1: American Indian Cultures
Culture is a result of human socialization. People acquire knowledge and values by interacting with other people through common language, place, and community. In the Americas, there is vast cultural diversity among more than 2,000 tribal groups. Tribes have unique cultures and ways of life that span history from time immemorial to the present day.

2: Time, Continuity, and Change
Indigenous people of the Americas shaped life in the Western Hemisphere for millennia. After contact, American Indians and the events involving them greatly influenced the histories of the European colonies and the modern nations of North, Central, and South America. Today, this influence continues to play significant roles in many aspects of political, legal, cultural, environmental, and economic issues. To understand the history and cultures of the Americas requires understanding American Indian history from Indian perspectives.

3: People, Places, and Environments
For thousands of years, indigenous people have studied, managed, honored, and thrived in their homelands. These foundations continue to influence American Indian relationships and interactions with the land today.

8: Science, Technology, and Society
American Indian knowledge resides in languages, cultural practices, and teaching that spans many generations. This knowledge is based on long-term observation, experimentation, and experience with the living earth. Indigenous knowledge has sustained American Indian cultures for thousands of years. When applied to contemporary global challenges, Native knowledge contributes to dynamic and innovative solutions.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ESSENTIAL UNDERSTANDINGS →

Science

1. Science as a Human Endeavor

2. History of Science

3. Earth Science and the Solar System

• Observing, measuring, and identifying properties
• Seeking evidence
• Recognizing patterns and cycles
• Identifying cause and effect and extending the senses
• Designing and conducting controlled experiments

Math

1. Number Sense and Operations

• Understanding place value
• Perform operations with multiple digits

2. Computation and Operations

• Apply and expand understanding of addition, subtraction, and multiplication

3. Measurement

• Identify dates such as the equinox, solstice
• Show awareness of time concepts
• Make and use estimate of measurements

4. Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability

• Use observations to gather and collect data
• Formulate inferences and represent possible outcomes

English / Language Arts / Reading

1. Language Development

• Discussion
• Questioning, listening, and contributing
• Vocabulary and concept development

2. Informational Text

• Expository text
• Document and Procedural Text

3. Literary Text

• Connections
• Traditional narrative

Geography

1. The World in Spatial Terms

• Locate the cardinal directions, the equator, the continents, and other major geographical features of the Western hemisphere

2. Places and Regions

• Acquire a framework for thinking geographically, including the location and some of the unique characteristics of Mesoamerica

National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies National Council for the Social Studies

1. Culture

• Cultures are dynamic and change over time, but also practice ancestral traditions from hundreds of years ago
• There are similarities among cultural groups across time and place

2. Time, Continuity, and Change

• Studying the past makes it possible for us to understand the human story across time

3. People, Places, and Environments

• Explore people, places, and environments in different regions of the world
• Examine the influence of physical systems, such as climate, weather and seasons, and natural resources, such as land and water

4. Individual Development and Identity

• People develop their personal identities in the context of families and communities