This section presents a series of five mini-lessons on special topics that have historical and contemporary significance within Indian Country.  Lesson plans are designed for one or two days of classroom time, but may be expanded according to teacher and student interest.

To provide for flexible uses in the classroom, the mini-lesson are available in two formats.

• As readable papers that students can either read online or teachers can duplicate and pass out to their students.
• As lesson plans for teachers - these include introductory notes to the teacher, the lesson theme, a series of discussion questions, and a detailed discussion of  how the lesson meets 8th, 11th, and 12th grade Social Science Standards for the State of California.

To access the five student papers, simply click on the choices below.

• Mascots, Symbols, and Names: A Brief History of the Controversy.  This paper examines the controversy surrounding the use of Indian mascots in American sports, focusing especially on the origins of the controversy which run deep throughout the American past, present, and future.

 
• Indian Boarding Schools: Tools of Forced Assimilation, 1870 to 1934  This paper examines the goals, activities, and consequences of the Indian boarding schools that were created in the late nineteenth century and persisted through much of the twentieth..

 
• Indians in Northern California: A Case Study of Federal, State, and Vigilante Intervention, 1850-1860. This paper examines the federal, state, and civilian interventions into the lives of Indian Peoples of Northern California between1850-1860, as well as the genocidal consequences of such actions.

• American Indian Tribal Gaming: A Brief History of its Evolution and the Political Debate.  This paper examines the recent popularity of tribal gaming by focusing on the political debate between tribal governments, state governments, and the federal government.  A case study of gaming in California provides an excellent analysis of the political issues surrounding tribal gaming in the 21st Century.

• American Indians in the 21st Century:  Survivors within a Genocidal Context.  This paper examines the contemporary status of American Indians in the United States by focusing on the theme that despite 400 years of genocidal policies, Indian People at the turn of the 21st Century had survived and retained many of their cultural, spiritual, economic, and political traditions.

To access the five lesson plans for teachers, simply click on one of the choices below.

• Mascots, Symbols, and Names: A Brief History of the Controversy.

 
• Indian Boarding Schools: Tools of Forced Assimilation, 1870 to 1934

 
• Indians in Northern California: A Case Study of Federal, State, and Vigilante Intervention, 1850-1860.

• American Indian Tribal Gaming: A Brief History of its Evolution and the Political Debate.

• American Indians in the 21st Century:  Survivors within a Genocidal Context.