This booklet is intended to help inform and educate teachers of fourth through sixth grade students about the rich cultural heritage of rock art left by Native American Indians in California. Education about rock art is essential for its preservation.
The booklet focuses on the major types of rock art found in Southern California. It includes some brief ethnographic information about the people who may have produced it, and provides lists of museums and public sites where rock art can be seen. Color photographs and drawings of rock art accompany the information. There is a lesson plan for creating a rock art drawing in the classroom, and there is a rock art crossword puzzle. A special "site report" has been designed and is included for students to use for a field trip to a rock art site.
The listing for rock art sites open for visitation is rather small for some areas. Many sites are intentionally not well publicized in order to reduce access and the risk of vandalism.
Access to a specific rock art site may change. Communication with the agency responsible for supervision of the site is suggested prior to any field trips. Field trip leaders may benefit by making a preliminary visit to the site, in order to determine first hand the requirements for access, travel conditions, schedules, and other factors.
All of the material presented in this booklet is based upon readily available public information. Wherever I have included photographs or drawings that belong to other individuals, I have obtained permission for their use, and have annotated their source.
The Resource List at the end of this booklet provides public names, addresses, phone numbers, and web sites for exhibits, museums, rock art sites, and agencies referenced in the text. The internet links may be used to locate updated as well as additional information. No representation concerning the content of the items in the Resource List is made or implied. Their listing is not an endorsement.
Thank you for passing on the message of rock art conservation to your students. Your efforts are critical towards ensuring that the remaining rock art sites in Southern California will be saved from vandalism.
I want to express my sincere gratitude to the many individuals who over the years have influenced my efforts, and thereby have contributed directly and indirectly to the development of this booklet. I have attempted to condense and present the material accurately. I accept responsibility for its presentation.
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