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Kumeyaay Nation Perspective

A Fourth Grade Societal Exploration

During my time working with fourth-graders, I created a series of critical history lessons on the local Indigenous Nations. The lessons provided students a new lens with which to examine the importance of nature, a central theme to their beginning-of-the-year project. 

 

The first lesson in the series introduced students to Native Peoples's historical relationship with nature and how modern tribal members have carried on the traditions of their ancestors.

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Launching into the lesson, students engaged in a discussion to activate prior knowledge and learned about local tribes and their influence on our modern landscape. After, students were introduced to the historical customs of the Kumeyaay prior to European colonization as presented by the fictional character, Kilyaahwii, a young Kumeyaay girl, in Roberta Labastida's My Ancestor's Village​.

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During the read-aloud of My Ancestor's Village, students took notes in different ways.

Next, students watched a video of modern-day First Peoples from the Southwestern U.S. and Baja California, Mexico who gathered at Kumeyaay Community College to reconnect with nature through the traditional process of harvesting and weaving yucca into sandals.

Following the read-aloud, student experts shared their knowledge of First Peoples with the class. Creating space for students to share cultural funds of knowledge promotes respect for  diversity and connects students to their learning.

The use of differentiated note-catchers is a UDL strategy which ensures every student has what they need to be successful. 

The second lesson of the series exposed the impact of European colonization on native populations and their relationships with nature. Students watched a documentary and participated in a "museum" walk where they engaged with primary and secondary sources in partnerships.

For the final lesson in the series, the class participated in a discussion responding to the prompt, "If I were an Indigenous Person in the time of the Spanish missions, I would ____________ (join, fight, or flee). My reason for this choice is..." After the discussion, students visited The Kumeyaay Information Villagean online resource. They conducted informal research and chose images to recreate in poster format to inform their school community of the appropriation of tribal lands.

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