ Letter to a Young Native: Sovereignty is Action,” by Shaunna McCovey from Ka’m-t’em: A Journey Toward Healing, edited by Kishan Lara-Cooper and Walt Lara. As a Yurok and Karuk person from northwestern California with a background in Environmental law, Native American law, and Social Work, McCovey explains sovereignty from both an Indigenous and federal government perspective. Highlighted in this lesson, McCovey emphasizes how we as human beings must come together to protect the natural environment. This lesson introduces Indigenous perspectives and relationships to the natural environment, human impacts on the natural environment, and methods to minimize the human impact on the environment both personally and as a class community.
This unit utilizes an excerpt of Ch. 14 Songs of “Those Within” and a poem entitled, Visitor in the Forest, both written by Callie Lara. The readings introduce an Indigenous perspective of relationship and responsibility to the natural environment including the river, forest, animals, etc. Through her poetry and story-telling, the author helps students to visualize landscapes such as ravines, rivers, vegetation, animals, prairies, and aromas. Further, the author reminds students that humans are but one component of the natural environment. Therefore, awareness of human impact and responsibility to the natural environment is integral to its preservation. This lesson addresses science, history, reading and writing state standards and encourages students to build awareness and promote change through their writing.
Lessons in this unit could be used for a week, or up to a month. Students will receive a foundational understanding in Hupa culture, traditional ecological knowledge and environmental science. Opportunities for written/multimedia expression as well as critical thinking are integrated throughout lessons. This unit prepares students for the interactive “Life of an Acorn Game” unit. Authors recommended completing this unit before the game unit. Essential questions: Why do Hupa peoples prefer Tanoaks? Why should I prefer/prioritize acorn trees over all other trees? What are the expected results of promoting healthy acorn trees? What do I need to understand to unlock the acorn as a food source?
Students will learn to see lagoons as important to Indigenous cultures and the surrounding communities, including themselves. Students will analyze the dangers of water pollution to the ocean and lagoons to plants, animals, and culture. Students will learn how to identify some of the common plants and animals at a lagoon. Students will learn how to speak about the importance of wetlands and lagoons to Indigenous culture through a story with a moral or lesson about good lagoon stewardship. The ultimate goal is for students to learn the importance of understanding the connection between healthy ecosystems and the resilience of Indigenous cultures.
Toolkit developed by CA Indian Culture & Sovereignty Center and CSU San Marcos American Indian Studies. The purpose of the toolkit is to encourage all academic staff, students, administrators to acknowledge the original nations on whose land we live, learn, and work.
In this lesson, students will review the importance of the Chah-pekw O’ Ket’-toh Stone Lagoon Visitor Center and Sue-Meg State Park. Students will be introduced to the California State Park Reexamining Our Past Initiative. Using different California State Park websites, students will analyze how the parks can be updated to reflect their Indigenous history.
“In pre revolutionary Cambodia, the Buddhist temple (wat in Pali, the holy language of Theravada Buddhism; vat in Khmer) was a central fixture in Khmer villages, where it functioned not only as a religious shrine but also as a school, refuge, and social center. Buddhist holy days and life-cycle ceremonies punctuated the Khmer calendar and gave religious meaning to the stages of life. Buddhist norms of conduct were important guides for daily behavior.” (Smith-Hefner, 21).
