Native American Studies Model Curriculum TK-5 Lesson Deep Dive 9/24 by Maggie Peters

MM

2025-09-24 23:51:29 UTC

It was wonderful to see how proud the kids are of their background and history.

2025-09-24 23:52:08 UTC

Native American youth want people to know that they are still here and not a sterotype.

We can learn individual stories as well as those that are held, culturally.

2025-09-24 23:52:13 UTC

Tricia

2025-09-24 23:52:16 UTC

Stories are alive. People add to the stories by including things about their people/tribe and/or city.

Native Youth Voices

2025-09-24 23:52:19 UTC

It's great to hear directly from Native American youth and hear about how they want people to know they are still here. Their cultural practices are meaningful for them and they often want to share them with others.

2025-09-24 23:52:19 UTC

There are so many kids getting to practice and learn about their own culture! They are so proud. I'm so curious about some of the games they were playing!

2025-09-24 23:52:25 UTC

I loved that the children are the ones that are narrating. It shows how proud they are.

2025-09-24 23:52:29 UTC

It just still baffles me that the general public thinks that the indigenous population is no longer here. Growing up in the Bay Area in the 90s, there was never any acknowledgement of the people who are actually from the area.

2025-09-24 23:52:32 UTC

That no matter how young or old the youth are they cherish their culture

2025-09-24 23:52:42 UTC

I love hearing information from the children's voices. I think my class will identify more with someone who sounds like them. I also loved that the credits showed their tribal affiliations. Many of my students love to see others who are of the same tribe.

2025-09-24 23:52:44 UTC

Hi it is so wonderful to hear Native voices telling their own stories. I took several classes at HSU years ago and it was the usual white teacher sharing other's stories, and although it touched me greatly then, this is so much better. Lovely to hear the kids so excited.

"We are still here."

2025-09-24 23:52:44 UTC

Native American youth share:

1. Their cultures have always been community-centered and nature and environment-connected.

2. They are still practicing and sharing cultures.

3. Their languages and oral traditions are passed through generations.

The children are vibrant and joyful.

2025-09-24 23:52:48 UTC

Deirdre

2025-09-24 23:52:51 UTC

Everyone wants to be heard and seen and it is so wonderful that the kids in this video can have that and feel proud of their culture. I love listening to them talk about what they want people to know and also what their favorite things are.

2025-09-24 23:52:57 UTC

The youth are proud of their native culture and want others to know more about it.

2025-09-24 23:53:05 UTC

All the people and their stories are so interesting to hear and learn about.

2025-09-24 23:53:06 UTC

I enjoyed seeing the numerous video clips of the young children engaging in the things they love in every day life. This would be a great clip to share with our primary class so they understand that we have Native American children throughout the class, school, community that enjoy the same hobbies as they do.

2025-09-24 23:53:06 UTC

More and different perspectives of events and how the world works.

2025-09-24 23:53:36 UTC

So many things! History, language, culture, life lessons, perspective.

2025-09-24 23:53:40 UTC

It's beautiful to see the next generation embracing their indigenous culture and wisdom.

I loved hearing the young people speak what's important to them.

2025-09-24 23:53:41 UTC

I enjoyed how it featured all ages and showed so many different activities going on, and the music was uplifting and fun.

2025-09-24 23:53:50 UTC

2025-09-24 23:53:53 UTC

We can learn about their experiences, their cultures.

2025-09-24 23:53:57 UTC

How important student voice is.

2025-09-24 23:53:57 UTC

I love that the youth know who they are and want others to understand who they are as well.

2025-09-24 23:54:08 UTC

We can learn the history and significance of certain ceremonies and practices

amcquarry — 2025-09-24 23:54:11 UTC

Young people know and understand that they have a rich culture and they have the charge and the willingness to share their rituals with pride.

2025-09-24 23:54:15 UTC

I worked out near Hoopa as an educator and it was beautiful to see the richness of the culture through children's eyes. I would like to incorporate this beyond Land Tenyear for my TK students. I feel there needs to be better representation within the school systems!

2025-09-24 23:54:18 UTC

We can learn from the perspective from the source. We can learn about a culture’s values.

Stories are engaging and having kids telling their own stories will show them that people want to engage with what they have to share.

2025-09-24 23:54:35 UTC

2025-09-24 23:54:38 UTC

The youth are leading this video and are continuing the traditions their ancestors did.

Native American Youth

2025-09-24 23:54:49 UTC

Native American youth have a voice that is important to hear. They are truly inspiring and other young people will find them relatable.

perspective

2025-09-24 23:54:56 UTC

2025-09-24 23:54:57 UTC

It is shocking that some people do not realize that Natives are still here. We are blessed in Humboldt County to have indigenous people as active members of our community. In some parts of CA and the US that is not the case.

2025-09-24 23:55:00 UTC

Loved to see how involved youth are with embracing their native culture and wanting to preserve it for future generations.

2025-09-24 23:55:07 UTC

We can understand what's important and what to support. It evokes empathy.

2025-09-24 23:55:09 UTC

Critical thinking skills, empathy, literacy skills, connection to culture.

amcquarry — 2025-09-24 23:55:10 UTC

We can learn so much about how their culture's history and how it continues to evolve through the voices of various storytellers.

2025-09-24 23:55:14 UTC

We can learn about events and histories from native perspective.

2025-09-24 23:55:15 UTC

The pride in their voices!

I learn about indigenous culture, values and the past, present and future from stories.

2025-09-24 23:55:16 UTC

We can hear thing that might be completely different from our own experiences or things that might resonate with our own lived experiences and it ensures that these stories will not get lost over time.

2025-09-24 23:55:17 UTC

Keeping History Alive

2025-09-24 23:55:24 UTC

Stories are human, and we can humanize ourselves and others by critically listening to and tellilng them.

2025-09-24 23:55:29 UTC

Oral traditions are the most original form of storytelling. Children have been hearing stories since birth, and many are passed down through generations. This is the most natural way to learn.

2025-09-24 23:55:32 UTC

We can learn how to better care for our land and resources.

Cristapher Torres

2025-09-24 23:55:35 UTC

It’s important for young people to hear from young voices and see other young people speaking about their culture, showing pride in who they are.

Deirdre

2025-09-24 23:55:36 UTC

We can learn about the people we share space with

2025-09-24 23:55:38 UTC

one of the things that I like best about Waldorf education (my job) is it's deep understanding of how important stories are, I use stories to teach all my Handwork lessons. I LOVE stories, root of human ness

2025-09-24 23:55:40 UTC

Native American youth are happy when people want to know about their culture. It's inspiring that they are excited to educate others.

2025-09-24 23:55:41 UTC

We can learn so much from stories! We learn life lessons, history, family, culture, creation beliefs, and interpersonal relationships and relationships with the earth.

2025-09-24 23:56:09 UTC

Stories are the way into the lives of others, whether they are our elders, family, friends, or members of other cultures. Listening is important because we can learn about others' traditions, customs, and ways of life, and appreciate different points of view.

Cristapher Torres

2025-09-24 23:57:07 UTC

By listening to stories we are exposed to different perspectives.

2025-09-24 23:57:52 UTC

I like the simple suggestion on using present tense when talking about cultures. It is very powerful.

Stories open our world

2025-09-24 23:58:20 UTC

Listening to stories often gives us a new perspective particularly when they are from a person whose lived experience is different from our own.

Tricia

2025-09-24 23:58:56 UTC

Stories share culture, history, and values. Stories unite people. Resilience is present, shared stories create space to share struggles, courage is contagious, and it is important to honor the richness..

2025-09-25 00:12:19 UTC

We can learn about the world view of the author. We learn about culture, values, history, family and community.

2025-09-25 00:12:33 UTC

Stories teach us important lessons and also what not to do, shown through characters like the trickster Coyote in Native American culture.

Naming

2025-09-25 00:18:39 UTC

Why 10 ten days before naming? Was there a specific reason for that number?

What is represented when the eyes change color?

2025-09-25 00:20:04 UTC

wow, that was a beautiful story...I look forward to hearing the next books.

2025-09-25 00:20:05 UTC

2025-09-25 00:20:13 UTC

The symbolism of the eyes was powerful!

CB

2025-09-25 00:20:26 UTC

I loved hearing the story in the author's own voice. I thought that the eyes changing would be something students would want to know so it was nice to hear the explanation.

amcquarry — 2025-09-25 00:20:35 UTC

Maybe I missed it, but how did the connection of emotions to specific colors connect to your own personal experiences?

Deirdre

2025-09-25 00:21:00 UTC

How does he feel about his writing now? (Hopefully proud!)

2025-09-25 00:21:03 UTC

I wonder where this takes place? I may have missed the setting. Does it take place here? I also would love to know where to buy the books!

The bird

2025-09-25 00:21:15 UTC

I wanted to know more about the bird and it's story.

2025-09-25 00:21:15 UTC

what a wonderful way to introduce personal narrative writing to students!

2025-09-25 00:21:34 UTC

Beautiful story, very intrigued.

2025-09-25 00:21:39 UTC

I had questions about the significance of the color changes, so I was grateful for his explanation at the end.

Pride and Symbolism

2025-09-25 00:21:40 UTC

Was he so proud of his work? How did his peers respond?

What does the connection with the human boy feed into?

Caring

2025-09-25 00:22:26 UTC

I learned of the caring between the mom and pup, but also the young person's caring for the pup too.

curious about the igloo...

2025-09-25 00:22:30 UTC

I loved the use of colors in the book, and the symbolism. I also love the author's message. A question I have is about the mother wolf's lungs freezing. I have some students this year that have been through a lot of trauma and have had parents die. Sometimes I think we as educators avoid stories that have parts that might be triggering for those students. Yet death is part of life. Have you had people share concerns about that part of the book with you, and how did you address them?

2025-09-25 00:22:32 UTC

2025-09-25 00:24:15 UTC

What stood out to me was the importance of self identity in media for Native youth. At the end, Teh-sa’a:n-xwe expressed this with making the boy in the story look like him.

I'm wondering where to purchase the book, if we're in Siskiyou County

2025-09-25 00:30:26 UTC

rdavis237 — 2025-09-25 00:31:38 UTC

What cultures value. What is important to them.

2025-09-25 00:32:36 UTC

The art is incredible! I love the video of the book where we see the flame, raddle, and the butterfly reading word by word.

2025-09-25 00:33:27 UTC

Representation matters. It's how we feel included and have hope for our futures, so that we know we can accomplish what we want to. Native authored and illustrated books and other works are vastly underrepresented and deserve their place in the spotlight.

2025-09-25 00:33:43 UTC

This book is a cliff-hanger! I am so curious what happens next in Vision's journey!

2025-09-25 00:35:21 UTC

Students want to see themselves in books. It is great when your culture is represented. Plus it is educational for other cultures. It brings understanding and awareness to all people.

I love the videos that are included!

2025-09-25 00:36:34 UTC

Best Ever!!!! words from our actual environment. G for Grandparents was such a different view from my upbringing. ( I couldn't figure out before the reading what G could be.

Coyote...beautiful borders and illustrations.

I'm getting both of these for our I.S. program. So thankful.

I learned how much this is needed!!!!!!

2025-09-25 00:39:28 UTC

Representation!!!

Wow!

2025-09-25 00:40:59 UTC

I'm really blown away by the attention to detail of the lessons as well as that of the stories themselves, the illustrations, the authentic representation of cultures . . . ! Beautiful!

2025-09-25 00:41:19 UTC

This story aligns so well with everything we have been doing for the last 2 weeks in class: specifically origin stories and traditional houses of different cultural regions. Having something like this: a story that incorporates these things, written by a young student their age, will be so powerful.

2025-09-25 00:41:49 UTC

I love seeing this throughout humboldt county! Ways to connect with culture in a hands on learning way with art!

Wow!

I love both books and use them in the classroom, but love the added visuals and activities showing me how to enrich the lessons.

2025-09-25 00:42:04 UTC

2025-09-25 00:42:11 UTC

I love how many links there are. My head is already spinning about how random ABC books that I grew up with were chosen for the images, this version has things chosen that touch the heart. Authentic to children's experiences.

2025-09-25 00:43:00 UTC

WOW. you folks are deep thinkers from the heart and head. I have nothing to improve.

2025-09-25 00:43:06 UTC

I learned that there is lesson materials that connect to the story! I love seeing the resources and it feels attenable to teach.

rdavis237 — 2025-09-25 00:43:12 UTC

The beautiful visuals ❤️

2025-09-25 00:43:15 UTC

We need to share and represent as many cultures as possible in class so children understand these are people now and long ago.

2025-09-25 00:44:25 UTC

I learned how to share about current, contemporary practices of these cultural representations, and you made them so user-friendly. I am very grateful, again, for the attention to detail and authenticity. This is clearly such a labor of love, and that love of cultures and peoples are truly conveyed!

2025-09-25 00:44:29 UTC

Representation matters. It's important to know that Native people are still here. We're not extinct.

Cristapher Torres

2025-09-25 00:48:25 UTC

I love how there are slides that accompany that accompany the books to extend students’ learning of their numbers and ABCs while teaching them about Native California culture.

2025-09-25 00:49:09 UTC

I have been told that this story is based on Indigenous traditions, but as an outsider I do not pick up on any of the history. I think its a sad but cute story. I am only aware of the story on a surface level. A puppy experienced trauma and was recued by a boy. Without prior knowledge your culture is not coming through to me. Could you add the prior knowledge as an aftermath in the book?

Deirdre

2025-09-25 00:49:23 UTC

It is important for students to see themselves in all things...reading, writing, history, etc. Also, it is good for all students to see a variety of people in everything!

Has Teh-sa'an-Xwe had the opportunity to talk about writing and his writing process with other young people?

2025-09-25 00:51:06 UTC

Cristapher Torres

2025-09-25 00:51:27 UTC

Native American authored and illustrated materials are important for all students so that students are exposed to authentic Native stories and art.

2025-09-25 01:04:22 UTC

I got a lot out of the 3-5th grade breakout session. I really liked experiencing the story being told by the author and then learning from his interview.

2025-09-25 01:06:03 UTC

I loved the book we got to hear and the amazing lesson plan that came along with it!

Question from chat

mpeters166 — 2025-09-25 01:06:56 UTC

Will we be discussing show science and Native American traditional stories cross over? .... I have a strong point of vulnerability to students when I am covering living and nonliving things

Tricia

2025-09-25 01:07:37 UTC

Native cultures are NOT homogenous. Different tribes have different Big Times (social gatherings) to dance, sing, celebrate, share stories and more. A is for Acorn helps create a strong connection to the natural world.

mpeters166 — 2025-09-25 01:08:07 UTC

I also like tying these lessons to Science and conservation as well. One of my students last year was Native American and his mom shared these videos with me, that the organization she works with produced:

2025-09-25 01:32:10 UTC

I would love it if some organization would give us a grant so that all participants of these trainings could get hard copies of Teh-sa'a:n-xwe's 3 books (since I live out of the area).

2025-09-25 01:36:04 UTC

2025-09-26 23:33:48 UTC

We can learn the importance to the youth about keeping their culture and traditions alive!

Cherie Paul

cpaul4 — 2025-09-29 21:34:46 UTC

I enjoyed it showed present day activities. We had a great conversation in class on ways we as families celebrate older traditions even today. We talked about various celebrations and the cultural importance. I appreciated the video for this powerful discussion and recognition of those who are local who still celebrate and keep traditions and stories alive and present.

andrea brewer

2025-10-18 23:33:12 UTC

How many different perspectives and experiences and unique interests each child brings, while holding in common the strengths and similarities of each community, and also the uniqueness of each tribal community

andrea brewer

2025-10-18 23:34:49 UTC

We learn how each person sees themselves and their communities and how they want to be seen. We learn different quirks or thoughts that are alive with the teaching through story that is not the same as reading about something from an tertiary or outside source

andrea brewer

2025-10-18 23:38:56 UTC

Something that I noticed was representation of time, and how not every culture related to time in the same way; I'm curious if the ten day time period, while based in cultural teachings, also held room for more fluid interpretation as the pup was able to run away and become lost before 10 days of life? I am also curious what questions or thoughts youth may have about Vision's mom disappearing with the inference that she drowns

andrea brewer

2025-10-18 23:41:47 UTC

I love the way this reading introduces ways for students to include their significant cultural understandings of themselves and their communities into narrative writing, and also the robust discussion after the session about being clear to differentiate for students orogin stories, creation stories, healing stories and original instructions from fun, storytelling for entertainment and joy. While there can be overlap, it is important to give students the grounding and space to understand different types of teaching and knowledge sharing/generation, and that stories do not mean something that has been "made up".

andrea brewer

2025-10-19 00:08:03 UTC

I love the way science and ecosystem learning is woven into the heart of A is for Acorn, emphasizing that language emerges from and for the land! Living culture is also central to both books and extended lessons, and while the main ideas are centered on Indigenous/English language development and basic numeracy, these books show how it's so intuitive to be teaching across core subjects in one unit. So beautiful, chi miigwetch (thank you very much)

Andrea brewer

2025-10-19 00:13:46 UTC

For many reasons, and I think whenever we are talking about place-based learning, essential for meaningful science lessons, it is centrally important that we begin with an understanding of who traditionally stewards and safeguards lands and waters, and the guiding practices from First Nations, so that we are not continuing to teach colonial, extractive and abusive understanding in regards to sciences. It is also reflective of our diverse communities, many perspectives and ways of being, and finally it is especially important for students who belong to or born for Native nations to see themselves represented in positive, culturally uplifting ways.

I love the central home page, with all theinks, slides, padlet, recordings and forms. I know exactly where to go to reference material, and am excited to keep growing in my ability to utilize the resources and lesson plans

2025-10-19 00:15:21 UTC

Native American Studies Model Curriculum TK-5 Lesson Deep Dive 9/24 by Maggie Peters

MM

We can learn individual stories as well as those that are held, culturally.

Tricia

Native Youth Voices

"We are still here."

The children are vibrant and joyful.

Deirdre

I loved hearing the young people speak what's important to them.

I enjoyed how it featured all ages and showed so many different activities going on, and the music was uplifting and fun.

Stories are engaging and having kids telling their own stories will show them that people want to engage with what they have to share.

Native American Youth

perspective

I learn about indigenous culture, values and the past, present and future from stories.

We can hear thing that might be completely different from our own experiences or things that might resonate with our own lived experiences and it ensures that these stories will not get lost over time.

Keeping History Alive

Cristapher Torres

Deirdre

Cristapher Torres

Stories open our world

Tricia

Naming

What is represented when the eyes change color?

wow, that was a beautiful story...I look forward to hearing the next books.

CB

Deirdre

The bird

Pride and Symbolism

Caring

curious about the igloo...

I'm wondering where to purchase the book, if we're in Siskiyou County

Wow!

I love both books and use them in the classroom, but love the added visuals and activities showing me how to enrich the lessons.

Cristapher Torres

Deirdre

Has Teh-sa'an-Xwe had the opportunity to talk about writing and his writing process with other young people?

Cristapher Torres

Question from chat

Tricia

Other lessons with stories

other lessons with stories

other lessons with stories

I also like tying these lessons to Science and conservation as well. One of my students last year was Native American and his mom shared these videos with me, that the organization she works with produced:

I would love it if some organization would give us a grant so that all participants of these trainings could get hard copies of Teh-sa'a:n-xwe's 3 books (since I live out of the area).

Cherie Paul

andrea brewer

andrea brewer

andrea brewer

andrea brewer

andrea brewer

Andrea brewer

I love the central home page, with all theinks, slides, padlet, recordings and forms. I know exactly where to go to reference material, and am excited to keep growing in my ability to utilize the resources and lesson plans