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February 27, 2018 | By: Sean Myers FNMI Foundational Knowledge Lesson Plan
Title of Unit Reclaiming Indigenous Identity Grade Level 7
Developed By Sean Myers
GOALS & OUTCOMES
Students will make connections to prior lessons related to general and specific outcomes from the Alberta grade
7 Program of Studies (PoS) for Social Studies, as well as to draw on any other funds of knowledge students may
have on indigeneity or social justice issues. This lesson will touch on general and specific outcomes from the
POS with a major focus on indigeneity from a social justice perspective, with the goal for students to gain
awareness of possible stereotypes and prejudices that they may hold, to no fault of their own.
AB Program of Studies for Social Studies: CONTENT OUTCOMES
General Outcome 7.1: Towards Confederation Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation
of the distinct roles of, and the relationships among, the Aboriginal, French and British peoples in forging the
foundations of Canadian Confederation.
● Specific Outcome 7.1.2: Students will appreciate the challenges of coexistence among people
● Specific Outcome 7.1.3: Students will compare and contrast diverse social and economic
structures within the societies of Aboriginal, French and British peoples in preConfederation
Canada by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues:
○ What were the different ways in which Aboriginal societies were structured (Iroquois
Confederacy, Ojibwa, Mi’kmaq)?
○ How did the structures of Aboriginal societies affect decision making in each society (i.e., role
and status of women, consensus building)?
○ In what ways did Europeans impact the social and economic structures of Aboriginal societies?
General Outcome 7.2: Following Confederation: Canadian Expansions
● Specific Outcome(s) 7.2.x: **Specific outcomes for 7.2 will depend on which texts students select for
the book review activity. The books selected may focus on challenges that Indigenous individuals and
communities face when confronted with rapid change (7.2.3), Louis Riel (7.2.4), the impact of
immigration on Aboriginal peoples and communities in Canada (7.2.5), etc.
Students will understand that… Essential Questions
● Canadian literature has principally portrayed its ● Why is Social Justice important?
Indigenous in a symbolic manner, with negative ● What is prejudice and where does it come
characteristics, and often in an auxiliary role from?
● Gaining knowledge about Indigenous peoples ● How are First Nations or Indigenous people
and other minoritized humanizes these people. discriminated against today?
● Indigenous authors are increasingly replacing ● What can we do to overcome prejudices?
the often stereotypical image of Indigenous ● How are Indigenous authors reclaiming their
peoples. Identity through stories?
Preparation
Differentiation & Inclusion Preliminary Matters/Review
● This lesson was created with Universal Design for ● Review the previously agreed upon
Learning (UDL) in mind, ensuring that students democratically established classroom
with various individual needs or accomodations expectations, including being respectful of others
can take part in all of the activities. ● Ensure students have been given ample notices
● Students are afforded the option of creating a on the need to complete the assigned reading
visual piece with a short accompanying written prior to the start of the lesson.
component as an alternative to a longer review.
EDUC 450 LESSON PLAN: RECLAIMING INDIGENOUS IDENTITY 2
Materials
● Understanding Aboriginal Identity film ‐ 20 Minutes: BearPaw Legal (Director). (2015, May 1). Understanding
Aboriginal Identity [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcSnbXmJ9V0
● Digital Version (pdf) of the resource Aboriginal peoples of Alberta: yesterday, today, and tomorrow (p. 4‐29).
Retrieved from: http://indigenous.alberta.ca/documents/AboriginalPeoples.pdf?0.276972591644153 Note:
students will be provided with a double‐sided printed copy of the reading if they do not have access to an
electronic device
● Copy of Songs Taken from Penny Petrone, Native Literature in Canada, (1990) (Appendix A)
● Copy of list of suggested Indigenous/First Nations authors (Appendix B)
● Digital versions of the Rubric for the Book Review assignment (Appendix C) and the other handouts.
● Copy of the Social Justice Terminology Handout (Appendix D)
Learning Plan
Objective:
By the end of the lesson, grade 7 students will have gained an understanding of the diversity of Canada’s heritage and
how diversity helps shape Canadian identity. Additionally, students will gain an awareness of possible implicit biases
and prejudices about indigeneity and how to confront them, as well as a grasp of other social justice concepts.
Additionally the goal of the lesson is:
1. To introduce students to First Nations oral traditions
2. To introduce students to First Nations authors and First Nations literature
3. To discuss Canadian literary works on the topic of First Nations
4. To introduce students to Social Justice Issues as they relate to Indigeneity
Introduction :
The activity should be introduced as part of a wider examination of Canada before Confederation, gaining an
understanding and appreciation for the distinct roles of, and the relationships among, the various Indigenous peoples,
the French, and the British peoples. This is also a great opportunity to address social justice issues in the past, and in the
present as they relate to Indigeneity in Canada.
Learning Activities:
● Homework prior to first lesson: read p ages 4‐29 of “Aboriginal peoples of Alberta: yesterday, today, and
tomorrow”.
● Questions Ball (~15 minutes):
○ Upon entering the class students will be informed of the Question Ball activity, they will sit on top of
their desk until they are passed a soft stress ball
○ The students will be asked “What was one thing you learned or thought was interesting regarding the
assigned reading that were to be done for today?”
○ Upon answering, the student will pass the ball to another student and sit down, this is repeated until
the whole class has answered and is sitting. Following completion of the Question Ball activity, the class
will be asked (not forced) to share one thing they wonder about in relation to the reading on
indigeneity
○ *Note: The Question Ball activity will be used throughout the semester regularly as one of several ways
to foster a safe learning and sharing environment, to serve as a bridge from previous lessons or
learnings, and as one way to conduct formative assessment.
● Introduction to Social Justice concepts (~15 minutes)
Introduces students to concepts of prejudice, discrimination, and oppression. Explain that oppression is the
prejudice and discrimination of one social group against another, backed by institutional power.
○ Use this opportunity to inform the students that non‐First Nations writers have for centuries created a
stereotypical image of First Nations in Canadian literature, which is in contrast to a very rich and deep
body of oral stories, songs, and poems from First Nations. As the dominant group, Whites were able to
create stories and stereotypes about First Nations and Indigenous that helped to solidify Whites
dominant position and foster both internalized dominance and oppression.
● Show the video Understanding Aboriginal Identity : https://youtu.be/IcSnbXmJ9V0 ( ~20 minutes):
● Three Minutes Each Way (~10 minutes):
EDUC 450 LESSON PLAN: RECLAIMING INDIGENOUS IDENTITY 3
○ In pairs students will take turnings speaking for three minutes on at least one particular misconception
or stereotype they might of had prior to watching the video on Aboriginal peoples or Aboriginal Identity
○ If students are having trouble, ask them about stereotypical representations of Indigeneity in popular
media.
● Introduction to First Nations Poetry (~ 10 minutes ):
○ Before reading the two First Nations/Aboriginal song, ask your students to consider while they listen to
the teacher whether songs feature “literary” elements?
○ Following reading of the poems to the class, ask if they noticed any imagery, structure, symbolism or
allegory? Ask what these songs are trying to express?
○ See Appendix A for the poems in a handout version
● Stereotypes (~10 minutes):
○ Have a class discussion on sports team names such as the Blackhawks, Redskin, Chiefs, and Indians
○ Ask the students the following questions: Do these names and terms influence people’s perceptions of
First Nations? Are there other social groups whose names or slurs are used in a similar fashion? If
unable to identify any names of other social groups, follow up by asking them why only First Nations
names are used in this way? And conclude by asking what messages, if any, are being communicated by
using First Nations names for sports team and in other facets of society.
● Book Review introduction (~10 minutes):
○ Introduce this assignment by telling students that they have been selected by a national newspaper or
media outlet to write a 3 page book review on a contemporary First Nations author.
○ Students will be provided with a hand out of suggested authors, but are welcome to choose any other
First Nations author that they find.
○ Alternatively students can choose to create a multimedia visual or presentation with a short
accompanying written component (1 page). The students may be able to use any of the following
formats: Skit/video, photo essay, powerpoint/slide show, scrapbook, brochure, speech, or any other
format approved by the teacher.
○ Show the class the rubric for this assignment, and leave time to answer any questions they may have.
○ See Appendix B for list of recommended First Nations authors (students are allowed to choose from any
other First Nations author).
Conclusion:
● Conclude the lesson by emphasizing the importance of critical thinking about where texts come from, and the
importance of noticing our own biases or stereotypes that we may have through popular media or other
sources.
● Let students know that as a teacher, they are there fo r students following class in order to discuss or follow up
with any persisting feelings of discomfort or unease in relation to the subject material. Highlight that the first
step in combating prejudices, discrimination, and oppression is to first acknowledge that they do exist.
Assessment
Formative Assessment Summative Assessment
● Students will be formatively assessed ● Students will be given an assignment to write a 3 page
throughout the lesson as part of an ongoing book review on a contemporary First Nations author.
assessment through observations, questions, ● Alternatively students can choose to create a multimedia
and informal discussions throughout the visual or presentation with a short accompanying
various activities in order to inform me as a written component (1 page).
teacher of areas of need for both individual ● See Appendix C for assignment rubric
students, and the class as a whole, in order
to appropriately address the needs of the
class.
Reflection
EDUC 450 LESSON PLAN: RECLAIMING INDIGENOUS IDENTITY 4
● Following the completion of the assignment, the teacher will be asked to reflect on the following questions:
○ Did the lesson go as planned? If there were any issues, could they have been avoided?
○ Where general and specific outcomes from the program of studies touched on?
○ Were the students engaged with the lesson plan materials and activities?
○ Were the students receptive to the social justice component of the lesson plan?
○ Was there a need for a greater degree of differentiated instruction to meet all of my students needs?
Theoretical Framework
This lesson directly addresses the values described in the Alberta Program of Studies (PoS) document
for Social Studies including “to appreciate and respect how multiple perspectives, including Aboriginal
and Francophone, shape Canada’s political, socioeconomic, linguistic and cultural realities” (Alberta
Education, n.d., p. 2). Additionally the knowledge and understanding component of the PoS that is to
understand the diversity of Aboriginal traditions, values and attitudes is central to this lesson. This
lesson is directly in line with the Alberta PoS for Social Studies grade 7. According to Sensoy and
DiAngelo (2017) Colonial imposition of their language, oppression, and attempted eradication of
Indigenous culture are all examples of difficulties that Indigenous peoples faced. For hundreds of
years, nonIndigenous writers have played a dominating role in constructing a popular image of First
Nations in North American literature (McCue, 2010) . There has been a significant reclamation and
emergence of First Nations authors presenting their own literary voices that are taking over largely
stereotypical and often racist images of Indigeneity within North American and more specifically,
Canadian literature. Lund and Carr (2010, p. 233) state in their book that they “hope that the plurality of
views put forward through our project will fuel an important conversation and stimulate further activism
in eradicating racism and other forms of oppression”. Just as Lund and Carr seek to promote change
and antiracist ideals, so does this Social Justice Lesson Plan with its focus on indigeneity in the
Canadian context. This lesson has the goal of foster a critical thinking approach that can enable the
class to bring certain prejudices, biases, or stereotypes to the surface to consider and ultimately
confront. Sensoy and DiAngelo (2017) argue that a shortage of humility is a consequence of limited
knowledge about a minoritized group, such as Indigenous peoples of Canada. In delving deeper into
EDUC 450 LESSON PLAN: RECLAIMING INDIGENOUS IDENTITY 5
authentic works by Indigenous authors, it is hoped that the students can more readily identify with
indigenous peoples humanity.
Appendix A
Songs Taken from Penny Petrone, Native Literature in Canada, (1990)
Chippewa Song
Chippewa English
"Wau wau tay see! “Flittingwhitefireinsect!
Wau wau tay see! Wavingwhitefirebug!
E mow e shin Give me light before I go to bed!
Tahe bwau ne baune wee! Give me light before I go to sleep!
Be eghaun be eghaun ewee! Come, little dancing whitefirebug!
Wau wau tay see! Come, little dancing whitefirebeast!
Wau wau tay see! Light me with your bright
Was sa koon ain je gun. whiteflameinstrument — your little candle.”
Was sa koon ain je gun. "
Sekani Medicine Song
English Translation
“I need your help, O caribou
Come swiftly to me.
You see I have laid my hands on the sufferer.
Come and lay your hoofs where I have laid my hands,
I need your help.
Without your help there is no healing in my hands today.
Come so quickly that your tail stands erect”
* Adapted from McCue, H. A. (2010). The learning circle: classroom activities on First Nations in
Canada . Ottawa: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.
EDUC 450 LESSON PLAN: RECLAIMING INDIGENOUS IDENTITY 6
Appendix B
List of First Nations authors
● Daniel David Moses
● Bernard Assiniwi
● Basil Johnson
● Thomas King
● Gregory Scofield
● Annehareo
● Duncan Mercredi
● Lee Maracle
● Jeanette Armstrong
● Rita Joe
● Wayne Keon
● Jordan Wheeler
● Beth Brant
● Armand Garnet Ruffo
● Lenore KeeshigTobias
● Beatrice Culleton
● Ruby Slipperjack
● Harry Robinson
● Louise Halfe
● Eden Robinson
● Brian Maracle
● Richard Wagamese
● Beth Cuthand
● Richard Van Camp
● Pauline Johnson
● Or any other First Nation author the student wants to choose a work by in order
to complete this activity.
* Adapted from McCue, H. A. (2010). The learning circle: classroom activities on First Nations in
Canada . Ottawa: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.
EDUC 450 LESSON PLAN: RECLAIMING INDIGENOUS IDENTITY 7
Appendix C
Level 4 3 2 1 Insufficient/
Excellent Proficient Adequate Limited Blank*
Criteria
No score is
Appreciation Provides a Provides a Provides a Provides a awarded:
for distinct comprehensive thorough cursory sketchy insufficient
roles and description of the description of description of the description of the evidence of
relationships challenges of the challenges challenges of challenges of student
between coexistence of coexistence coexistence coexistence performance
Aboriginal and among people, among people, among people, among people, based on the
nonAboriginal comparing and comparing and comparing and comparing and requirements
Canadians contrasting contrasting contrasting contrasting the task.
(7.1,7.1.2, 7.1.3, diverse social and diverse social diverse social diverse social
7.2.x*) economic and economic and economic and economic
structures structures structures structures
Evaluates Provides an Provides an Provides an Provides an
consequences accurate reasonable plausible simplistic
from a representation of representation representation of representation of
perspective perspective with of perspective perspective with perspective with
(7.2, 7.2.x*) an insightful with an logical an basic and an confusing
and precise and relevant ambiguous and irrelevant
interpretation of interpretation of interpretation of interpretation of
consequences. consequences. consequences. consequences.
Justifies choice Provides Provides Provides Provides weak
from a compelling convincing believable evidence to
perspective evidence to evidence to evidence to support
(7.S.1) support support support arguments from
arguments from arguments from arguments from the chosen
the chosen the chosen the chosen perspective.
perspective. perspective. perspective.
Communicates Communicates Communicates Communicates Communicates
information information in a information in a information in a information in an
(7.S.8) captivating substantially partially minimally
manner. engaging engaging engaging
manner. manner. manner.
*specific outcomes for 7.2.x will depend on the text they choose*
** Rubric adapted from Groenen, C., Kwasny, D., & Richter, S. (2008). Louis Riel Day [Doc]. CARC.**
EDUC 450 LESSON PLAN: RECLAIMING INDIGENOUS IDENTITY 8
Appendix D