Category Archives: MODULE 3

M3P5 – Forests and Oceans for the Future

The Forests and Oceans for the Future is a research group at UBC that looks at ecological research and knowledge but they work with north coast BC communities. It intends to weave together indigenous and non-indigenous knowledge and look at sustainability of forests and oceans. While the group has goals to do research, create policies, it also aims to design educational materials while sharing knowledge with First Nations and other community stakeholders. The lesson plans are science based and have seven different units, created by different people. The one particular lesson that drew me is Unit 7 – Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Climate Change. Climate change is part of my Science 7 curriculum and this particular unit is unique as it actually provides students with interviews with elders and examples of traditional ecological knowledge. While this unit seemed great, I actually felt it was a bit mature for my grade 7 students and would require me to read most of it to them to ensure understanding. I also was a little disappointed to realize after the fact that the interviews were all from 2005 which could be quite dated.

https://ecoknow.ca/curriculum.html

M3P4 – Math First Peoples Teacher Resource Guide

This resources guide has a lot of lessons that connect with my grade level curriculum but also includes information on the how and why around the way to teacher such content. It also includes how to chose and develop a framework for designing more indigenous content. It includes a rubric on how to assess the resource based on indigenous voice, languages, diversity, protocols, relationship with the land, and ways of learning/teaching. This detailed rubric could serve as a guide for teachers to weave in indigenous knowledge into curriculum in a meaningful and respectful way, or as it calls it, ‘authentic integration of mathematical and cultural teaching’. As with the other FNES science resource, it provides a guide for having guests, but even more so, it has a math interview guide of potential mathematical questions that could be asked of guests. Within the resource, it has general lessons that could be done at any grade level that focus around a theme. This resource does not narrow down on one grade level specific activities, so work has to be done to dig into the thematic units to see how and what kind of math is involved. There is a section on the environment, as well as land and water, that connect to my science curriculum as well.

http://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PUBLICATION-Math-FP-TRG-2020-09-04.pdf

M3P3 – Great Bear Sea

This particular resource has 10 lessons related to the sea and salmon and includes completed lesson plans that are related to a film on the topic of the Great Bear Sea located in BC. I did not know anything about this area of BC so I felt enlightened myself in looking through this resource. The film is visually stunning and I feel it would be engaging to students. It is designed for my grade level and is hands on as well as inquiry based. It interweaves indigenous knowledge, research, marine plans, collaboration, as well as careers and the idea of stewardship. In terms of curricular content this is a cross curricular resource as it’s not focused on one subject. It includes math, as is one of my focuses, but also careers, Art, and English. I personally find students have more interest and ownership when their learning is more fluid between subjects and based more on real world situations. The lessons themselves are interactive and interesting, but also provide spots for differentiation and student interest. I also really appreciate that they include an area that is specifically for teachers to learn more about the background of the topics so that they can feel informed before starting.

http://greatbearsea.net/elementary-curriculum/

M3P2 – Science First Peoples Teacher Resource Guide

This resource guide was a gold mind of ideas and First Peoples resources. It includes learner centred and inquiry based activities that are based on experiences. While the activities were of great interest to me, I also found the introduction really valuable. It highlights the certain aspects of indigenous knowledge and explains the significance of interconnectedness, sense of place, language, place names, and story. It also gives suggestions and considerations on how to make connections with the indigenous communities as well as what to consider if having a guest speaker come in. I found it very clearly laid out as well as very insightful. The specific lessons that I found most applicable to my practice is the climate change lesson. It includes a unit plan that has climate change over time, specifics of the salmon affected by climate change, and resilience during climate change. Within each subsection it includes an inquiry question, suggested resources and suggested activities. There is a large appendix including the resources which also has stories to be retold. I feel this makes teachers more comfortable as we are being given these stories that we can retell properly, and even have explicit permission to retell it.

http://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/PUBLICATION-61496-Science-First-Peoples-2016-Full-F-WEB.pdf

M3P1 – Decolonizing Math with Stories

This paper is written by 5 math teachers from a variety of cultural and academic backgrounds hoping to explore understanding on how math and education include colonialist practices. The teachers met regularly and worked with a narrative inquiry aimed at decolonizing math through stories. This interested me as I was curious of the colonialist underpinnings specifically in math, but also the idea of learning and teaching through storytelling. They each told their stories of their teaching experiences and tried out new ways. So instead of teaching drills, they taught stories and taught math outside to connect it to place. Then the teachers shared their stories again in hopes of reliving them and shifting practice as well as recognizing colonists’ features.

Nicol, C., Gerofsky, S., Nolan, K. et al. Teacher Professional Learning with/in Place: Storying the Work of Decolonizing Mathematics Education from within a Colonial Structure. Can. J. Sci. Math. Techn. Educ. 20, 190–204 (2020).

Module 3 Post 5: Strategies for Indigenous Language Revitalization

Chapter 5 in the Handbook of Cultural Security written by Onowa McIvor (Associate Professor, Department of Indigenous Education at the University of Victoria) and Adar Anisman speaks on the necessity for Indigenous languages to be preserved and revitalized in a Canadian context. Their chapter includes support for pre-service teacher education, curriculum and resource development, and different methods for language integration to Canadian curriculum.

Reference

McIvor, O., & Anisman, A. (2018). Keeping our languages alive: strategies for Indigenous language revitalization and maintenance. Handbook of Cultural Security, 90-109. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781786437747.00011

Module #3 Post #5 – 1967 post Chanie (Charlie) Wenjack

https://www.macleans.ca/society/the-lonely-death-of-chanie-wenjack/

The story was first published in 1967 about Chanie Wenjack. His teachers had mislabeled him as Charlie. The story was by Ian Adams and published on February 1, 1967. Chanie was 12, and Indigenous. He died as the white world’s rules had forced him to live—cut off from his people.

By Ian Adams February 1, 1967

Chanie ran away with two other friends and sought refuge with the friends. Because their house was full and their means small, Chanie was subtly encouraged to leave. He died October 22, 1966. He likely died of hypothermia and was found October 23, 1966. At a hearing about the death, the jury at the time made the following recommendations.

After spending more than two hours deliberating, they produced a written verdict and recommendations that covered one, long, closely written page of the official form. The jury found that “the Indian education system causes tremendous emotional and adjustment problems.” They suggested that the school be staffed adequately so that the children could develop personal relationships with the staff, and that more effort be given to boarding children in private homes.

But the most poignant suggestion was the one that reflected their own bewilderment: “A study be made of the present Indian education and philosophy. Is it right?”

What makes me sad is that they knew in 1967 that this wasn’t ok. That residential schools did more harm than good. There were people speaking up like the part-time employee in the grocery store who said it was “us who did this to them.” So why on earth has it taken so long to tell the stories and to get people to listen? Why did the TRC take so long? Why wasn’t something “done about it” so long ago? And now, what can we do about it now that we know better?

Module 3 Post #4 – The Secret Path – Gord Downie

https://gem.cbc.ca/media/the-secret-path/season-1/episode-1/38e815a-00b11deb591

THE SECRET PATH

If you have not heard the CBC animated film from Gord Downie that tells the true story of Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old boy who died while trying to escape from a residential school and travel back home.

This is a 60-minute documentary that was driven by his sisters Daisy and Pearl Wenjack to help them tell Chanie’s story. “Who would have thought the Tragically Hip”.

The story is of 12-year-old Chanie Wenjack who ran away from a residential school in 1966 to try and travel over 600 kilometres home by following the railway tracks. He had some matches with him. When he ran away it was October and he was found dead on the railway tracks. This is his story as told by his family and music supplied by Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip.

Module #3 Post #3 – the Secret Path CBC Doc

The Secret Path is a story that was written about Chanie Wenjack and Gord Downie played music and helped write. This is a CBC short documentary about the work the www.downiewenjack.ca foundation is working on with a lens to Truth and Reconciliation.

A group of grade 5 students worked through the educational package on the Chaney Wenjack, and made art, stories and letters to give to Chaney’s surviving sisters on a visit. One of the most powerful moments were of a young girl describing her picture “Blue is the sadness, red is the madness and black is the darkness and dying part”.

The Wenjack story is heavy material, and the sisters were concerned that it was too heavy for young kids but the teacher wanted to make sure they could take something away with them and that they could do something in their lives to bring about change.

If you have not heard the Chaney Wenjack animated story I will add it to my next post.

Module 3 Post #2 – Monique Gray Smith -How to talk about residential schools

Monique Gray Smith and author of “Speaking Our Truth” came out with a youtube video on how to talk to kids about residential schools. The post is recent because of the discovery of all the unmarked graves that have been found and in response to the first 215 found on T’Kemlups te secwepemc former residential school site.

Her advice for our littlest citizens is to create a circle and tell them that for a long time the indigenous children were taken away. Depending on the age you can talk about the genocide and atrocities. She recommends authors rather than books. Authors such as Julie Flett, Christy Jordan Fenton, the late Olemaun, Margaret Pokiak Fenton, Tasha Spillet, Jenny, Kay Dupris, Katherina Vermette, Cynthia Leitich-Smith, Tracy Sorell, David A. Robertson, Richard Van Camp, Dallas Hunter, Nicole Nedhert, Karie Newman, Christie Hudson, Tanya Talega, Cherie Demeline, Eden Robinson, Tracey Lindberg, Louise Erdrich, Helen Knott, Teresa-Mailhot, Waubgeshig Rice, Drew Hayden Taylor, Thomas King, Richard Wagamese.

All of these authors’ residential schools and legislation that has impacted the families and the ripple effects. The relationships between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. Monique continues to tell us that change is incumbent upon us as citizens in Canada. That the reality is that we are only beginning this journey to heal and to understand. To uphold dignity and move forward means we all have a role in that.

She asks us as adults having conversations with the classes, friends and children, What is your role? And to be ready, because when the children ask you, and they will, that you will be ready to have these conversations.

Monique encourages us to have humility as there is a lot that we don’t know and more that we need to do.