Teacher Resources
Aboriginal worldviews and perspectives in the classroom: Moving forward, by the BC Ministry of Education
Grades: K-12. This resources is designed to answer a number of questions, including what is meant by Aboriginal education and by Aboriginal worldviews and perspectives; what is required of teachers and of the education system in order to provide appropriate and authentic teaching in line with the First Peoples Principles of Learning; and where teachers can turn for guidance and support in modifying their practice to incorporate new content and approaches. Specifically discusses connection to land as a characteristic of Aboriginal worldviews and perspectives and the need to incorporate this in the classroom. (eBook)
Bridging cultures: Scientific and indigenous ways of knowing nature, by Glen Aikenhead and Herman Michell
Grades: K-12. This book supports science teachers, teacher candidates, and science educators preparing to implement science curricula that recognize Indigenous knowledge as a foundational way to understand the physical world.
Full circle: First Nations, Métis, Inuit ways of knowing, by Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation.
Grades 8-12. Lesson plans which encourage teachers to incorporate First Nations, Métis, and Inuit ways of knowing into the classroom in the four thematic areas of identity, health, Residential Schools, and land. Includes lesson plans directly related to Indigenous peoples’ connection to land.
Picture Books
Dipnetting with dad, written by Willie Sellars, illustrated by Kevin Easthope
Set in the e Cariboo Chilcotin region, Dipnetting With Dad is a delightful and colourful story of a father teaching his son the Secwepemc method of fishing known as dipnetting. Together they visit the sweat lodge, mend the nets, select the best fishing spot and catch and pack their fish through rugged bush back to the family home for traditional preparation.
A day with Yayah, words by Nicola I. Campbell, words, pictures by Julie Flett
A grandmother, or Yayah, passes down her language and knowledge to her grandchildren while foraging for herbs and mushroom in Nicola Valley, British Columbia.
The elders are watching, written by Dave Bouchard, illustrated by Roy Henry Vickers
Through its poems and illustrations The Elders are Watching illuminates the experiences of a boy who learns through his elders about his cultural roots, his connection to the land, animals, water, and sky. Emphasizes the need to respect the environment.
The water walker, written and illustrated by Joanne Robertson
The story of a determined Ojibwe Grandmother (Nokomis) Josephine Mandamin and her great love for Nibi (water). Nokomis walks to raise awareness of our need to protect Nibi for future generations, and for all life on the planet. By her example Josephine invites us all to take up our responsibility to protect our water, the giver of life, and to protect our planet for all generations.
Lessons From Mother Earth, written by Elaine McLeod and illustrated by Colleen Wood
Tess has visited her grandmother many times without really being aware of the garden. But today they step outside the door and Tess learns that all of nature can be a garden. And if
you take care of the plants that are growing, if you learn about them — understanding when they flower, when they give fruit, and when to leave them alone — you will always find something to nourish you.
Fiction
Relatives with roots: A story about Métis women’s connection to the land, written and illustrated by Leah Marie Dorion, translated in Michif-Cree by Rita Flamand
Grades: 3-5. A Métis grandmother takes her granddaughter out onto the land to teach her about how to pick traditional medicines.The granddaughter learns about the Métis connection to the land and the traditional Métis beliefs and stories of plants as food and medicine. Text in English and Michif-Cree. Comes with CD of the book narrated in English Michif-Cree.
Non-Fiction
The sockeye mother, written by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson), illustrated by Natasha Donovan
Grades: 2-3. To the Gitxsan people of Northwestern British Columbia, the sockeye salmon is more than just a source of food. Over its life cycle, it nourishes the very land and forests that the Skeena River runs through and where the Gitxsan make their home. The Sockeye Mother explores how the animals, water, soil, and seasons are all intertwined.
Taking care of our Mother Earth, by Celestine Aleck
Grades: 2-4. This book explains how each Coast Salish family played a traditional role in taking care of our Mother Earth. From controlled burning to ethical hunting and fishing practices, the Coast Salish people were, and still are, taught by their elders to respect Mother Earth.
Stewardship, by Anita Yasuda
Grades: 4-6. From the past and into the future, this book reveals the role of Indigenous peoples in taking care of the land and using it responsibly. Part of the Indigenous Life in Canada series.
A Stó:lō-Coast Salish historical atlas, edited by Keith Thor Carlson, with cultural advisor Albert Jules McHalsie and others
Grades: 9-12. Through words, archival photographs, and 86 full-color maps, the book details the mythic beginnings of the St :lo people and how white settlement turned their homeland into the bustling metropolis of Vancouver.