Tag Archives: lesson plans

Continuing the journey

Throughout this course I have been really opening my eyes to resources that are coming directly from Indigenous communities or community members, that are being shared out into the “mainstream media”, and that can be utilized in our education system. I have been looking for articles and resources that open up the conversation and that help to bridge communities.

I have been having great discussions with colleagues within my school community, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, and these conversations include resources, topics for discussion, and areas for further investigation. Taking the time to seek out information and resources has certainly opened my eyes to concerns I was unaware of, and has given me more perspective.  I am looking forward to continuing this journey and seeking out additional resources and information to support the curriculum and all of our students.

 

Post 1 – The Water Walker

This CBC news article, and the book to which it speaks, is helping look at clean water from an Aboriginal woman’s perspective. It is based on actual events that “marries the First Nations’ sense of oneness with the natural world with 21st century concerns for the environment” and written and illustrated by AnishinaabKwe author Joanne Robertson.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/thunder-bay-students-learn-about-clean-water-from-new-indigenous-children-s-book-1.4386036?cmp=rss

http://www.motherearthwaterwalk.com

 

Post 2 – Home Economics and Culture

This article is from the November 3 Langley Times and brings forward an interesting and controversial topic. When educators are bringing in Indigenous practices, in this case food sources and preparation, into a high school classroom, controversy erupts. One practice is considered “inappropriate” by a group, while many comments (on social media….) support this teachers’ decision. They speak to the hypocrisy that our Home Economics classes can use beef or chicken in their cooking, but when it comes to something such as rabbit, it is inappropriate. Cultural practices collide. I am looking forward to the discussion that evolves from this.

http://www.langleytimes.com/news/skinning-rabbits-at-abbotsford-high-school-called-inappropriate/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Post 3 – First Nations Child & Family Caring Society

https://fncaringsociety.com/educational-resources

 

This site provides a number of educational activities to help support children and families. With links to books, digital resources, and films (to name a few), educators have resources to “touch on several topics in Indigenous history and culture, an aim to broaden perspectives and encourage critical thinking”.

https://fncaringsociety.com/sites/default/files/Primary%20Resources%20template.pdf

Post 4 Native Lit and Culture

Twitter @NDNLit 

https://dragswolf.com/ndnlit

Native Lit and Culture is a bi-weekly newsletter on Indigenous literature and culture. While from New Mexico, posts on their website and blog highlight a variety of issues, challenges and opportunities of Indigenous peoples all around the world. They share resources, poetry, books, and other website that share culture and a variety of perspectives to keep conversations and awareness happening.

Post 5 – Youth, Technology, and Empowerment

 

Continuing with our discussion of youth and technology, I have found several links to stories where Indigenous youth are making a difference and sharing their stories through social media, film, music. These youth are sharing their thoughts, feelings, and perspectives and putting it out into the world.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-land-rapper/brazils-young-indigenous-musicians-rap-for-land-rights-idUSKBN1CZ1P1?utm_content=buffer23759&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

 

http://news.psu.edu/story/490970/2017/10/30/research/research-suggests-american-indians-are-finding-image-power-social?utm_content=buffer1d22a&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

 

http://michiganradio.org/post/ojibway-brothers-sault-ste-marie-tell-tribal-stories-new-film?utm_content=buffer42ff3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Indigenous Veterans

Module 3

Post 1

As we prepare to honour our veterans and current members of the armed forces, our school has being acknowledging the diversity of those who serve or have served for our freedoms. For our Remembrance Day assembly, students will be honouring Indigenous individuals who sacrificed for Canada. One of our Grade 6 teachers shared this video we me, by Gordon Powell;  a tribute to these brave soldiers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekTSo-4-Yss

 

Post 2

The second resource is from Veteran’s Affairs Canada and is entitled, Remembrance Moments: Canada’s Indigenous Veterans

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2Z6RSKbrw0

 

Opening up my eyes to the history of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and seeing that they sacrificed so much for the very country that did not treat them with the respect and recognition they deserved. Taking the time to acknowledge and honour these individuals and groups is important for our students.

 

Post 3

Veteran’s Affairs Canada also has a site dedicated to Indigenous Veterans. http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/those-who-served/indigenous-veterans

This site provides a number of resources and learning activities for elementary, middle and high school students.

I was surprised to learn that Aboriginal Veteran’s Day is commemorated on November 8.

 

Post 4

Indigenous War Heroes – Secondary School Teacher’s Guide

I continued looking for resources related to November 8, Aboriginal Veteran’s Day and came across this guide for Secondary Teachers.

http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/deepeningknowledge/UserFiles/File/Teacher_sGuide.pdf

 

Post 5

 Continuing my search for more resources, I found this Indigenous Inquiry Kit Created and Written by Tamara Hancock

“War and Remembrance: Aboriginal Veterans and Their Contributions to War Efforts from World War I to the Present”. It is for the middle school level and has students examine Indigenous veterans contributions through a variety of cross curricular activities.

Aboriginal War Veterans and Their Contributions to War Efforts

Module 1 -1 – Teaching the Teachers

 

One resource that I have come back to numerous times is the First Nations Steering Committee website http://www.fnesc.ca 

From their site: “FNESC works at the provincial level to provide services in the areas of research, communications, information dissemination, advocacy, program administration and networking”. Their mandate is:  “to facilitate discussion about education matters affecting First Nations in BC by disseminating information and soliciting input from First Nations.  The primary goal is to promote and support the provision of quality education to First Nations learners in BC.”

As a non-indigenous person educating in the British Columbia school system, I would like to get the correct information to share with our students. FNESC provides resources, research, and professional development opportunities.

Particularly helpful as a middle school classroom teacher are the Learning First Peoples Classroom Resources. http://www.fnesc.ca/learningfirstpeoples/  which provide  support B.C. Mathematics, English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science curriculum. The First Peoples Principles of Learning (below) are also located in every classroom in our school where educators use them to guide their teaching.

 

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Module 1 websites for research purposes

In thinking about what I would like to do my research on, I was brought back to a concern or sense of confusion I have about the new BC curriculum. I teach grades 2-3 in North Vancouver, and have several students with First Nations ancestry. In rolling out the new curriculum this year, I have found that the curricular outcomes targeting First Nations content in the primary years are extremely broad, and I’m finding it challenging to find appropriate relevant resources to target those particular outcomes. It would be beneficial to explore authentic, meaningful resources developed by the First Peoples for First Peoples and others.

Here are a few I have come by so far…

Aboriginal Worldviews and Perspectives in the Classroom http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/kindergarten-to-grade-12/aboriginal-education/awp_moving_forward.pdf

  • This document provides useful background information on engagement, a vision for the future, and discusses attributes for responsive schooling, including those of teachers. It falls short of providing classroom lessons and examples of how to role out the process, but offers a more general idea of the way to move forward in the realm of education.

Authentic First Peoples Resources http://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/PUBLICATION-61460-FNESC-Authentic-Resources-Guide-2016-08-26.pdf

  • An annotated list of resources written by First Peoples for a student audience. It is a collection of informational and fiction works, but is quite language heavy, and would work well for teaching themes and issues in the older grades.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1302889494709/1302889781786

  • Government of Canada resource with links to reading and listening activities, primarily for the younger grades.

In Our Own Words http://aboriginal.sd34.bc.ca/sites/default/files/In-Our-Own-Words-final-Apr-16-web_0.pdf

  • A collection of practical lesson ideas for the K-3 classroom by the First Nations Education Steering Committee (see below)

First Nations Education Steering Committee http://www.fnesc.ca

  • FNESC is a regional (BC) committee of First Peoples who work “at the provincial level to provide services in the areas of research, communications, information dissemination, advocacy, program administration and networking.” As they work in a multitude of areas in the public sphere, one avenue of information dissemination is through schools in the K-12 education system. As such, they provide a variety of links to curricular resources divided into relevant topic areas.

 

I will keep searching for relevant information and tailor my research interests from here.

First Nations Steering Committee

.http://www.fnesc.ca/irsr/

This video introduces teaching resources that can be used to introduce Residential Schools in British Columbia.  It includes all of the necessary teaching components needed to introduce the topic sensitively and in a culturally sound way.  

 

Module 4 post 3

Common Portrayals of Aboriginal People

Media Smarts: Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy

Media Smarts is an organization which develops digital and media literacy programs and resources for Canadian homes, schools and communities. They work to support adults with information and tools so they can help children and teens develop the critical thinking skills they need for interacting with the media.

They have a section which explores common portrayals of aboriginal people, and provides resources, such as tip sheets, and lesson plans for parents and educators.

Module 3.2 Turtle Island Voices

I am not really sure what I think of this series. The Turtle Island Voices books, that are offered through Pearson publishing, have fans and enemies. Some proponents say, “Yay, look it is Aboriginal and there is a teacher’s guide.” Opponents complain the reading level is too low. It is, however, what many schools have in their collections to support First Nations content. You can check them out for yourself here.

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Bringing the Story of Native Canadian Culture into the Classroom

 

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https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1302868012055/1302868605384

Being a teacher of small children I wanted to check out what was being offered to Canadian teachers to help them include native studies in their classroom.  Usually, government websites are confusing and not that helpful but I found this site to be a refreshing change.  It includes lessons for children at all levels and I feel that, as a teacher, I would like to introduce into my classroom to ensure that my students have experience with at least the basics of native culture in Canada.  I thought that the lessons were well thought out and constructed and children would find them a solid first step in understanding one of the important cultures that formed what we now call Canada.  I personally downloaded the PDFs to use in my own classroom.