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Educational Resources

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Lesson Plans

Source: The Manitoba Teachers’ Society

Focus: Grades K-8 and 9-12

Summary: September 30 is the new National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It’s also Orange Shirt Day across Canada. The Manitoba Teachers’ Society – together with Manitoba’s education partners and many Indigenous organizations – will be honouring residential school survivors.

Ocean, Fresh Water, and Us

Source: Canadian Geographic

Focus: Secondary students

Summary: This resource has been co-designed by a national team of partners to educate students, teachers, and the broader public on the connection we all have with water, regardless of where in Canada we call home. Canada has the longest coastline of any country in the world and approximately 20 per cent of the planet’s freshwater resources. This resource inspires us to better understand and take action to protect local waterways and the global ocean. Highlighted on this map are Canada’s watersheds, which include flow arrows to show the direction water travels to the ocean, as well as Arctic sea ice extent. In addition to the water layers on the map, the human element (the “us”) is also prominently featured through conservation layers and the different types of marine and freshwater protected areas. Villages, towns, and cities (heavily weighted towards the southern parts of the country) are also included, as well as particular illumination of Indigenous communities, treaties, and Indigenous languages spoken across the entirety of what we now call Canada.

L’océan, l’eau douce, et nous

Source: Canadian Geographic

À l’intention des étudiants au secondaire

Résumé: Cette ressource a été co-conçue par une équipe nationale de partenaires pour éduquer les élèves, les enseignants et le grand public sur le lien que nous avons tous avec l’eau, peu importe où nous habitons au Canada. Le Canada possède le plus long littoral de tous les pays du monde et environ 20 % des ressources en eau douce de la planète. Cette ressource nous incite à mieux comprendre et à agir pour protéger les voies navigables locales et de l’océan mondial. Sur cette carte sont mis en évidence les bassins hydrographiques du Canada, qui comprennent des flèches de débit pour indiquer la direction dans laquelle l’eau se déplace vers l’océan, ainsi que l’étendue de la glace de mer arctique. En plus des couches d’eau sur la carte, l’élément humain (le « nous ») est également mis en évidence à travers les couches de conservation et les différents types d’aires protégées marines et d’eau douce. Les villages, villes et cités (fortement orientés vers le sud du pays) sont également inclus, ainsi qu’un éclairage particulier sur les communautés autochtones, les traités et les langues autochtones parlées dans l’ensemble de ce que nous appelons maintenant le Canada.

COVID-19 and its impact on Indigenous language revitalization

Source: University of Victoria

Summary: Indigenous communities across Canada and the world are working hard to keep their languages alive and bring them back into everyday use. Most language work takes place in person, where face-to-face interaction is an important aspect of learning, teaching, and sharing between students, speakers, Elders, and knowledge keepers.

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic immediately interrupted our ability to gather in person, greatly impacting the majority of language work that previously took place at home, at school, and in the community. This overnight shift created both challenges and opportunities and sparked innovative responses from Indigenous language learners.

Education in the Post-Pandemic Era: Indigenous Children

Source: The International Indigenous Policy Journal Volume 11, Number 3, 2020, p. 1–11
Special Section: The COVID-19 Pandemic and Indigenous Peoples

Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic crisis resulted in more than 100 countries legislating school closures in March 2020. In response, provincial ministries and their respective publicly-funded school boards have implemented online learning platforms to avoid disruptions to student learning. For students already ostracized in public education, on-line learning may serve to further embed them in the proverbial margins. This editorial speaks to the urgency for educators at all levels to prepare for the potentially devastating outcomes on Indigenous student learning and progress in post-pandemic public schools and classrooms. The preparation for these realities has to be both immediate and retrospective given the complexities of these unique circumstances that have created interwoven layers of marginalization for Indigenous students.

Engaging Indigenous Families and Community with Ontario’s Schools

Source: Sandy Yep (sandy.yep@ontario.ca) Indigenous Education and Well Being Division

Summary: A Power Point Presentation which can be used in community engagement showing how Culturally Responsive and Relevant Transitions and Supports into a New Community can be achieved.  

  • What are some effective strategies or programs used by school boards and schools to transition, orient, and integrate Indigenous families into a new school environment?
  • What are some examples of interesting practices that enhance relationships between board/schools and neighboring Indigenous communities?

Preparing for Difficult Conversations

Source: Canada’s History. Created by Jacqueline Cleave, 2021 recipient of the Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching

Focus: Senior elementary students

Summary: In this lesson, students will assess their knowledge of the Residential School system and the ongoing investigations related to students who died while attending Residential Schools.

Se préparer aux conversations difficiles

Source: Histoire Canada. Créé par Jacqueline Cleave lauréate 2021 du Prix d’histoire du Gouverneur général pour l’excellence en enseignement

À l’intention des étudiants au primaire

Résumé: Dans cette leçon, les élèves évalueront leurs connaissances sur le réseau des pensionnats autochtones et sur les enquêtes en cours portant sur les élèves qui sont décédés alors qu’ils fréquentaient ces pensionnats.

About National Science Laboratory Video Lessons for Indigenous Youth

Source: First Nations University of Toronto

Focus: Secondary students

Summary: This website presents educational materials created within the project National Science Laboratory Video Lessons for Indigenous Youth. The educational materials developed include interviews with Elders and Knowledge Keepers, and laboratory manuals and videos for high school Biology, Chemistry, and Physics classes. The experiments were conducted by students of Carlton Comprehensive High School (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan). The materials were stored on USB hardware and distributed among First Nations schools in Canada. The project was supported by the First Nations University of Canada and The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada within the Promo Science program. The Project was conducted in four phases.

First Peoples of Canada: Presenting the history and continuing presence of Aboriginal People in Canada

Source: Canadian Museum of History

Focus: Secondary students

Summary: This virtual exhibition looks at some facets of the history of Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples, underlining their fight for cultural survival and indicating the wealth of their modern-day contributions. It is based largely on information and artifacts presented in the First Peoples Hall of the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Neither pretends to be a comprehensive presentation of the history of all the Native groups in Canada. Rather, aspects of cultural identity are explored through four themes: the diversity of Aboriginal cultural expression; how the Aboriginal presence manifests itself within present-day Canada; the adaptation of traditional lifestyles to different environments across Canada; and the impact of the arrival and settlement of Europeans over the last 500 years.

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