California Trail and Native Americans

Academics explore the topic of life in California Missions for Native Americas. Class members complete a research activity, respond to writing prompts, and engage in hands-on-activities to learn who lived in the missions and what life...

Students discover the people who lived in California before and after the gold rush. They use primary source documents to identify how the finding of gold changed the area. They also discover the discrimation that was present during the...

Did Western settlers receiving free land from the Homestead Act realize it wasn't really free at all? Scholars investigate the impact Western expansion had on Native American culture in the mid-1800s. They use documents, timelines, and...

Young historians discover the early people of the western hemisphere. The unit explores how the land changed, how it was used and homes of early Americans such as Incas, Mayans, Inuits, Aztecs, and Pueblos. Individuals also examine these...

Here is a beautiful handout through which learners can explore the history of California, from the earliest Europeans to visit the Golden State up through its experiences during the Great Depression and position in the modern...

A film showcases a Native American woman and her hard work to create a dictionary detailing her tribe's language. While viewing, scholars reflect upon and discuss the importance of language and sustaining cultural identity. 

Prime your students for a lesson on the Native American Tribes of Louisiana. Each slide in this series contains either vocabulary words or facts and background on the Chitimacha, Coushatta, Caddo, Tunic-Biloxi and United Houma tribes.

The California missions transformed California. A short video discusses the missions, their purpose, how they eventually lost their power, and what happened to Native Americans when the missions closed. 

Why do many Native Americans live on reservations? An interactive resource teaches about how reservations came to be and the tragic history behind Native Americans moving from their lands. Teenagers read passages, view images, and click...

Fifth graders research Native Americans. Using Internet links, they examine facts about Native Americans and answer questions. Students create their own Native American Resource book. They research each region and complete graphic...