California Indian Education

The Native American Studies Model Curriculum (NASMC) is defined as lesson plans, primary source documents, planning resources, teaching strategies, and professional development activities to assist educators in teaching about Native American Studies. The San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) and the Humboldt County Office of Education (HCOE) have been selected as lead agencies in the development of the NASMC. By design, the model curriculum will be developed in partnership with California Tribes, other county offices of education (COEs), and native youth serving organizations. NASMC is a statewide partnership effort funded through the California Department of Education.

There is great diversity among the 150+ tribes of California in their languages, cultures, histories and governments. Each tribe has a distinct and unique cultural heritage that contributes to modern California.

• 7 Essential Understandings for California Indian History and Culture
• 6Ps: Approaches to California Indian Education for All

The  2023-2024 American Indian Education Catalog provides an overview of SDCOE American Indian Education Projects, networking opportunities, and grants supported in collaboration with tribal leaders and educators. The professional learning opportunities offered in the catalog are explicitly designed to ensure local education agencies can establish, expand, and refine successful American Indian Education learning programs in collaboration with tribal governments, AI/AN studies and families, and tribal community members.

Model curriculum projects are initiated in response to specific legislation calling for a state-developed curriculum in a specified topic or disciplinary area of study. Typically these projects are done under the supervision of the State Board of Education (SBE) or the Instructional Quality Commission.

The California Indian Museum and Cultural Center was founded in 1996 with the purpose of educating the public about the history, culture, and contemporary life of California Indians and to honor their contributions to civilization.

The Museum provides California Indians and the public with a first class museum facility in which to portray California Indian history and culture from an Indian perspective. In addition, the museum showcases and encourages the present-day renaissance of California Indian culture, affirming its survival and continued vitality in the face of extreme adversity. Finally, the museum provides opportunities for Native Americans to receive training and experience in a variety of fields such as museum direction, curation, design, and interpretation.

TEK refers to knowledge, beliefs, value systems, and practices in Indigenous communities that relate to the environment. For many Indigenous peoples, TEK is “active” (how one relates to the environment) and is sometimes referred to as a “way of life.” TEK is a branch of Indigenous science.

The lessons are a series of readings and discussions and a hands-on activity. They are aimed at upper elementary and early middle school and fit the NGSS standard 5-ESS3-1 Earth and Human Activity Obtain. They combine information about how individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.

• Traditional Ecological Knowledge Science & Management (Jr. High Curriculum)

East Bay Regional Park District is pleased to present the 2015 second edition of this third-grade curriculum about local tribal peoples past to present by District Cultural Services Coordinator Beverly R. Ortiz. The curriculum aligns with third grade History-Social Science Content Standards and addresses the following Common Core Standards: reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language. Its Supplemental Resources section includes a list of related fourth and fifth grade social science standards.

Largely based on primary documents, some never published, the student content includes photos and quotes of more than 50 Ohlone, Bay Miwok, and Delta Yokuts of all ages.

PORTS stands for Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students. We bring your California State Parks into your classroom, digitally. Over 55 of parks in all corners of the state, we have the (free!) resources for you! Nature, Science, History, Culture. You name it, we got it.

• Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park: Ohlone Lifeways and Santa Cruz Mission (grades 3-12)
• Indigenous Culture Sharing on the North Coast at Chah-pekw”O-Ket’-oh Visitor Center (grades 6-12)
• All About Acorns: A California Staple (grades K-8)
• “We are Water Protectors” Story Time! (grades K-3)

This lesson teaches students about Indigenous permaculture, an approach to agricultural design that includes whole systems thinking and considers the co-habitation of plant, animal, and human beings. It also teaches students how to apply traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) when growing and living amongst corn, beans, and squash, also known as “the three sisters.”

• Lesson Plan
• Teacher Guide

Orange Shirt Day is a significant event that commemorates the resilience of Indigenous communities in Canada, especially the children who were affected by residential schools. It promotes awareness and education about the history and legacies of these institutions, advocating for reconciliation and healing. The day is marked by wearing orange shirts as a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom, and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.

• Union Democrat Article
• Children’s Books for Orange Shirt Day