About Image History in your own Backyard By Edward Flores Meet the Author "How did the environment impact early California Indians?"  Overview  Understandings & Objectives  Content  At A Glance Powered By 510-635-0585 info@my-ecoach.com Contact Us Grade Level: 4 Curriculum Areas: Focus: History/Social Science Secondary: English/Language Arts, Technology Topic: Early People of California Themes: Creation stories, Food, Geography, Housing, Legends Duration: 6 weeks Summary Students will work in groups of four or five to compare and contrast characteristics of early California tribes. They will use the Internet to collect data about different tribes from three different regions: central valley and mountains, coastal, and desert. They will read different creation stories and then work in a group to design their own creation story based on the environment and animals in that region. Students will also learn how the environment and geography affected how they built their housing, what they ate, and their culture. Rationale Students need to know about the native Californians and how they used the natural resources to live off the land. Now that we are more conscious of the limited resources we have, we could learn from the early Californians about how to live off of the land and use our natural resources more wisely.