Native California Studies Come to Life for Fourth Graders

Last Friday, fourth graders traveled to Point Reyes, where they explored both Kulo Loklo—a recreated Miwok village—and the San Andreas fault line. Fourth graders have been immersed in a yearlong study of California history, and are learning about the cultures, communities, and daily lives of the Native Californians. “This is a great field trip because it brings to life what we’ve been studying in class,” says teacher Valerie Welsh. “Each student is researching a specific topic in connection with Native Californians, and that student becomes the expert tour guide for that topic. For example, when we went into the sweat lodge, the student studying sweat lodges taught us about them.”

 

Adds teacher Kate Callan, “We saw a plaque on the ceremony house that explains that it is still used to this day for Native Californian ceremonies. This field trip gives students a point of reference to separate what is historical versus what is part of the culture today. Native Californians still perform dances and do ceremonies, but they don’t live in bark houses.” Students will pull together all they are learning about Native Californians when they present the Native California Museum on Monday, November 21. MORE PHOTOS