Yolo California Indian Curriculum and Professional Learning Advisory Group

February 2022 Native American Studies Model Curriculum (NASMC) Listening Sessions underway. NASMC is defined as lesson plans, primary source documents, planning resources, teaching strategies, and professional development activities to assist educators in teaching about Native American studies. The Humboldt County Office of Education and the San Diego County Office of Education have been selected as lead agencies in the development of the NASMC.  Perspectives and voices of California tribal community members, Native American youth, educators, and cultural bearers will lead the development of NASMC.  See list of in-person and virtual listening sessions under “Upcoming Events” to the right. For more information visit Native American Studies Model Curriculum.

March 2022 Native American Education, all year. Connect with National Women’s History and National Nutrition Month in March. Indigenous knowledge doesn’t need to remain confined to a single month of the year, or to a single subject! There are many ways to include Native-centered content into your daily curricula. Redbud Resource Group has organized a timetable of lesson ideas and resources to help you diversify your classroom content every month of the school year. See Native American Education, all year.

• Highlight the importance of celebrating women; read Native Hope’s 2022 blog post “Celebrating Native Women.”

• This is a great month to implement Redbud’s newly updated unit Healthy Ecosystems Feed Healthy Communities which has an entire section on Indigenous foods and nutrition.

New Native Ways of Knowing Book List: Decolonizing and Indigenizing Classrooms and Libraries. To help educators and parents choose high-quality Indigenous authored books, the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) and California Indian Education (CIEFA) have designed this Native Ways of Knowing Book List: Decolonizing and Indigenizing Classrooms and Libraries. These books have been vetted by Native American scholars, CIEFA, and SDCOE staff. Please consider adding these insightful and vibrant Indigenous authored books to your school, classroom, or home library. Adding these books to your classroom will help teach young readers empathy, courage, resilience, sovereignty, and Native Ways of Knowing. These suggested Indigenous authors and illustrators utilize Indigenous storytelling and convey the breadth of Native cultures and sovereignty.