Activity Description

This will be the first activity for the students to participate in. As a teacher, it will allow you to determine what the students already know about this topic, and what areas you will need to focus on. The discussion should go on for roughly 30 – 40 minutes.

The opening discussion will happen as one whole group. The teacher will begin the discussion by introducing the topic “Indigenous Community Research Project: How to Reflect and Create a Relationship With the Land and Community.” The teacher could then ask a question of their choice, to open up the discussion to the learners.

Through this activity students will have the opportunity to participate in the discussion as a whole class and as small groups. It can be helpful to guide class discussion using the “Think, Pair, Share” technique in which prompts are first delivered to students and they are given a short time to think about it individually. They then are given time to share and discuss their thoughts with a small group or a partner. Following their small group discussion, students can share and discuss their ideas with the whole class. This technique allows for different discussion opportunities to occur within the classroom and for students to engage in multiple forms of communication and collaboration.

Some examples of questions to ask:

  • After hearing the topic, what do you think we will be learning about?
  • What do you already know about this topic?
  • What can you share to the class about this topic, that you think others may not know?
  • Why is it important that we discuss and learn about Indigenous communities?
  • Before we go further into details about this, what are some ways you think we could create a relationship with the land and community?
  • What do you think your role is in this community? Are you part of it? Why?
  • Why is community so important?
  • Why is it important to learn about the Indigenous people who live here?
  • How important is land to your community and your own family?

When asking these questions it is important to not criticize the students, and let them feel as though all answers shared are good answers. They are just being introduced to the topic, so they are not expected to know anything yet! If a student shares something that it inappropriate then it is important that we do correct them, so they do not make this mistake in the future.

After the first few questions are asked and the discussion has started, allow the students to keep sharing their ideas, and the teacher being there to guide the conversation incase it goes off topic. Encourage the students to respond to their peers ideas positively, and ask any question if they are unsure about anything. It is very important to create a safe space for this discussion.

End the discussion by reviewing what was talked about, allowing for further questions, and telling the students to write an exit slip (details below in the assessment component).

Modifications for Diverse Learners

  • If there is a student who is hard of hearing, have the teacher wear a voice enhancing microphone so that student is able to hear the questions. Additionally, have the student have an iPad so they can “voice to text” the discussion, so instead of listening, they can read what their peers are saying.
  • Some students are extremely shy and will not want to share their ideas in front of the whole class. For these students, ask a few questions to the whole class and allow for “Think, Pair, Share.” This is a technique that allows the student to think to themselves first, then they can discuss their ideas with a partner, and finally one person in the pair will share their ideas to the whole group.
  • Some students have a difficult time sitting for a whole discussion. In the back of the classroom ensure you have flexible seating (silent bikes, swivel chairs, standing desk, etc..). This will give some students to option to move to a different location in the classroom where they can move around without disrupting the class and still taking part in the discussion.

References for Educators

  • https://www.nfb.ca/film/multiple_choices_-_community/ – The instructor can provide a film or two that can act as an introduction or end film to base a discussion around and have students reflect on what they watched, why it is important, what they understand about the film etc.

References for Students

  • https://native-land.ca/  – Used to look at what specific Nation the Kids are looking for.
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVkgqmpyDfg – Youtube is a great resource to first introduce for example, if a student is on the coast, we can help provide educational videos on certain topics they need. (they may be a little outdated or in need of improvement)
  • https://learning.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/?_ga=2.215488471.1178985399.1633835578-1668507592.1633835578 – An search engine for online resources provided by the Royal BC Museum, where students can use keywords to complete broad searches, and then inferential skills to decide if a title is applicable to their research
  • Raven Series by Terri Mack is a series of books. Each book is a different tale of Raven. Along with traditional stories, it features indigenous art

Learning Outcome and Assessment Plan

Students will fully meet the expectations of the opening discussion by

  • Students will demonstrate that they can explain the significance of people, places or events by contributing personal experiences and best guesses to the discussion at least once
  • Students will complete an exit slip. On the exit slip they will write down one thing they learned from the discussion, and one idea they are excited to learn about. They will hand this into the teacher.
  • Students will demonstrate their ability to add on to other’s ideas by
    • Responding to their peers’ contributions
    • Asking them questions