Embedded Files
Content
2016 History-Social Science Framework - Chapter 7, Grade 4 "California: A Changing State" pp. 71-72
1998 History-Social Science Content Standards, grade 4 pp. 12-15
Inquiry
What was life like for native Californians before other settlers arrived?
How did the diverse geography and climate affect native people?
What natural resources are necessary to sustain human life?
Why did the houses of the California Indians vary so much?
Learning Activities
California Indian Peoples and Management of Natural Resources
Content: Discuss the major nations of California Indians, including their geographic distribution, economic activities, legends, and religious beliefs; and describe how they depended on, adapted to, and modified the physical environment by cultivation of land and use of sea resources (4.2.1).
Inquiry: What natural resources are necessary to sustain human life?
Lessons:
Tied Through Trade
Comparing Aspects of California's Tribal Regions
On it One Makes a Basket
California Indians' Worldview
Managing the Pre-California Landscape
A Burning Question: California Indians' Use of Fire
Assessment: Students create a series of illustrations to describe and identify how the components of California grasslands were used as resources, how the environment was managed by the California Indians, and how their management methods changed the grasslands.
Citizenship
Visit the Museum of Man. Students observe and discuss other cultural items from California Indians in the various tribal regions. Have them identify what the objects were used for and made out of, as well as sources of the materials and the tribal region or regions they came from. If you can't take a field trip, two helpful websites are: http://hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu/exhibitions/ncc/ncc_0_intro.html and http://www.cdlib.org/inside/projects/oac/
Have students read or listen to additional legends from the California Indians. Some student-friendly sources are included below.
Plan a California Indian feast. Many items relished by the California Indians are easily available today. Your feast might include salmon jerky, blackberries, and pine nuts. If you have access to a Korean grocery, ask for acorn flour, which can be made into a jelly-like porridge. If you have access to a Mexican grocery store or a health food store, get chia seeds, which can be eaten raw, toasted, or made into a slimy (but very healthy) drink. Connect these foods to information presented in the unit regarding the management of ecosystems.
Report abuse