Unit One: Canada-Diverse Voices

Foundational Objectives:
Speak: -Recognize that talk is an important tool for communicating, thinking, and learning -Practice the behaviors of effective speakers -Speak fluently and confidently in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes and audiences -Students will be able to relate what they know in discussion with other students through group discussion. Students will facilitate understanding through speech. Listen: -Recognize listening as an active, constructive process -Listen effectively in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes -Students will be avid listeners, learning to respond to speakers through listening with a critical ear.

Write: -Recognize writing as a constructive and recursive process -Practice the behaviors of effective writers -Write fluently and confidently for a variety of purposes and audiences -Students will learn to demonstrate their learning through writing down their thoughts. -Students can put into words what they learn onto their K.W.L charts. Read:

-Recognize reading as an active, constructive process -Practice the behaviors of effective, strategic readers -Read a variety of texts for a variety of purposes. -Students will be able to critically analyze poetry and perspective from written works. -Students will better understand critical analysis and be able to read deeper into the literature.

Represent and View: -Create appropriate nonverbal aids and visual images to enhance communication -Recognize nonverbal aids and visual representations as tools for communicating and learning. -Presentations allow students to learn relatable material from other peers as well as guest speakers. Students will be able to understand and learn from the material through viewing. -Students will be able to relate to the other students what they have learned from the unit and create an understandable way of showing what has been learned.

Assessment:
Informal Assessment: Students will be discussing as a class, as well as in groups, in order to demonstrate their knowledge on the topics we cover. Peer Assessment: Students will get feedback from their group members while working on poems and final projects. Self-Assessment: Students will be grading a portion of their portfolio and final presentation. The mark they give themselves will be included in the mark the teacher gives.

Evaluation:
Formal Evaluation: Students will receive a mark, from the teacher, for several of the assignments. Their final portfolio and presentation will be graded by the teacher, self-assessment as well as peer evaluation.

Formal Unit Marking:

Homework Checks 10% -poems
-quick-write

Portfolio
-teacher grade -peer grade -self grade

40%
20% 10% 10%

Presentation
-teacher grade -peer grade -self grade

30%
20% 5% 5%

K.W.L 10% Class Participation 10%

Rationale:
Throughout the Unit: Canada-Diverse Voices, we are going to cover several sub-themes in order to teach a more holistic view on the Aboriginal culture. We will start with an introduction to the Aboriginal culture. The students will be given a K.W.L to work on so they can write down what they know, what they want to know, and what they want to find out about the Native American culture. The students will be given back their K.W.L at the end of each class so they can add to it. The K.W.L will allow us to assess what they students know about the culture so we can direct teaching according to the areas they are less knowledgeable on. We want them to be curious about their own learning and become independent learners, as the common and essential learnings suggests. Throughout the first sub-theme we will be reading and

discussing a poem by Yvonne Steinger, as well as watching an educational video on the importance of drums in the Aboriginal culture. For our second sub-theme we will be looking at how perspective affects how we see things. We are going to look at two poems, one by Chris T. George and one by Jacqueline Oker. Both are similar in theme but very different in mood. We want the students to develop critical skills as they compare and contrast the poems. They will be addressing the common and essential learnings of critical and creative thinking in how they reflect, evaluate and discuss. We will continue to work on these skills throughout the unit. For the third sub-theme we will be focusing on Aboriginal storytelling. We are going to have an Aboriginal speaker come in to share a creation story. The students will be able to listen to the story and then will be asked to create an artwork depicting the story they just heard. This allows the students to work on their representations skills through art. This will also tie in to the previous lesson about perspective. The students will be able to see how different perspectives can create very different viewpoints in each individual person. The fourth sub-theme deals with stereotypes. The students will again be brainstorming what they know about stereotypes. We do a lot of brainstorming, discussion and group work throughout the unit in order further the students development with communication. The students will also work independently as they write about different stereotypes they are aware of and then explain why they are not true. They are also asked to read a poem by Annette Bird Suanooke, and then develop a poem of their own. In their poem they are asked to express their emotions about stereotypes, and to put themselves in the shoes of the oppressed. We want them to develop their personal and social values and skills (common essential learnings). They will be able to see

how stereotypes can add to prejudice, as well as explore difference and learn to respect such difference. Our fifth sub-theme deals with identity. We are going to look at several works by authors such as Rita Joe, and Roger D White Owl. Both of these authors works portray how it is hard to be different in society and how it effects how you develop your personal identity. Throughout the unit we want to teach the students that different does not mean bad. We want them to be open to learning about the Aboriginal culture and its beauty so they can appreciate it. We are going to ask them to examine how identity is formed through a merging of cultural backgrounds to create a unique individual. Our final sub-theme for this unit is class time for presentations. The students were asked to prepare a presentation based on their K.W.L, as well as anything we have covered in class. They are asked to address some of the important things they have learned and to create a visual representation of those things. The students will be able to work on their communication and speaking skills with this presentation. They will also be able to work on their personal and social values and skills as they reveal what they have learnt and what they deem important about the Aboriginal culture. As another part of their final marks they are going to be creating a portfolio of all the assignments throughout the class, as well as their K.W.Ls. For our evaluation and assessment, of the students, we are going to incorporate several different forms. We are going to have informal evaluation as we watch the students participation in class and group discussions. Aside from their presentations students are going to be creating a portfolio of all the assignments throughout the class, as well as their K.W.Ls. For both the portfolio and the presentation we will have peer-evaluation as well as self-evaluation marks combined with a grade given by the teacher. We want the students to learn to critique themselves

as well as their peers. Including all three of these forms of assessment, the final marks will be based on homework checks, participation in class, their portfolio and their presentation. This will allow for a variety of assignments and marking structures so the students have more of a chance to excel.

Lesson One- Introduction to Aboriginal Culture (120 minutes)

Learning Objectives: Writing: Students will engage in the K.W.L activity to further understand what they know and wonder. Listening: Students will need to comprehend the poem and actively question the content within it. Speaking: Students will be engaged in discussing their knowledge of Aboriginal culture with the rest of the class. Viewing: Students will be able comprehend the video shown to answer questions from the previous days K.W.L or perhaps have some new questions. They will have a better understanding of the importance of drumbeats in Aboriginal cultures.

We will begin the lesson by reading out loud Listen by Yvonne Steiniger, which talks about themes of culture and what lies on the surface. The students will be asked what the last line of the poem means to them: How can you see and hear so little, when you are so near? This will facilitate a discussion about what the students know about Aboriginal culture and surface knowledge. After the discussion, the poem will be reread line by line, and the students will be asked about what they know about that subject and how it relates to Aboriginal culture.

The students will be able to see how deep their knowledge of Aboriginal culture lies. The students will be asked if the last line means something different after discussion of their knowledge. The students will be asked to write a K.W.L on their knowledge of Aboriginal culture. The second day we will watch a video: students will need to listen to the video to help them better understand an important aspect of Aboriginal culture- drumbeats. After the video, the students will be asked if they can fill in any of their K.W.L, as the first line of the poem from the previous day questions the importance of drumbeats. Also, the students are encouraged to expand on their W part of the sheets if any questions have arisen during the video. Each K.W.L will be dated with anything that was filled in. This way the students can look at the sheets when they are finished and see how their progress went.

Materials: Joel T. Makis (ed) Let the Drums be Your Heart. Pow Wow Trail: Episode 1: The Drum

Lesson Two: Individual Perspectives (60 minutes)

Learning Objectives: Reading: Students will silently read one of the poems to more intensively engage in the text. Writing: Students will continue to work on their K.W.L and expand on what they have learned or have questions about. Listening: One of the poems will be read to the students to put emphasis on the liberating quality of this text. Students will understand how the tone of the poem is laid out from having the poem read out loud. Also, students will listen to the stories of others when

asked about similar situations such as the poem. This can remind students of their own experiences and see that their peers lives, as well as their own, are affected by different perspectives. Speaking: Students will create two lists on the board by thinking out loud how the tones of the poems are set up.

This lesson will begin with a poem: The Heroes of the Revolution by Chris T. George. After the poem is read aloud, the students will be asked about the tone of the poem, with emphasis on the ending of the poem. We will generally establish that the poem evokes a sense of conquering, and taking back ones rights and freedoms. As a class we will make a list on one side of the board of words used to describe this theme. After this, students will silently read Remember by Jacqueline Oker. The students will be asked about the tones of this poem, as well, emphasizing the ending. This poem is very bitter and resentful. We will write the words used to describe this poem on the other side of the board. We will then look at how the two sides compare: do we see many opposites on either side of the board? Once these contrasts are made, emphasis will be put on the similarities of the poems: they are both about the treatment of Aboriginal culture by European settlers. Students will be able to establish that not every situation has one view point. We can then brainstorm situations we know of, or have been through, when two people reacted differently to the situation. Through this, we will establish a connection with Aboriginal resentment, but also liberty over these events. Students will again be given the opportunity to develop their K.W.L.

Materials: Rasunah Marsdens (ed) Crisp Blue Edges: Indigenous Creative Non- Fiction.

Joel T. Makis (ed) Let the Drums be Your Heart.

Lesson Three: Aboriginal Storytelling (120 minutes)

Learning Objectives: Listening: Students will listen to the story of the guest speaker and gain insight on a story that may be different from other creation stories theyve heard. Speaking: Students will be actively involved in questioning the guest speaker or commenting on the story or other information she tells the students. Viewing & Representing: During the presentation of artwork by the other students, each classmate will have 2 or 3 opportunities to comment on the other students work. They will be given the opportunity to critically look at how different these views are and how they are different. Each student will have the opportunity to show his/her perspective on the creation story told by the guest speaker. They will be a part of enlightening the other students in a different view of the story.

A guest speaker will be invited to the class to tell a creation story from her childhood. She will be introduced as a respected elder in her community and be asked to tell the students a brief history of her background. After the story, (and throughout the story if the elder permits) the children will be free to ask questions regarding the story or the elder herself. The students will record anything they have learned on their K.W.L sheets. The students will be asked to represent what this creation story looks like to them in an artistic form. The students can work on the piece in class or take ideas home to work on which they will bring back to class for group work. The

form of art should include visual effects to show what they have learned: some examples include a drawing, a painting, comic strip, poster, etc. The students will be given a week to prepare their work before they bring it back to class. They will be put into groups of about 3 or 4 to explain and examine each others work. When the pictures are brought back to class, the students can see how their forms of art are all different. We want them to see how the same story inspired them to look at one story from different views. By looking at the details of each piece, the students will continue to become aware of perspective and different ways of viewing.

Lesson 4: Looking at Stereotypes (180 min)

Learning Objectives: Speaking: Students will brainstorm ideas as a class: working on sharing thoughts, opinions and feelings. They will also begin to extend their thinking through group discussion. Listening: Students will be read a poem which will give them the opportunity to work on listening as an active process that requires them to interpret, and to summarize. Writing: Students will develop ideas from the brainstorming activity and the poem and put it into draft form as they write down negative stereotypes and analyse them. They will also be writing their own poem to develop skills to use the information learning and develop new ideas and personal views.. We want them to recognize writing as a process of constructive meaning for themselves and for others. Reading: Students will be reading a poem in groups. This will allow them to work on making connections to the previous lessons, making predictions about what the

poem means and then reflecting and evaluating within their groups. Viewing & Representing: The students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the film clip and think critically about it. They will represent this understanding through discussion as well as integration of information in to their K.W.L and other assignments.

To start off this lesson we will begin with a brainstorming activity. As one large group we will discuss what the definition of a stereotype is and than brainstorm some different stereotypes that exist concerning the Native American culture. After the class has begun to think about stereotypes we will read them a poem titled Camouflage by Annette Bird Saunooke. This poem is about an Aboriginal girl who has blue eyes, and who does not have black hair so she is treated differently in both the Aboriginal and the white community. The poem talks about how she deals with negative stereotypes and racist comments from both her own culture and the white culture because she does not look Aboriginal. We hope to address many issues about stereotypes and fitting in to society. Following reading and a discussion about the poem we are going to have a two part assignment. In the first part we are going to get the students to pick out any stereotypes that can be found in the poem. Than in the second part we are going to get the students to write down five negative stereotypes about the Aboriginal culture and then explain why each is untrue. Any time remaining in class will be left to work on this, and any unfinished work is to be taken home and done for next class. They will also be handed back their K.W.L so they can add to it. The next day we are going to start off by getting the students to get into groups of three. We are going to ask them to share their stereotypes, and their explanations of how they are untrue, with their group. We want them to be able to critically analyze what a stereotype is and

how they are not always true. Next a poem called I Lost My Talk by Rita Joe, will be handed out to each student. This poem talks about how the voice of the Aboriginal was silenced by the Europeans and Residential schools. The poem discusses how there is not one way to speak, or live, and if people will let the Native American culture speak then they would learn about the culture and see that we are all people, we are all equal. This poem is an easy read with many messages to be uncovered. They will discuss the poem in their groups. Next the students will be creating a short poem on their own. They will be asked to think about how they would feel if they were stereotyped and othered. The purpose of this assignment is to get them to express their thoughts and emotions on stereotypes in writing. They will also be handed back their K.W.L so they can add to it. For the third day we will watch a film clip from the Disney film Peter Pan. The clip focuses on the song What Makes the Red Man Red? This song depicts the stereotypical Indian. It portrays the Aboriginal people as barbarians and savages. It also shows them smoking pipes, dancing and playing the drums. We covered drums in lesson one, so now we hope to engage the students learning with this film clip. We will have a discussion, as a class, about what weve seen in the film clip. Some of the things we want the students to take from this clip include, what stereotypes can be found and they falsely represent the playing of drums in the Aboriginal culture. We hope that the students will be able to critically analyze the film after learning about the importance of drums from previous classes. As well, this is a good film to wrap up the prior knowledge they have gathered on stereotypes. We want them to be able to notice stereotypes so that they do not use them in their own lives.

Materials:

-Ochoa, Anna Pina, France, Betsy & Gourdine, Traci L. (ed) Night is Gone, Day is Still Coming. Annette Bird Saunookes Camouflage. -Ochoa, Anna Pina, France, Betsy & Gourdine, Traci L. (ed) Night is Gone, Day is Still Coming. Joe, Ritas I Lost My Talk. -Peter Pan. Disney movie.

Lesson 5: Identity (120 min)

Learning Objectives: Speaking: Students will be reading their poems to several group members which will allow them to work on sharing thoughts, opinions, and feelings through speaking. We also want them to be able to function effectively as both a group member and a group leader. Listening: Students will work on their listening skills as they hear poems from other students. We want them to be able to evaluate ideas critically and to work on being able to distinguish between emotional appeal and reasoned argument. They will also be making connections with new information and the information we have already discussed in class. Writing: Students will begin to recognize writing as a process for constructing mean for themselves as well as their classmates as they write their poems. They are going to share what they have written and are aware of this before they begin. They will also be doing a quick write to work on reflection on a short story. Reading: Students are going to begin to make connections find meaning, reflect and evaluate while they read a short story. During their quick write we want them to respond personally, critically and creatively to the story they have read.

We are going to start the class by handing out a poem titled Who Am I? by Roger D. White Owl. In this poem he looks at his Aboriginal past as well as his life in society today. He reflects on how with his diverse background he is unsure of where he belongs, and what his identity is. We will discuss the poem as a class, thinking critically about identity. We have been covering poems and how to read them for a few days now so we hope the students will be able to discover deeper meaning as they re-read the poem on their own. Who Am I? is posed as one large question, so for the assignment the students will be asked to answer this question with their own poem. They are to write a poem telling the author who they think he is. To answer this question, the students will be asked to incorporate elements from both his Aboriginal origins as well as elements of white society. We want them to look at how his diverse background merges to create him as a unique person. We want the students to learn to appreciate diversity and see how it can add to the character of a person. They will be informed that they will be sharing this poem with classmates for next day. They are given the K.W.L to add to at the end of class as well. To start off the next day we are going to get the students in to groups of around five. They are going to read their poems from the previous day to their group members. Once everyone has shared their poem the students will be asked to look for any similarities they can find throughout their poems. We want them to look for reoccurring themes and elements that they used to answer the question of who the author is. We hope that this will get the students thinking about how the Aboriginal culture influences a person, as well as how society as a whole influences someone. For the second half of class they will read a short story called Finding My Voice by Sally Gaikezheyongai. This is a story about an Aboriginal woman who goes to a

smudge ceremony. She talks about how she never felt as able to be herself as she did at this smudge. We will read the story as a class and discuss the themes and meanings found in it. For the assignment today we are going to ask each student to do a quick write about their thoughts on the story. We will have some questions up on the board to help direct their quick write: -Why do you think she felt more able to be herself at the smudge ceremony than anywhere else? -Why do you think she feels unable to be herself throughout her daily life? -How does society affect people of diverse cultural backgrounds? -What is something that should change in society to alleviate feelings that one does not belong? We want the students to think critically about how diversity affects people. We want them to understand how people have trouble discovering where they belong in society and who they are as a person because of stereotypes, history, racism, etc. As always, they are going to be given their K.W.L so they can add to it.

Materials Ochoa, Anna Pina, France, Betsy & Gourdine, Traci L. (ed) Night is Gone, Day is Still Coming. Roger D. White Owls Who Am I? Maki, Joel T. (ed). Let the Drums Be Your Heart: New Native Voices. Sally Gaikezheyongais Finding My Voice.

Lesson Six: Wrap Up- What we have Learned (180 minutes)

Listening: Students will listen to the presentations of the other students to gather a viewpoint on the different learning experiences gathered over the unit. Speaking: Students will practice their speaking while presenting their findings on their K.W.L. Viewing & Representing: Students have the opportunity to visualize the learning experience of others and the emphasis placed on different presentations. Each student will be asked to demonstrate a major theme or finding which they have learned throughout the unit, developing their skills to relay the knowledge to their peers.

This lesson will be directed by the students of the class, focusing on their K.W.L charts and what they have learned over the course of the unit. Over the course of roughly three days, each student will present in about seven minutes something important to them that they have learned. They will be required to create a visual or a small activity with the class to show what they have learned through the unit. Emphasis will be put on engaging the other students in the presentation. For example, can the other students relate to the knowledge they have learned? The students will need to demonstrate a self-awareness of their learning.