One of my favourite units I planned was the unit on Community. It was predominantly a Social Studies unit, but also combined curricular competencies from the Science and Language Arts curriculum. The students were given many opportunities to explore their community and what this term means to them. The unit started with an outdoor exploration where students were able to discuss with their partners as they walked the types of things that they see in their community. We used the knowledge gained through this walk to brainstorm and complete a graphic organizer, and this knowledge gain guided the rest of the unit. Throughout the unit, students were able to write about and discuss their favourite things to do in their community, write narratives describing a walk through their community from another’s perspective, consider their impact on the environment and in turn the environment’s impact on us, how they can maintain the current state of the environment, and various community helpers and how they help keep our community safe. Students were also exposed to different opinions and values of communities in different cultures. They were also given numerous opportunities to consider the daily life, cultural celebrations and holidays, and environmental concerns in different cultures, including their own. For example, in one lesson we discussed activities that we can participate in in different seasons and what aspects of that season are necessary for this activity to be enjoyed. To supply another perspective, I read the students a story about a First Nations boy and what he does during each season. Not only were the students able to see how life in a First Nations reserve might be during each of the individual seasons, but they were also able to get a better picture of the timeline how these people hunt and gather their food and prepare for ceremonies and were also able to better understand the values of the Dene people from La Loche.
One thing that is really important to me in my personal identity is my cultural background as a South African. While I myself was born in Canada, my parents and older sisters immigrated from South Africa a few years before I was born. Hearing about the struggles they experienced and the resilience they had to develop during their life in Africa made me both proud to have this as my cultural heritage and at the same time relieved that my parents were able to escape the violence and racism to build a better life for our family in Canada. I wanted to be able to incorporate my students’ cultural identity and familial identity in hopes of them learning to be proud of their backgrounds too and embracing what makes them unique. In another lesson we discussed various cultural celebrations and ceremonies. I read the students two stories about First Nations cultures, one about a Pow Wow and the other about a Salmon Ceremony. Students examined similarities and differences between these two ceremonies and then brainstormed other ceremonies or holidays they have heard of or celebrate in their cultures. We then examined what all these special events have in common, and students were then able to design their own holiday, using an outline that had them consider what their holiday was celebrating, why it was celebrated, who celebrated it, what they wear and eat, and a picture including any other information they would like to include.
We then later also discussed what is important to them and their family that makes them unique. The students offered examples of what their family’s cultural or personal values are, and then were able to create a banner flag to portray this. On their banners the students included pictures of what their family likes to do, eat, cultural symbols such as flags or landmarks, and words that remind them of their families. I then combined all their flags to make a large banner to hang in the classroom, to remind the students of their cultural and familial heritage, as well as to show them that despite their differences we are all connected and a part of this classroom community.