Preparing Tomorrow’s Stewards: Impacts of Colonization on California Indian Communities and Fire Management Practices
In this lesson plan for 4-5 grade classrooms, students will explore how colonization of California impacted the Indigenous peoples of the state and the environment. Students will learn about the history of California Missions and the Gold Rush from an Indigenous perspective. Also highlighted is the resilience of California Indian communities towards colonization. An interactive lecture will reinforce these key concepts.
Lesson Plan 2/3 in the “Preparing Tomorrow’s Stewards” Series.
A note on terminology: this lesson plan will use the term, “California Indians” to refer to the first people of what is now called California. Although there is controversy over what to call this group, we will use this term because it what the author learned was preferred by the community. This is because saying “Native Californians” or “Indigenous Californians” can be confused to someone who was born and raised in California. California Indian is more clear and also reclaims the historical use of the term, “Indian.” It is suggested you discuss this distinction with your students.
At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
Understand the impacts of settler colonialism on California Indians and the environment of California.
Understand the mission system’s structures and operations, and how they interacted with California Indians.
Understand the basic timeline of U.S. colonization of California in the Gold Rush period.
Understand the policies enacted by missionaries and later California governments to commit genocide against California Indians.
Identify the problems within this history, and identify some of the present day issues that persist today due to colonization.
The standards covered in this lesson are:
California Social Science state standards 4.2.3, 4.2.4, 4.2.5, 4.2.6, 4.3.3, 4.3.5, 5.2.2, 5.3.4
Common Core Reading Standards for Informational Texts 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.6 (Common Core Standards Initiative 2021) (California Department of Education)
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Lesson plan created by Ariana Kretz