Welcome to the NASA Native Earth System Science Curriculum Project!

These lessons were written and field tested by educators of American Indian students who teach on the Colville, Flathead and Nez Perce Indian Reservations in the northwestern United States.   They include contributions from many people, including elders, cultural consultants, scientists and tribal professionals.   They were developed for use with K-4 American Indian students, utilizing cultural contexts, instructional methodologies, and assessments that are believed to be appropriate for and effective in helping native students learn.   They are inquiry based lessons, aligned with the National Science Education Content Standards and the American Indian Science standards (see matrices).

The lessons are tribally specific, involving stories, locations, people, issues, cultural traditions and resources found on their respective reservations.   Please respect the protocol and mores of each culture in using them (see "Cultural Protocol" section).   The lessons were written with the thought that they could be adapted for other American Indian cultures, however.   The teacher can customize the lessons by substituting stories, contexts, and resources particular to their specific cultural audience.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) sponsored this project, specifically NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.   The teacher authors visited NASA Goddard and worked with Goddard scientists to develop their lessons.   Many of the lessons therefore incorporate space science technology, especially satellite images, largely provided by NASA Goddard.

The many resources that accompany the lessons include pictures of culturally relevant items, historic photos, maps, satellite images, and sounds.   They are included in this book in reduced size for teacher reference, but can be found online at the Salish Kootenai College web site ( www.skc.edu ) in their complete forms along with the lessons.

Please enjoy using these lessons to motivate and engage your young students in learning science.   If you have questions or requests, please contact Roger McClure at Salish Kootenai College via phone at 406-275-4713 or via electronic mail at Roger_McClure@skc.edu.