Tag Archives: teacher resources

Module 4, Post #1: A True Story

If you are searching for a novel to use during a unit on indigeneity and a way to introduce the topic of residential schooling, “Fatty Legs: A True Story” by Christy Jordan Fenton is a great choice.

Hook students’ interest in the novel they will read called Fatty Legs: A True Story by watching the following YouTube trailor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwwRuINStHA

After reading the text, the teacher can ask students to make connections and consider how they would feel if they were taken from their parents and sent to live at a residential school where they were unable to speak their native language.

Students can complete comprehension questions for each chapter at the link below: http://www.annickpress.com/content/lessonplans/Fatty%20Legs%20Lesson%20Plan-1.pdf

There is also an opportunity for students to participate in a Book Talk, using the guidance of this link: http://www.annickpress.com/content/Book-Talks/FattyLegs/

Module #4-1: Board of Studies in NSW, Australia

I have been searching through online materials about Indigenous education. One website I came across is for the Board of Studies in New South Wales in Australia, which has an Aboriginal Education section. Their website has many examples and resources of school-developed teaching and learning projects collaboratively developed by teachers, Aboriginal education workers, and local community members.

The website consists of different sections, such as languages, art, and support materials for primary and secondary education. The language section offers practical advice and lessons from various Aboriginal language programs developed in NSW since 2004, including examples of units of work, practical advice, and the experiences of schools and communities running these programs. The art section shows an Indigenous artists’ gallery of artworks, along with a Teacher’s Handbook that supports the teaching of the Visual Arts, a bibliography, and PowerPoint slide shows of Aboriginal artists’ works. In the support material section they provide examples of teaching, learning and assessment resources that demonstrate ways in which the Aboriginal and Indigenous cross-curriculum content. The website provides examples of processes that teachers might use to develop contextual classroom teaching units, which connect learning outcomes with the needs of students.

This website seems like a good resource for Indigenous education, especially for primary and secondary teachers and students. Teachers, schools, and communities can use the materials as a guide for their educational engagement to improve the educational outcomes of Indigenous students.

Mod 3:5 Fatty Legs

Fatty Legs: A True Story is a chapter book geared at middle years students. It is about the experience of one girl at a northern residential school. This book has been used by teachers at my school and in my division to introduce the topic of residential schools. The students have all enjoyed the novel and come out with good discussions.

Module 3, post#2: Beginning indigenous studies in Kindergarten

One of the truths that came out of our discussions the past two weeks has been that southern teachers teaching in northern, indigenous communities feel ill-prepared to incorporate indigenous culture into their teaching. The University of Toronto’s Faculty of Education (OISE) has compiled a list of teaching resources, links and lesson plans for its teacher candidates, specifically on how to integrate aboriginal studies seamlessly into the Ontario curriculum.

This link will take you to a video clip of one teacher candidate, Nathan Goold, who developed a unit on Aboriginal perspectives for a Kindergarten class. One of the difficulties Goold faced during his planning was a lack of resources geared at the Kindergarten level. He discovered that most resources were aimed at students in Grade 5, since that is when the Ontario curriculum requires indigenous studies. Nevertheless, Goold was able to find two picture books that tied into indigenous culture and he found that his students were able to comprehend the cultural elements within them. He hopes that he has laid the ground-work for future learning about the culture.

As one follow-up activity, Goold had his class prepare and taste bannock. Food is always a great way to make learning engaging and memorable, and tasty! For Goold’s full lesson plan, click here: Nathan_Goold_-_Making_Bannok_with_Recipe.

Module 3 – Post 3 – Transforming the Teacher

As we examine the roll of traditional knowledge, the role of the elder/teacher plays a special significance. Such an individual represents a connection not only with knowledge but with history, the land, culture, and the future. Can non-Indigenous people learn from this understanding?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMfBeotD8gc

In this TEDTalks, Chris Gamer explores the way Indigenous knowledge (Australian) can be used to redefine what we consider success in education. The educator becomes something more than only a teacher.

Module 3, Post #1: BC Teacher Guidebook

In my quest for teaching resources, I came across a guidebook called Shared Learning: Integrating BC Aboriginal Content k-10, which was developed by the BC Ministry Education. The guidebook offers a variety activities that could easily be used in the classroom to meet the provincial curriculum expectations. Along with its lesson plans, the guide offers resource lists and assessment tools. This resource receives high praise in my books!

Recognizing that the integration of indigenous culture is mutually beneficial for mainstream and indigenous students, the guide highlights themes and activities that can be used in all subject areas, according to divisional level. Kindergarten to Grade 3 activities include indigenous storytelling in language arts and trading games in mathematics. The section for older students suggests activities that demand a little more critical thinking. Students are challenged to delve into deeper issues, many of which we have discussed in our course. The guide outlines lessons on the stereotyping of indigenous people in media, the impact of the Indian Act, the aboriginal view of science, the importance of indigenous role models, indigenous ways of teaching and the use of technology to learn about important indigenous people. Thinking back on my elementary education, we never explored these big, important ideas, even though they are crucial in understanding the past and present relations between indigenous and mainstream populations.

Imagine how much stronger the ties between mainstream and indigenous cultures would be if everyone knew and understood what we have been learning in this course. The BC Ministry of Education is doing it right by raising these valuable questions and teaching these issues at a young age.

Shared Learning: Integrating BC Aboriginal Content K-10, 2006. British Columbia Ministry of Education, 2006. http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/abed/shared.pdf Web. 24 October 2013.

Module 2, Post #4: “Kids Stop”

Kids Stop is another government initiative. This is a child-friendly web-site that would appeal mainly to Elementary students. The site is divided into 4 sub-categories:

  • Online games – that teach students about indigenous symbols, stories and places
  • People and History – profiles of famous indigenous leaders or artists and their successes
  • Multimedia – recordings indigenous oral stories read by elders
  • Classroom Resources – includes teacher guides to accompany activities and stories

Our discussions have brought up the value of tackling real issues in the classroom. The information on this site is on the superficial side; however, the activities are a solid introduction into cultural symbols and stories of indigenous people. For example, the objective of a game called “Turtle Island” is to find certain cultural symbols, items such as a totem pole, a sugar bush, a canoe, snow shoes, a fiddle and a drum. This game is fun, interactive and informative, but it provides a basic knowledge adequate only for Primary grades. Teachers at the Junior level would need to extend what can be learned on this site and elaborate through deep classroom discussion.

Click the following link for an indigenous culture activity..