Grade 5
Dal Castro, Maidu Walk
HSS 3.3.1, HSS 3.2.4, HSS 4.3.3, HSS 5.3, 5.VA:RE7.1, 6.VA:RE7.1This 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.
Imagining the Native American Native California Artists Brian Tripp (Karuk)
HSS 5.1.2, HSS 5.3.5, 5.VA:RE7.1, 6.VA:RE7.1, 8.VA:RE7.1, Responding—Anchor Standard 8, Connecting—Anchor Standard 11This lesson introduces students to the life and artwork of Brian D. Tripp (Karuk), a groundbreaking Native California artist, poet, singer, and ceremonial practitioner. Tripp was a powerful early voice in the modern Native California art movement. His work blends traditional imagery and symbolism from Karuk, Yurok, and Hupa cultures with bold, modernist expression, giving visual form to cultural identity, ancestral memory, and contemporary Native experiences.
Creating a Life Line: Cordage Technology
5.VA:RE7.2, SL.5.1, SL.5.3, W.5.4The 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.
Imagining the Native American Native California Artists Frank Day (Konkow Maidu)
HSS 5.1.2, HSS 5.3.5, Connecting—Anchor Standard 11, 1.VA:RE7.1, 5.VA:RE7.1, 6.VA:RE7.1, 8.VA:RE7.1, PROF.VA:RE7.1In this lesson, students are introduced to Frank Day, a key figure in the development of modern Native California art and widely regarded as the “grandfather” of the movement. A member of the Koncow Maidu tribe, Day used his deep cultural knowledge, passed down from his father and community elders, to create art that bridges traditional Maidu storytelling with modern visual expression. Although largely self-taught, Day painted over 200 images that reflect a lifetime of personal experience, tribal memory, and cultural pride.
Imagining the Native American Native California Artists Frank Tuttle (Yuki/Konkow Maidu)
HSS 5.1.2, HSS 5.3.5, Connecting—Anchor Standard 11, 1.VA:RE7.1, 5.VA:RE7.1, 6.VA:RE7.1, 8.VA:RE7.1, PROF.VA:RE7.1This lesson introduces students to the powerful role of Native California artists as cultural storytellers and social commentators, using the life and work of Frank Tuttle (Yuki/Konkow Maidu) as a central case study. Students will explore how Native artists convey identity, cultural resilience, historical trauma, and personal narrative through visual language, particularly within the cultural context of California tribes.
Imagining the Native American Native California Artists Frank LaPena (Nomtipom Wintu)
HSS 5.1.2, HSS 5.3.5, Connecting—Anchor Standard 11, 1.VA:RE7.1, 5.VA:RE7.1, 6.VA:RE7.1, 8.VA:RE7.1, PROF.VA:RE7.1This lesson introduces students to the concept of art as a powerful tool for storytelling, cultural identity, and historical reflection through the work of Native California artist, Frank LaPena (Nomtipom Wintu). Students will explore how Native artists act as “culture bearers,” sharing community traditions, beliefs, and experiences through visual expression. By examining LaPena’s artwork, students will learn how images can communicate ideas, preserve oral traditions, and honor tribal geographies and ceremonies. The lesson supports students in developing visual literacy by analyzing how LaPena used bold forms, traditional stories, sacred figures, and natural landmarks—like Mt. Shasta—to express a worldview rooted in Native cultural values. Through class discussion, vocabulary building, and reflection, students will consider how LaPena’s artistic choices speak to both resilience and historical trauma, including themes of identity, spiritual belief, and the enduring presence of Native peoples in California. The lesson culminates in opportunities for students to connect their own lives to the themes of memory, tradition, and place. This lesson deepens students' understanding of California history by centering Native voices and recognizing the significance of Indigenous perspectives in shaping both past and present. In doing so, the lesson encourages respectful engagement with Native California cultures while fostering empathy, critical thinking, and cultural awareness.