It is important for the third-graders to learn about American Indian Tribes in the local

area because the students need to know who were the first people that lived in California. They

need to know how they survived by hunting and gathering their own food. When they study

about the American Indian Tribes, they will learn about the homes that they lived in and the

clothes they wore. They will learn how the Native American Indian Tribes had positive and

negative impacts. They will be able to discover the different types of natural resources for

survival and how those natural resources ultimately shaped the values and rituals of the tribes.

Students will also begin to understand what happened to different Native American tribes and

how some tribes were unable to survive after they were forcibly removed from their land and no

longer had access to the resources they needed. They will be able to appreciate the role of the

environment plays in relation to characteristics of certain cultures. The students will learn about

the Native Americans customs and traditions and they can compare their own customs and

traditions. They will learn that the Native Americans used a lot of storytelling which is an

important tool to pass down the traditions, such as local customs, how to live off the land, and

how to survive in the natural environment in which they lived. This was important to teach to

the younger generations. Music was important during their rituals and traditions. Learning

about Native Americans will help the students to be aware of the contributions that this group of

people provided for us. In the larger world, the students will have a better understanding among

different people, and it can help them accept different people.