Lessons of Our California Land (LOCL)
A Native American Land Curriculum for California Schools
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Lessons of Our California Land is a standards-aligned curriculum that increases K-12 students' understanding of the history and meaning of California land, fostering appreciation for the motivations and knowledge of California Native American people who engage in land tenure, planning, and use issues.
In 2004, the Indian Land Tenure Foundation published its nationally focused K-12 curriculum, Lessons of Our Land. Since then, various local and state curriculum adaptations have been completed, including statewide adaptations in Montana, Minnesota, and Idaho. With generous funding from the San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians, we have developed the initial set of lessons for a web-based California adaptation, Lessons of Our California Land, and we are available to help you use it in your schools.
Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF) curriculum standards make up the core of the Lessons of Our California Land curriculum. Spanning all grade levels, ILTF standards provide a meaningful context for students to learn about history, culture, language, civics, and the natural sciences. Each lesson document also includes a listing of California academic content standards that teachers can address when teaching the lesson. For a view of other themes that run through LOCL, please also see our subject index.
In addition to a offering a full set of K-12 lessons focusing on the North Fork Mono Tribe and the South Central California region, we have linked to a regional curriculum adaptation by Round Valley Unified School District. We are in the process of developing lessons for all other regions in California. This is a living, dynamic curriculum; we are adding materials and enhancing lessons nearly every day. Check back often, and please contact us with your comments, suggestions for improvement, and questions.
