Art at the Center of 3rd Grade Teaching
Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council has completed the Native Art: Past and Present Voices grant. The grant was funded by Pleasanton Civics Arts Commission and completed with the cooperation of the Ohlone Peoples, Museum on Main, California Indian Heritage Center Foundation (State Indian Museum), and the Pleasanton Unified School District.
The centerpiece of the teaching materials is the art panel, First Contact, released to the project for use in the 3rd-grade curriculum. By examining First Contact, students are engaged in learning History-Social Science, exploring reading, and writing activities, applying learning skills in map reading, investigating science and the environment through PowerPoint presentations, listening, and responding to videos on Ohlone storytelling, creating a piece of art, and appreciating Ohlone music.
Each of the nine elementary schools in PUSD has received a basket of hardcopy materials and teaching artifacts. PUSD has also made the materials digitally available through its closed portal. Five additional baskets will also be distributed by PUSD. Each 3rd-grade teacher will receive an 11 x 17-inch color and laminated reproduction of the artwork First Contact.
The 3rd-grade Ohlone curriculum baskets include:
- 96 pages of teaching materials centered on the Indigenous artwork First Contact by Antonio Moreno (Awaswas-Mutsun Ohlone) and in alignment with Standards.
- Land Acknowledgement reading
- Teacher Background information on Ohlone Peoples: Teacher Background information on decoding the artwork First Contact
- One four-slide PowerPoint digital piece using maps to determine time and place
- One 16-slide Science and Art digital teaching piece on the eight animals in the artwork
- Student Activity Sheets with noted skill development
- Teaching Activity on gratitude (English Language Art- reading and writing)
- Three Ohlone Storytelling videos by Alfonso Ramirez (Rumsien Ohlone)
- Four replica artifacts in the basket: elderberry clapper stick (dance and music), tule mat (environmental resource), tule “Little People” (storytelling and environmental resource), shells package (Olivella biplicate shells-Science and trade item)
- The book, Little Deer and the First Native American Flute, by Al Striplen (Amah Mutsun Ohlone)
- Additional 200 pages of resource and reference materials including writings on each of the replica artifacts and East Bay Regional Park materials on the Ohlone Peoples.
On June 7, 2022, Antonio Moreno, (Awaswas-Mutsun Ohlone) commissioned artist of “First Contact” and Jan Coleman-Knight, PCAC Board member and writer of the funded Pleasanton Civics Arts grant, presented a 2 1/2-hour workshop for PUSD 3rd-grade teachers.
A special note of appreciation is extended to Antonio Moreno (Awaswas-Mutsun Ohlone), Alfonso Ramirez (Rumsien Ohlone) Al Striplen (Amah Mutsun Ohlone), Patrick Orozco (Elder of Pajaro Valley Ohlone), Dr. Alan Leventhal, Emeritus, San Jose State University and ethnohistorian of the Muwekma Ohlone and the Muwekma Ohlone Language and Education Committee, acclaimed artist, and educator Linda Lomahaftewa (Hopi Choctaw).
It is an honor to bring the story of the Ohlone Peoples to the 3rd-grade students in Pleasanton.