This Teachers Guide is designed to enrich teaching Lands of Our Ancestors across the curriculum. The guide begins with an overview of the Chumash people and their history as well as documentation of the accuracy of the events portrayed in the story. This information will provide the teacher with important background information about the Chumash people in pre-Columbian California and can be used to introduce the book. The cultural revitalization work of present day Chumash people is also highlighted. In addition, there are images of traditional Chumash houses, foods, tools, a ceremonial leader, and a hunter. These images help illustrate the story.

The second section of the guide contains Questions, Answers, and Words to Know for each chapter of Lands of Our Ancestors. The questions can be used in teacher directed class discussions, small group discussions, or as written work. The variety of questions in each chapter align with The Six Levels of Questioning: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation. Answers are provided for all chapter questions. New vocabulary, including Chumash words, are found in each chapter’s Words to Know page.

Finally, to extend the learning after the book is completed, the guide includes eight project choices to engage students. The projects are designed to meet the needs of the diverse learners found in most classrooms. Each project meets a specific fourth grade History-Social Science Content Standard for California Public Schools. The standard is listed with each project.

Students who complete reading the story, discuss or write responses to the questions, and learn the new vocabulary words will meet a variety of the fourth grade California Common Core State Standards in reading, writing, and language.