Overview
Traditional Plank House Village: Resources, Engineering & Social Roles
Author: Phil Albers Jr (Karuk) and Valentina Dimas
Tony Linwood (Artist for Handout)
Lesson partner: Rebecca Lowry, Humboldt County Office of Education
Grades: 4-5
Suggested Amount of Time: 2-3 class sessions
Curriculum Themes
- History
- Cultural Strengths
- Relationship to Place
Learning Goals
Increase understanding of:
- traditional living houses
- keys terms in plank house construction
- traditional villages and family dynamics
- the importance of community reputation
Lesson Overview
This unit teaches about the traditional living houses of the Indigenous people of Northern California, primarily the Karuk Yurok, Hoopa, Wiyot and Chilula Tribes. This is a basic overview and summary of the construction and societal makeup revolving around these traditional plank houses. Students will learn about the materials, process and some cultural aspects of plank houses. The lesson expands and applies that knowledge to traditional plank house villages. Activities include classroom discussions and a building project.
Teacher Background
This lesson is based on Traditional Ecological Knowledge passed down through generations of Indigenous people of Karuk, Yurok, Hoopa, Wiyot and Chilula ancestry. These teachings are upheld and continued today throughout the descendants of those peoples. Several Tribes in the Pacific Northwest are expanding their understanding and building of plank houses. The opinions in this lesson do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any listed Tribes or community members.
Interactive Slides
About the Interactive Slides
A key component of this curriculum includes interactive slides and a lesson script/facilitation support. These materials are designed to support ease of implementation and help guide lesson delivery.
The interactive slides are animated to gradually reveal content and may include links to videos and audio playback buttons for Tribal language integration, songs, or slide facilitation.
In addition to the downloadable lesson and student handouts, this lesson comprised of 2-3 class sessions, includes interactive slides and lesson script/ facilitation support.
Slides: Traditional Plank House Village
Lesson Script/ Facilitation Support
*To ensure full accessibility, we recommend making a copy of the instructional material(s).
Instructions:
To use the slides effectively:
- Project the slides in "Slideshow Mode" to activate animations. Written content will appear with each click.
- Set speaker volume before beginning the lesson to ensure all students can hear audio content.
- Play audio by clicking the audio playback icons one at a time. There may be a brief pause while the audio loads.
- Hovering over an audio playback icon will reveal a playback bar that allows you to play, pause, adjust speed, or fast-forward the audio.
- Note: You do not need to use the playback bar unless you wish to adjust playback. Simply clicking the icon will play the audio.