Lesson Plan Title: First Nations Crime Rates in Canada

Date: TBD

Subject: Law30 Grade: 12

Topic: FNIM Crime Rates

Essential Question: How are First Nations populations represented in Canada’s crime sta-
tistics and what does this say about society’s views on Indigenous populations? How can we
examine Canada’s crime statistics in combination with media representations of First Nations
peoples?

Estimated duration of lesson: 1-2 Class periods

Materials: youtube video link, student journals, link to online resource on FNIM crime sta-
tistics, link to Colten Boushie CBC report,

Stage 1- Desired Results – you may use student friendly language

What do they need to understand, know, and/or able to do?
Following this lesson students should be able to recognize discrepancies in crime statistics and
how different racial groups are represented within these Canadian statistics. They should be
familiar with some specific statistics through group research, but should more importantly be able
to understand and explain (in their own words) the general trends in these discrepancies. They
should also feel more comfortable in performing research as they will practice this skill in a group
setting with the close help of the teacher. Their examinations of FNIM groups and crime in the
media will work at developing their literacy in critical evaluation of their technological
environments.

Broad Areas of Learning:

Sense of Self, Community, and Place: This lesson contribute to students’ national and local
identities as we explore the inequities and statistics on criminology present within their own
communities. This will also help develop a connection to their place as the statistics and
inequities explored are prevalent not only within their country, but most likely within their city/
town as well. Links to all sorts of media will also increase the relevancy of these issues in the lives
of adolescents, as their media familiarity and use is generally quite regular.

Lifelong Learners: The content of this lesson will emphasize social inequities within societies as
they relate to criminal statistics. This will prompt students to want to learn more about justice
and legal happenings throughout their futures. The prevalence of racialized events in the news
will undoubtedly plague students in their futures, so the content and skills learned throughout this
lesson will aid in their continued critical understandings of these future issues. There is also an
extremely high likelihood that these students will continue to consume, use, and interpret media
sources throughout their lives, making this lesson relevant for years to come.

Engaged Citizens: This lesson will engage students with their local politics and communities quite
explicitly as social injustices and media sources are so heavily emphasized. Although the lesson
focuses mostly on the negative stereotypes and bias within Canadian crime statistics the infusion
of optimistic undertones will encourage students to be agents of social change. Students will also
realize how important these issues are in their immediate environments, prompting them to
engage with and care about these topics.

Cross-Curricular Competencies:
Develop Identity and Interdependence: This lesson will encourage students to understand and care
for different individuals and groups within their society as inequities are discussed. They will be
encouraged in identity growth as they are asked to reflect on their own beliefs on these
controversial and important issues. They will also be encouraged to recognize their own
contributions and interpretations of racialized media sources.

Develop Literacies: Literacies in technology, research skills, critical evaluation, and

communication will be only some of the most prevalent literacies targeted throughout this lesson.
Competence in a number of subject areas will be drawn upon as this lesson explores relevant
media and crime statistics and allows students to apply that knowledge to real-life scenarios.

Develop Social Responsibility: This lesson will encourage students to be agents of social change as
they become more exposed to the realities of social inequality throughout our legal system. By
having students research and reflect upon the issues in crime statistics students will, ideally, be
prompted to feel a pressing need for change and will hopefully begin to take ownership of that
change.
Outcome(s): *outcomes are annotated as curriculum outlines great detail in objectives.
Annotations are directly from curriculum and summarize objective outcomes
Concepts and Knowledge Objectives:
- Demographics and Values
- Morality and foundational principles

Skills/Abilities Objectives:
- Apply skills of dialectical evaluation
- apply inquiry skills
- use effective reading skills to analyze data
- gather information from statistical data

Values Objectives:
- Appreciate that the criminal justice system is a tool of social policy
- Clarify personal viewpoints regarding causes of crime
- Identify the moral values portrayed through criminal law
- Appreciate that criminal laws reflect the moral values of society in content of time and place

PGP Goals:
1.3 a commitment to social justice and the capacity to nurture an inclusive and equitable
environment for the empowerment of all learners; and
2.3 knowledge of First Nations, Metis and Inuit Culture and History (e.g., Treaties, Residential
School, Scrip, and Worldview);
4.3 the capacity to engage in program planning to shape ‘lived curriculum’ that brings learner
needs, subject matter, and contextual variables together in developmentally appropriate,
culturally responsive and meaningful ways

Stage 2- Assessment

Assessment FOR Learning (formative) Assess the students during the learning to help determine
next steps.

Aside from the ongoing formative assessment performed by the teacher throughout the lesson by
reading student body language, facial expressions, and general contributions to gage
comprehension and interest. In combination with this ongoing assessment, class polls will be
commonplace throughout the lecture portion of the lesson.

Exit slip(s) will be used at the end of every class period as this lesson is designed to span multiple
class periods (ideally 2-3 class periods, depending on school schedule).

The group work and collaborative brainstorming will also serve as a form of formative assessment
as the teacher can see students’ individual abilities to grasp and apply their skills and
understandings without singling any students out.
Assessment OF Learning (summative) Assess the students after learning to evaluate what they
have learned.

At the end of the review of our collaborative google doc teacher will compile a list of review
questions from the contributions of the students. The available time in class a Kahoot review quiz
will be given to the class as a fun, technologically responsive method for assessing what the
students retained from the lesson on FNIM crime demographics.
Stage 3- Learning Plan

Motivational/Anticipatory Set (introducing topic while engaging the students)

Class will open with a youtube video on missing and murdered indigenous women (link below) to
begin a dialogue regarding the current situation of FNIM populations and crime in Canada.

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

Following this video, prompt the students to think about First Nations populations in Canada. Ask
the following questions to get a critical discussion flowing:

- Why do you think First Nations people are overrepresented in Canada’s crime statistics?

- How do you think the media portrays First Nations populations in Canada?

- Is reporting on crimes against Indigenous populations the same as reporting on white

populations?

- On the flip side, do you think First Nations populations are more commonly in the news as
victims or as perpetrators? What does this say about the way our society views Indigenous
populations?

Each student will be required to answer (at least) one of the above questions. Remind studends
that there are no right or wrong answers, but that what is important is starting a conversation
around these issues. Have students contribute their answers (anonymously if they so choose) to
the stormboard brainstorm page. This will allow a class board to be viewed with a more
comprehensive reflection on FNIM crime rate issues.

(https://stormboard.com)

Main Procedures/Strategies:

FNIM populations in Canada

- We will begin by reviewing the current climate of FNIM relations with Canadian government to
ensure that all students are up to speed with these issues. Discuss any current events
surrounding First Nations populations and the law.
- Review events of the Colten Boushie/Gerald Stanley case outlined in the following CBC Article
- http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/what-happened-stanley-farm-boushie-shot-
witnesses-colten-gerald-1.4520214
- As some EAL students or non-Canadian born students may not be familiar with Canada's history of
oppressing Indigenous populations, we will also briefly review pre and post- contact
relationships. Speak briefly to the way in which Indigenous people welcomed Europeans, the
treaties that were signed, and the exploitation and unrest that has ensued.

- This portion of lecture and class discussion should emphasize that First Nations populations in
Canada are misrepresented in media as aggressors instead of victims of systemic racism and crime
statistics. Students should understand that these populations are negatively represented in media
and throughout common societal beliefs. They should also understand that the statistics for
crimes against First Nations peoples are extremely high (as per the youtube video in the
motivational set)
FNIM Crime Rates
- We then proceed to further discuss the imbalance of FNIM crime rates in Canada.
- Have students use their own devices or a class set of ipads, computers, or laptops where
needed to have students explore the Stats Canada website. Have them search First Nations
statistics within the Stats Canada site using whatever search words they choose. Having
students search through the Stats Canada website on their own using the search words of
their choice will increase their familiarity with this reliable website, to begin with, but will
also contribute to their developing literacy of online resources. They will be able to use trial
and error and any preexisting knowledge of effective online search practices to better their
efficiency in this phase of individual research.
- Students should all come up with at least 2-3 pieces of information regarding the imbalance
of First Nations representation in crime statistics and add it to the stormboard we started at
the beginning of this lesson.
- Special note will be given to crime rates on reservations as students will be encouraged to
search for this data.
- Class discussion will again be prompted. Ask: Why do we think these rates are different than
those of broader Canada? What might this say about our justice system? What might this
affirm about stereotypes and ideals in our society?

Student Reflection in Journals

- Students will be prompted to reflect on the reasoning they believe is behind this imbalance in
their personal journals. They will also be given the option to record their journals on an
online platform such as a document on the cloud, a google docs, or a program such as
evernote.
- Begin a think-pair-share on the following prompt: ask them to consider what problems this
could pose in their communities. What does this say about our society? What might we be
able to do to create change?

Collaborative Learning Structured Assignment

- To focus on problem solving and collaborative learning, teacher will break class into groups
and assign them each an area of law in which there are racial inequities. Students will have
to work together to identify areas in the media in which this area of law is mentioned,
represented, or alluded to. Encourage them to look for bias in news articles, youtube clips,
Facebook postings and comments, tweets, etc.
- The issues are as follows: Homicide, Domestic Abuse, Child Neglect, Drug/Alcohol Abuse,
Impaired Driving Charges, and Sexual Assault. Divide students into 6 equal groups and assign
each group to one of these issues.
- Each group will be given class time to search both official stats and media representations in
the vein of their assigned criminal area.
- For example: Regarding Homicide, students would search for Canada’s homicide rates and
look for specific statistics regarding First Nations populations. They could then search the
media for news clips, controversial facebook comments, tweets, blog posts, etc about the
Colten Boushie case.
- The aim here is to have students understand what actual statistics say regarding their
assigned area of crime, and then also to examine the way these issues are represented in the
media.
- There will be a class wide google docs (hyperlink will be written out on the board in the
classroom for students to type in to their devices) on which students will briefly share their
findings. The google docs will have a section for each of the 6 assigned areas of crime. Groups
will share their overall findings along with specific examples they found within the media.
Adaptations/Differentiation:

- a microphone and speaker system will be used if/when one is available within the classroom
which will aim to help those students who may struggle to focus, those who may have hearing
impairments, EAL students, and the overall comprehension of the large group.

- Those students who require assistive technology due to any form of exceptionality will be
permitted and encouraged to do so.

- Students who may be struggling with the content and may be falling behind will be given
additional one-on-one time with the teacher for further examples and explanations at lunch
or before/after school if schedule and teacher availability permits. Should this additional
time not work out, these struggling students may be offered alternative deadlines as time can
be one of the best gifts for overwhelmed students. In-class adaptations will also be
incorporated without singling students out as group and class work will be utilized regularly.
The teacher may also utilize stronger students in providing additional examples or
explanations in class-time if the situation permits.

- Students who are gifted or excelling in this content area will be encouraged to take their
learning one step further either by contributing more to the research component, and/or by
providing explanation for the discrepancies in crime statistics using media to bolster their
findings. If time allows they could also be challenged to create a hypothetical campaign on
social media to promote equality in some area of crime statistics.

- Differentiation throughout this lesson centres around the variety of instructional strategy as
students who identify with all learning styles will be engaged at some point of the lesson. The
combination of the use of video, hands-on research, group work, collaborative problem
solving, auditory information presentation, and developing technological fluency will ideally
engage a variety of learners.

Closing of lesson:

The lesson will conclude by reading through the collaborative google docs as a class to see what
each group has found out about their assigned area of crime. As a class we will review the crime
statistics that were found by the groups and then will look at the examples of the way First
Nations populations were represented in the media. This finishing activity will act to complete the
jigsaw while incorporating a reliance on developing student technological literacy.