Art from the East Bay Regional Park District’s lesson plan found at CSU Sacramento’s California Indian History Curriculum Coalition.

Get lesson plans together now in time for Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Oct. 12) and American Indian Heritage Month (November).

Visit the California Indian History Curriculum Coalition at Sacramento State University for California Indian-vetted curricula for various grade levels. They’re organized by tribal identity, including Chumash, Kumeyaay, Luiseño, Miwok, Ohlone and Winnemem Wintu. Curricula resources help infuse “a California Indian voice” into the content of what children learn in school.

High school students can delve into the award-winning 2018 novel There There by Cheyenne and Arapaho writer Tommy Orange, born and raised in Oakland. The story follows 12 characters who travel to the Big Oakland Powwow, and explores the themes of Native peoples living in urban spaces and issues of ambivalence and complexity related to their struggles with identity and authenticity.