Open Educational Resources · Place-Based Mathematics

Mathematics from Uka to Kula to Kai

Free, standards-aligned mathematics curriculum rooted in Hawaiian and Pacific knowledge systems. Mathematical reasoning across upland forests (uka), cultivated lands (kula), shorelines, and open ocean (kai).

🌺 Culturally Grounded

Lessons draw from ʻike kupuna, voyaging, mālama ʻāina, mālama wai, loʻi, coastal stewardship, and Pacific knowledge systems.

📐 Mathematically Rigorous

Culture is not an add-on. Each resource is designed to support meaningful standards-aligned mathematical learning.

📖 Free & Open

Teachers, students, and families can access web lessons, textbooks, worksheets, games, and PDFs without cost.

The Ahupuaʻa Framework

Explore Math Across Uka, Kula, and Kai

The site is organized around a living continuum of place. Teachers can browse by grade level, mathematical topic, or cultural and ecological context.

Uka — Upland

Forests, headwaters, watersheds, rainfall, stream flow, slope, mapping, and environmental observation.

  • Mālama wai and stream flow
  • Rainfall data and statistics
  • Topography, slope, and mapping
Explore Uka Resources

Kula — Plains & Loʻi

Agricultural lands, loʻi kalo, food systems, community practice, area, perimeter, fractions, and proportional reasoning.

  • Loʻi addition and subtraction
  • Fractions in harvest sharing
  • Area and perimeter of cultivated spaces
Explore Kula Resources

Kai — Shore & Ocean

Shoreline stewardship, waʻa, voyaging, star compass geometry, waves, currents, vectors, and trigonometry.

  • Skip counting and mālama kai
  • Wayfinding and navigation
  • Trigonometry across the Pacific
Explore Kai Resources
Starter Directory Preview

Sample Lessons and Activities

The full resource directory links teachers directly to PreTeXt lessons, worksheets, games, and PDFs.

Kindergarten · Kai

Skip Counting and Collecting Plastic

Students practice counting and grouping through shoreline stewardship and mālama kai.

Skip Counting Mālama Kai Worksheet
View Resource
Grade 1 · Kula / Loʻi

Loʻi Addition and Subtraction Game

Students practice operations through an interactive game connected to loʻi kalo and ʻāina-based learning.

Addition Subtraction Loʻi
Play Game
Coming Soon · Uka

Mālama Wai and Watershed Measurement

Placeholder for future lessons connecting measurement, data, and rate to upland water systems.

Measurement Mālama Wai Data
Browse Uka
Professional Development

Workshops, Consulting, and Collaboration

I partner with schools, districts, colleges, cultural organizations, and community programs to design mathematics experiences that are culturally grounded and mathematically rigorous.

Curriculum Co-Design

Collaborative development of OER lessons, units, and projects connected to place, culture, and standards.

Teacher Workshops

Professional learning on culturally sustaining mathematics, waʻa-based learning, and place-based task design.

Keynotes and Talks

Presentations on Indigenous mathematics, Pacific navigation, and the role of culture in STEM learning.

Community Partnerships

Curriculum partnerships with voyaging, ʻāina stewardship, and educational organizations.

Interested in collaborating?

Contact me about professional development, curriculum design, keynote talks, or adapting OER materials for your school or program.

Email Dr. Yong
About the Author

Dr. Kamuela E. Yong

Dr. Kamuela Yong is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu and the first Native Hawaiian to earn a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics. His work develops culturally grounded and standards-aligned mathematics curriculum for K–12 and university students.

His teaching and curriculum weave together mathematical reasoning, Pacific voyaging, navigation, ʻāina-based learning, and ʻike kuʻuna.

Read Full Bio

Highlights

  • Professor of Mathematics University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu
  • Founder / Co-Founder IndigenousMathematicians.org
  • Teaching Recognition UH Regents’ Medal and Frances Davis Award
  • Voyaging Experience Kānehūnāmoku Voyaging Academy and Te Puna Marama / Paikea voyage