Redwood Bark House

Author: 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.

Grade(s): Grades 9-12

Suggested Amount of Time: 90 minutes

Curriculum Themes

• History
• Cultural Strengths
• Cross Curricular Integration

Learning Goals

• Understand the ecological importance and properties of redwood trees.

• Develop engineering and problem-solving skills by designing and building a small model of a redwood bark house.

• Apply teamwork and creativity in constructing a sustainable structure using a maker kit.

Lesson Overview

Students will learn about the diversity of housing among California tribes and the traditional and ecological knowledge tribes have and are using in designing these structures. Students will use geometric and ecological lessons to create a model of a redwood bark house. This activity supports learning geometry and environmentalism concerning California tribal structures.