Source: BC Teachers’ Federation
Summary: This eBook is intended to be an interactive resource leading educators from the story to the ‘back story’ utilizing links on each page to offer related resources. Throughout this book you will find Project of Heart tiles with an ‘aura’ which indicates that this is a link. Click on each of these tiles to find additional resources including films, videos, documents, articles, activities and more.
Source: Media Smarts
Focus: Secondary Students
Summary: In this lesson students consider how well their favourite TV shows, movies and video games reflect the diversity of Canadian society. Students are introduced to the media education key concepts that “media are constructed to represent reality” and “media communicate values and messages”, and learn about the constructed nature of media products, how media “re-presents” people, ideas and events from a particular viewpoint, and what the possible consequences of under-representation and inaccurate portrayals of diversity might be.
Next, students learn about Canadian voluntary industry codes on diversity portrayal and consider whether they should be applied to other media. As a summary activity, students take a stand on a diversity issue relating to media and write a Letter to the Editor.
This lesson is part of the That’s Not Me: Diversity in Media lesson series.
Source: National Film Board
Focus: Ages 12-14
Summary: These films for middle-school learners feature stories from acclaimed filmmakers Thérèse Ottawa, Gil Cardinal, Caroline Monnet, and others from across Canada.
Indigenous Cinema in the Classroom is an extension of our Wide Awake Tour for the public. It offers teachers, students and parents the opportunity to watch films selected from our collection of more than 250 Indigenous-made works. We’ve created playlists of these titles, grouping them by student age recommendation and professional development themes for teachers. They touch on various subjects related to the topic of nationhood, including: the search for identity, Atikamekw roots, fatherhood, richness of heritage, celebration of heritage and the power of dancing in a powwow, ignorance, prejudice, racism, empowerment, bullying, discrimination, the Abenaki tribe, loss of home and land, colonization, the Indian Act and Bill C-31, Indigenous stereotypes, Indigenous pride, the Haisla people of British Columbia, the journey of the G’psgolox Pole, Indigenous languages, the Talking Circle, the Potlatch, Indigenous medicine, intergenerational knowledge, present-day environmental issues and concerns, oppression and resistance, conflict resolution, traditional Indigenous dance, hunting and trapping, Pete Standing Alone and the Blood Indians of Southern Alberta (English only), residential schools, preserving the traditional ways of life, and Indigenous Elders.
A Graphic Novel: https://lss.bc.ca/publications/pub/second-chance
Source: Legal Services Society
Focus: Senior Students
Summary: A Gladue Rights Story
This graphic novel tells the story of Myra who is charged with assault with a weapon. Myra learns about her legal rights and, with the help of Legal Aid, gets a Gladue report for her sentencing hearing.
Through engaging storytelling and illustrations, A Second Chance introduces you to Gladue rights for Aboriginal peoples.
Source: National Gallery of Canada
Focus: K-12
Summary: These lesson plans provides an introduction to contemporary Inuit prints and drawings in the National Gallery of Canada’s collection. The chosen works are from five important print shops located in the four major regions of the Canadian Arctic.
Source: Government of Alberta
Focus: Students, teachers, general community
Summary: Two graphic novels and motion comics on youth suicide prevention have been created by and for First Nations and Métis youth. These resources support youth suicide prevention and mental health promotion for Indigenous children, youth and families.
Over 100 Indigenous youth from across Alberta, in addition to First Nation and Métis producers, writers and artists, were engaged in the development of these novels. The novel and motion comic “Tomorrow’s Hope” reflects the experiences of First Nation youth, while the experiences of Métis youth are reflected in “Strength of the Sash”.
The novels reflect Indigenous voices and respects the uniqueness of First Nation and Métis cultures and traditions in Alberta. They are intended to help youth, their friends, families and trusted adults discuss youth suicide prevention.
Source: Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF)
Focus: Secondary students
Summary: For this assignment, students create a collaborative art piece that expresses Aboriginal identity in a variety of areas. The collaborative art piece consists of many individual pieces of art that form together to form the word “pride.” Each letter has a group assigned to it, and each letter is assigned a theme/idea (i.e., clanship, land claims, traditional teachings, community activities, etc.) that is researched and then expressed in the artwork of each letter and presented to the class.
Source: Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia
Summary: Over the summer, autumn and winter of 1869, fears grew within Red River Settlement that lives might be disrupted by the transfer of the territory to Canada. There was fear that a foreign government might not give the inhabitants consideration as to how their settlement would be administered. At this time a governance vacuum is seriously threatening the peace and security of the settlement. The land transfer from the Hudson’s Bay Company [HBC], to the Crown of England, and then to Canada has been suspended until such time as a peaceful settlement can be reached.
With Governor McDougall blocked at the border with 350 rifles, supposedly to arm a Canadian Party Volunteer Militia, tensions in the settlement have never been higher. The residents have formed a provisional government under the leadership of John Bruce and Louis Riel to protect their rights, homes and families.
As a member of the provisional government you must help decide the best course of action to follow for the people of the country and the settlement, their future and well-being. One of the most significant developments in Canadian history is about to unfold and you are required to assist in the process. To help with your decisions you will find a number of historic documents to guide you.
Source: Shot in the Dark Productions
Focus: Secondary Students
Summary: SHIFT is a half-hour documentary about the Indigenous youth from Carcross, Yukon who have spent the past 10 years converting traditional trails around their town in to a world-class mountain biking destination – and transforming their community and themselves along the way.
Source: Virtual Museum of Canada
Focus: Elementary students
Summary: Lesson 5: Stories and Songs
Background:
Dane-zaa have preserved our traditional stories and songs for many generations. Dane-zaa elders are expert storytellers and enjoy telling stories to people of all ages. Dane-zaa traditional stories are intended both to entertain and to teach about our traditional values and how to survive in the bush. They also provide Dane-zaa with ways to think about the impact of oil and gas industrialization on our traditional lands. Go to About Dane-zaa Stories to find out more about our traditional Dane-zaa storytelling traditions.
Dane-zaa traditional songs have also been preserved for hundreds of years and are a vital part of our contemporary Dane-zaa oral traditions. There are two types of Dane-zaa songs.
