Margaret-Gosia

Rutkowska

First nations, Metis, and Inuit

Stories of creation
Culminating task

Throughout this unit, you will be learning about several Aboriginal

Creation Stories. We will read, discuss, and explore the stories as a class
first, and then you will have an opportunity to create a dramatic
interpretation with a small group. For the culminating task, you will:

1. Work in a group of 4-5 students, demonstrating listening skills,

respect, kindness, and collaboration. (the groups will be chosen by
the teacher)
2. With your group, choose ONE story out of the stories read or
watched in class to explore as a group.
3. Prepare and present a DRAMA/DANCE SEQUENCE with 4-6
tableaux that demonstrate the key parts of the story.
4. Reflect on your creative journey, and contribute to Circle
Discussions.
Tableaux = a frozen scene.

In your Drama/Dance + Tableaux Sequences you will:

Adopt the role of characters in your story (animals and humans)
through body language/movement and gestures.
Move from one tableaux to the next with a dance sequence that
expresses the story while staying in character.
Demonstrate different types of movement (fast, slow, light, heavy,
etc.)
Each tableaux (still image) will have three levels (high, medium, low)
Expectations:
By the end of the Aboriginal Creation Stories Unit, you will be able to:
v Listen to and Read several First Nations, Metis, and Inuit stories,
and discuss their significance.
v Demonstrate your understanding by summarizing and analyzing the
stories we explore.
v Engage in the CREATIVE PROCESS with your group by choosing an
Aboriginal Creation Story to understand, explore through dance and
drama, and present to the class.
The stories we will be exploring are:
The Story of Turtle Island (Anishnaabe)
The Raven Story (Inuit)
Confict and Robbery (Haida)
Two Creators and their Conflicts (Mikmaq)
Creation of Seasons (Dene)
The Sky Woman (Iroquois)
Stories of Long Ago (Metis)

Margaret-Gosia Rutkowska

We will start off by exploring the Creation Stories with these strategies:

One Sentence Story: With your group retell the story. Take turns
summarizing the story, one sentence at a time.

Become That Thing: As a class, we will engage in physical explorations

of the characters in the stories. For example, for the Raven Story, we will
discuss what a raven acts like, watch videos about raven behaviour, and
try to imitate their gait, shape, and speed.

Tableaux-Freeze! Once we read the story, the teacher will reread the
story, line by line. Throughout this reading, you will Become that thing!
You can choose to be any character in the story (the elements: wind, fire,
earth, water are also characters). When the teacher says,
TableauxFreeze! then you need to freeze into an image that
represents what your character is doing in this scene.

Aboriginal Creation Story Rubric

Criteria

Level 4

Level 3

Level 2

Level 1

Mark

10

Knowledge &
Understanding

Demonstrates a

Demonstrates

Demonstrates

Demonstrates

thorough

considerable

some knowledge

limited knowledge

knowledge and
understanding of

knowledge and
understanding of

and understanding
of the Creation

and understanding
of the Creation

the Creation

the Creation Story

Story through

Story through

Story, through

through classroom

classroom

classroom

classroom

discussions,

discussions,

discussions,

discussions,

workshops, and

workshops, and the

workshops, and

workshops, and
the final

the final
presentation

final presentation.

the final
presentation.

Uses critical

Uses critical

Uses critical

Uses critical

thinking and

thinking and

thinking and

thinking and

creative skills with

creative skills with

creative skills with

creative skills with

a high degree of

considerable

some

a limited

effectiveness

effectiveness

effectiveness

effectiveness

throughout the
workshop

throughout the
workshop process.

throughout the
workshop process.

throughout the
workshop process.

Expresses and

Expresses and

Expresses and

organizes ideas

organizes ideas

organizes ideas

organizes ideas

and

and

and

and

understandings

understandings

understandings

understandings

art forms.

with a high degree

of effectiveness

with considerable
effectiveness

with some
effectiveness.

with limited
effectiveness.

Communicate with

Communicates for

Communicates for

Communicates for

Communicates for

various audiences

various audiences

various audiences

various audiences

with purpose and

with considerable

with some

with purpose and

high degree of

effectiveness

effectiveness.

limited

Demonstrate
knowledge and
understanding of
the First Nations,
Metis, and Inuit
stories explored

presentation

Thinking:
Use critical and
creative thinking
skills to analyze
and present
stories

process.

Communication Expresses and

Express and
organize ideas
about Aboriginal
Creation Stories in

and for different

audiences and
purposes through
drama and dance.

effectiveness

Application

Applies knowledge

Applies knowledge

Applies knowledge

Applies knowledge

of the Creation

of the Creation

of the Creation

of the Creation

dance skills to

Story to the final

presentation with

Story to the final

presentation with

Story to the final

presentation with

Story to the final

presentation with

tableaux/dance
sequence

a high degree of

considerable

some

limited

effectiveness.

effectiveness.

effectiveness.

effectiveness.

Apply knowledge
of drama and

effectiveness.

Knowledge & Understanding

/10

Thinking

Communication
/10

/10

Application
/10