Native American Studies Model Curriculum: Themes
Cultural Strengths
Law / Government
History
Cross Curricular Integration
Relationship to Place
Listening First: How Native Communities Shaped the NASMC
March 2023
July 2024
Listening sessions at Round Valley Elementary School and Cal Poly Humboldt.
Native parents and educators requested integration of the following:
Educators requested inclusion of the following approaches in the NASMC:
Native Language: As students listen to native words, speak them and learn their meaning, they increase their understanding of Native worldviews.
Empower to Take Action: As students learn about problematic systems, histories and climate change, they feel inspired to design community projects or prototypes. They design potential solutions that meet science standards, create communities of care and shared responsibility. They explore how collaborative action promotes community healing and change.
Cultural Arts: Native artists of California teach worldviews with visual art, film, weaving and regalia making. NASMC lessons display specific examples of these art forms to explore a variety of Native perspectives, life experiences and knowledge bases.
Critical Thinking: Students will acknowledge multiple perspectives, analyze and research these perspectives, and discuss them in a civil manner.
Kinship and Healthy Relationship Skills (SEL): The structure of lessons promotes an appropriate pacing of the information, so students have enough time to process, question and integrate the content. New material is often discussed in small groups, with the opportunity to learn from peers. At times art projects are used to help students integrate the information in a non-verbal way, which builds skills for self-regulation and creativity. Students will increase their capacity to discuss difficult, complex or emotional topics, in a public forum, in a respectful and authentic manner.
Trauma Informed Teaching: Lessons teach about generational and historical trauma, protective factors, resilience, tools for self-care and systems of healing. Native educators give professional guidance for teaching difficult content.
Model Co-Learning with Students: Teachers are not expected to be experts in Native cultures or histories. They are asked to proceed with cultural humility and curiosity, learning alongside their students. They lead the inquiry and provide culturally vetted sources of information for their students.
Examining Implicit and Explicit Bias: Educators increase their own critical thinking skills as they explore types of bias inherent within language and imagery.
Understanding Cultural Appropriation: Educators learn about cultural boundaries and the nuances of ethics, within the context of Native California cultures. Opportunities exist in the curriculum for hands-on/outdoor activities that don’t require the replication or appropriation of private Native cultural practices. Guidance regarding private or public cultural practices is provided by Native scholars and educators.
Cultural Strengths
Traditional Lifeways | Cultural Values | Artistic Achievements Historical Advocacy | Cultural Resurgence
Law / Govt
Relationship with US Government Events and Policies | Impact of Colonization | Current Structures of Tribes
Cross Curricular Integration
Storytelling | Native Literature | Tribal Ecological Knowledge | Math and Engineering | Skills for Success in Society | Youth Cultural Vision
Relationship to Place
Indigenous Mapping | Cultural Stories of Places | Worldview: Connection to Plants and Animals | Stewardship Practices | Indigenous Foods
History
Experiences of Genocide Resilience after Genocide Sovereignty | Pre-Colonial Lifeways and Culture | Important Leaders
