Lessons of Our California Land - The North Fork Mono Tribe and South Central California: Elementary School

Lessons of Our California Land (LOCL)

A Native American Land Curriculum for California Schools

The North Fork Mono Tribe and South Central California: Elementary School

Please note: though we have organized the LOCL curriculum into elementary, middle, and high school levels, we encourage educators to explore the entire curriculum -- perhaps with the aid of the subject index -- for lessons and activities that may be applicable to various grade levels. Origin stories, oral histories, and digital stories can form the basis for lessons at all grade levels, for instance, and teachers could employ a game like the "Nuts Game" (PDF) at all levels, K-12 (and with adult learners!) to encourage student inquiry into economic resource sharing and land stewardship.

Lessons for Kindergarten to Grade Two (click each link for a pdf document):

Standard One: American Indian Traditional Land Values

Lesson One: Tribal Origin Stories Lesson Two: Elders' Stories

Lesson Three: Respect for Land Lesson Four: Environmental Care

Lesson Five: Relationship with Nature Lesson Six: Relationship to Places

Standard Two: American Indian Land Tenure History

Lesson One: Maps and Homelands Lesson Two: A Sense of Belonging

Lesson Three: More Tribal Homelands

Standard Three: Contemporary Land Issues

Lesson One: Create a Map Lesson Two: Indian Trust Lands

Lesson Three: Native Foods and Livelihoods

Standard Four: Building a Positive Future for American Indian Communities