The Big Idea Activity

How has life changed for people over time?

Create a Television News Show

Sudents working on the Activity

Create a television show that tells how life has changed for Native American communities over time. California Standard 3.2 Students describe the American Indian nations in their local region long ago and in the recent past.

Research RoadmapPrint the Research Roadmap. Use it to take notes and hand it in to your teacher when you make your presentation.

 

Topic Finder

Need help finding a topic? Explore these ideas for research...California Regions.

Case Study

Here's an example of a topic you could choose for the Big Idea Activity: The Chumash Indians lived around the area that is now Santa Barbara, California. They made their homes out of willow branches and thatch. They built plank canoes that were covered with shark skin. For fun, they invented several games. Choose another group from the map. Find out about other California Native American groups. What kinds of homes did they have? What did they eat? What did they do for fun?

Fun Facts The average Chumash Indian ate over 300 pounds of acorns each year. Acorns were ground into flour. The flour was made into a soup or a mush.

 
 

What kind of medicine do you take when you get sick? If you were a Chumash Native American, you might have a shaman healer. You might also take medicines made from plants. Read about what people do today to treat illnesses and injuries.

Medicine of the Chumash Indians

Treatments for Everyday Illnesses and Injuries

 
 

California's First People

Pictographs and Petroglyphs

Learn more about the pictographs and petroglyphs of the Kawaiisu Indians.

What is a Powwow?

Visit this site to find out more about the powwow. Learn more about powwow music and dances.

The Kumeyaay

Kumeyaay Nation Artifacts

Look through a collection of Kumeyaay artifacts. Do the Kumeyaay game pieces look different than your game pieces?

Local Edible and Medicinal Plants

Learn more about the plants eaten and used by the Kumeyaay.

Kumeyaay Reservations

Explore the Kumeyaay reservations. Learn about the land and history of the reservations.