Students examine how human activities impact coastal ecosystems and learn ways to support sustainable interaction with these environments. After viewing a science video, students engage in group discussions and design fictional coastal communities that balance human and environmental needs. Emphasizes Indigenous environmental stewardship and systems thinking.
Students will learn and apply respectful communication protocols when engaging with local California tribal communities. Students will incorporate Indigenous voices, perspectives, and feedback into their understanding and representation of local histories and cultures.
Students will learn and apply respectful communication protocols when engaging with local California tribal communities. Students will incorporate Indigenous voices, perspectives, and feedback into their understanding and representation of local histories and cultures.
Hmong people’s participation in US politics is one way they have made the United States a home for them. Students will learn about the meaning of civic engagement and social action and why it is important to be civically engaged as a responsible community member. They will discuss what civic engagement and social actions look like and begin to identify possible issues that they care about in the (Hmong) community. Students will research and collect data to learn more about their issue and work to find a solution to their issue through producing a social action plan.
Students will be able to trace the motivations of Vietnamese refugee migration to Texas and the Gulf Coast, identify the local responses to refugee resettlement in Seadrift, Seabrook, Rockport, and other small coastal communities in Texas and impacts of racial conflict by answering text dependent questions and creating a medium of choice.
This interdisciplinary lesson explores the near extinction and ongoing recovery of the California Condor, highlighting the critical role played by the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Program in northwestern California.
Students will identify reasons prompting Vietnamese refugees to risk their lives to flee their homeland by interacting with various sources and creating a reflective medium of choice.
Students will understand the challenges and barriers faced by Native American athletes in the early 20th century, especially in major leagues like MLB. Students will learn about the importance of the World Series in the early 20th century and how it served as both a personal and cultural milestone for players like Bender and Meyers.
Students will review the policies of refugee camps and resettlement and its impacts on the Hmong refugee experiences.
This lesson offers an insightful exploration of Coyote, a central figure in Native California oral traditions, focusing on his role as a Trickster. Coyote’s presence in these stories serves as a cultural icon and as a means of teaching important life lessons. As a character who embodies both human-like flaws and superhuman qualities, Coyote provides a unique opportunity to examine the complex ways in which rules, behaviors, and consequences are communicated within Native Californian culture. The lesson invites students to understand Coyote is more than a mere buffoon, he is a creator and an instructor. Students will analyze his actions, reflecting on the larger purpose they serve in teaching resilience, flexibility, and the consequences of mistakes. Through engaging activities such as group discussions, note-taking, and videos, students will deepen their understanding of Coyote’s role in both traditional and contemporary Native California cultures. By the end of the lesson, students will appreciate Coyote’s complexity and his continued significance in both past and present narratives. This lesson explores Native California traditions but also challenges students to think critically about the relationship between storytelling, culture, and human behavior
The need for cordage in the form of thread, string, cord or rope has been a human need for thousands of years. Native California tribal craftspeople have a long history using available resources developing cordage for personal use and a prized item for local and far reaching intertribal trade. Thread, string and rope were integral to everyday life in Native California. A necessity for survival, and a little discussed supporting item for the arts and ceremonial life. Not only does cordage making necessitate a highly developed skill, but it also is intimately connected to the local environment.
This lesson asks students to critically analyze and engage with Land Acknowledgements by understanding their connection to ongoing movements for land return and challenging terminologies of western expansion like manifest destiny and “Firsting and Lasting.” Students will explore best practices for writing a land acknowledgement and critical understanding of how word choice and engagement with tribal voices can clarify the role of land acknowledgments personally/ at work/ and with government or other institutions (like school). Students will be asked to interpret words and phrases used in a text including technical, connotative, and figurative meanings and analyze the specific word choice, style, tone, and format used. They will also be asked to compose their own land acknowledgement.
Students will develop a deep understanding of life in the refugee camps by examining primary source documents, images, and interviews. Students will be able to identify how Hmong socially and economically created a camp culture of hope and resilience that allowed them to cope with the poor human conditions of the camp, the traumas of war, and separation through group discussions and share outs.
The primary objective of this lesson is to shed light on the challenges HMoob families face as they journey to Thailand while highlighting the variations in their migration patterns. Through this teaching, students will comprehend the disparities between migration accounts found in narratives and those derived from personal experiences of their own families or relatives.
Students will be introduced to the concept of reciprocity and encourage students to reflect on its significance. This lesson plan helps students critically analyze historical narratives, develop empathy, and practice respectful communication in their writing.
In this lesson, students: (1) Design a visually appealing and informative poster highlighting the importance of cultural preservation among California Indigenous communities, focusing on traditions, language, art, or practices impacted by the mission system; (2) Reflect on cultural resilience, historical accuracy, and the consequences of colonization; (3) Explore California Indian history and culture before and during the mission period; and (4) Analyze the impact of the missions on Native American communities.
This powerful lesson invites students to engage deeply with a significant and painful chapter in California’s history through the lens of Nisenan Maidu artist Dalbert Castro and his compelling painting Maidu Walk. By exploring this artwork, students will uncover the human stories behind the forced removal of the Maidu and Nomlaki peoples during the Nome Cult March—a 133-mile journey marked by hardship, loss, and resilience. This lesson is designed not only to teach historical facts but to center Native perspectives and voices, fostering empathy and understanding through art as a form of storytelling and social commentary.
