Native Foods
Grades 6-8 Curriculum Unit
Lessons
Unit Core Themes: History | Relationship to Place
Unit Overview
Unit Authors and Researchers
This unit was researched, authored, and edited by the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center, California Indian Education for All, and the San Diego County Office of Education. Key writers and researchers of this unit are Nicole Lim, Jayden Lim, and Dr. Staci Block. The unit resources were designed and created from funding through the California Department of Education’s Native American Studies Model Curriculum grant and contract.
Background Information for Teachers
Educators Guide and Videos to the Essential Understandings of California Indian History and Culture - Please take time to read through this document and watch these videos to learn from California Indian cultural bearers as they teach the Essential Understandings of California Indian History and Culture. (https://bit.ly/NASMC_EU)
- Essential Understanding 1: Great Diversity Among Tribes Click to view video.
- Essential Understanding 2: Diversity Among Identity. Click to view video.
- Essential Understanding 3: Native Traditional Beliefs Click to view video.
- Essential Understanding 4: Policies that Affected Tribes Click to view video.
- Essential Understanding 5: Reservations
Click to view video. - Essential Understanding 6: History from a California Indian Perspective Click to view video.
- Essential Understanding 7: Tribes Have Sovereign Powers Click to view video.
Learning Objectives:
Understand the geographic distribution and historical experiences of Indigenous groups in California.
Explore the impact of colonization, including the Gold Rush, on Native American territories and cultures.
Analyze the relationship between sovereignty, federal recognition, and Indigenous identity.
Reflect on the cultural and ecological significance of tribal lands.