Summer Institute for Teachers 2023

Summer Institute for Teachers 2023

“Indigenous Knowledge Connections in the Watersheds”

June 26, 27, 28, 2023

Day 1: Billy Frank J. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

Introduction: Two-eyed seeing

Nisqually Community Garden: Chantay Anderson, Project Supervisor

Tend, Gather, Grow: Summer Berries– Elise Krohn and Annie Brule, Garden Raised Urban Bounty (GRUB)

Break Out Sessions

Chief Leschi Canoe Family – Binah McCloud, Director of Student Success and Culture, Chief Leschi Schools and Carl Lorton, Culture teacher and Skipper for Chief Leschi Canoe Family

Keynote Speakers- Hanford McCloud, Nisqually Indian Tribe – Antonette Squally, Vice–Chair of the Nisqually Tribal Council, Nancy Bob, Nisqually Indian Tribe Language Department

Day 2: Field Trips

Squaxin Island Museum

Salish Roots Farm

Day 3: Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

Protect the Watershed: 5th Graders Opposing the Airport on Nisqually Land: Dena Harris, 5th Grade Teacher at Meadows Elementary

Breakout Sessions

Conversation with Bernie Thomas, Interim Director, Office of Native Education, OSPI

Additional Resources

  • Book List: This list of books was created to highlight books for educators and for students that feature or are written by Native people. There are books here for many ages and about many different tribes and groups, with extra emphasis on local PNW tribes. Most are available at the Timberland Library. There are links to learn more about each book at its publisher’s webpage but we encourage you to shop local and check local bookstores as well.  
  • Native Knowledge 360 Lessons– “Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°) provides educators and students with new perspectives on Native American history and cultures.” These two lessons in particular are local to our area. 
  • Pacific Northwest History and Cultures: Why Do the Foods We Eat Matter?
  • The Pacific Northwest Fish Wars: What Kinds of Actions Can Lead to Justice?
  • Summer 2022 Issue of Clearing Magazine – Special issue focusing on Indigenous Perspectives and Environmental Education.
  • Recovering Herring Stocks Through Indigenous Practices – Cool article and video about Traditional Ecological Knowledge around herring in the Puget Sound and the current restoration efforts. 
  • Native American Stories and Science – Roger Fernandez, a citizen of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, has permission to tell and share these stories. You’ll find alignment with NGSS and lesson suggestions, too! Check out the Intro video to get started; here is a printed version of lots of stories. 
  • Seeing Our Native Students: A Guide for Educators – “Native students share a unique historical, political, and economic context that can make school an especially complicated experience. In this guide, we explore this context in depth, and provide research-backed ways to improve the learning experience for your Native students and their families.”
  • Salmon’s Agreement Film – “Salmon have always kept their word. Year after year since time immemorial, these anadromous fish have returned to their home tributaries to spawn and give their lives for future generations. Filmmaker Woodrow Hunt (Klamath/Modoc, Cherokee) of Tule Films brings us Indigenous stories and perspectives from the Columbia River that illuminate our relationship with a fish that remains a cultural lifeblood to Native people.”
  • Explore the Salish Sea Curriculum: “Explore the Salish Sea is a place- and project-based science curriculum built on our popular kids’ book, Explore the Salish Sea: A Nature Guide for Kids… Each unit expands on a theme from one chapter of our book. Each presents students with a sea-related mystery or problem to figure out…. In each unit there is a suggestion to incorporate indigenous ways of knowing to support students’ ecosystem understanding.”
  • Cedar Box Teaching Toolkit – “This Toolkit is an educational resource featuring important native foods in Salish Country and the rich cultural traditions that surround them.” 
  • Indigenous STEAM – “The Indigenous STEAM Collaborative is a group of researchers and educators that engages in cognitive and community co-design research to advance general knowledge, develop pedagogical approaches for engaging youth in land- and water-based learning, and provide learning materials to Indigenous families.”
  • OSPI’s List of Native Education Curriculum Materials – “These support materials work compatibly with standards-based curriculum. They augment and enrich the instructional and curricular approach of Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State.”
  • Potlatch (board game) – “Potlatch, the game, is a strategic, educational card game based on indigenous philosophies. It is designed to meet Washington’s K-12 educational standards for teaching about native history, economics, culture, and government. The game was developed as a community effort with local elders and language experts. The game is written in both English and Lushootseed, the indigenous language of the Salish Pacific Northwest. Game mechanics are based on sharing resources to meet other players’ needs for food, materials, technology, and knowledge.”
  • Muckleshoot Canoe Journey – Learn more about the upcoming canoe journey with these videos.