Social Studies Grade TwoStudents will know that:
Students will:
Students will:
Students may:
History of the local school Look at the cornerstone of the local school to find out when it was built. If the school is relatively new, have the students research a previous school the people of the community attended.
Interview a teacher who taught at the school years ago to discover changes. Ask, "What was the playground equipment like? the library? class size? school population?" Interview an adult who attended the school years ago to discover other changes such as changes in the rules. Assemble pictures of the school over the years. Identify major changes such as renovations and additions. Make a then/now chart.
Make a big book. Each page has the question "How has our school changed?" at the top and a different answer at the bottom. Students create pictures.
Have students interview their parents to find out what it was like when they went to school. Guide the students in identifying several questions. Organize the information by dividing a large piece of paper into as many sections as there are questions. Print the answer to each question in a section using a sentence. Draw a picture to go with the answer.
As an ongoing activity, interview elderly citizens about their memories of school or the games they played as children. Compile the stories into a book. Either make a book that can be added to each year, or make a different book each year.
If possible, learn about people who have contributed to the school or education within the community.
Tell the story of Dr. Anne Anderson as an
example.
By way of introduction, discuss with the students how language is an important
part of our education.
"I stand before you as a proud Métis, Dr. Anne Anderson. Not a doctor for headaches or stomach aches, but with a Doctorate of Laws degree which was given by the University of Alberta for my efforts in the preservation of language and culture of the Cree Nation."
"My heritage is a Cree Indian mother and my father had a French mother and Scottish father. It makes me a true Métis."
That is how Dr. Anderson introduced herself in a speech she gave recently. In her speech, she went on to describe parts of her life and her work with the Cree language.
She was born on a farm near St. Albert, Alberta, in 1906. She was so tiny that her mother made a bed for her in a shoe box lined with rabbit fur. Her parents were afraid she would not live. They called Noel, the medicine man. He said, "This baby will grow to be a strong woman. She will make you proud." His predictions came true.
In 1968, Dr. Anderson began to write the Cree language. Cree is a very old language. People probably began speaking it in North America about the same time that Europeans began speaking Latin and Greek. Cree has a strong oral tradition. Although the Cree peoples used many written symbols to communicate, their main communication was through spoken language. During the thousands of years that people spoke Cree, the language changed and developed in different parts of the continent. There are now 4 distinct Cree dialects.
With every student in Canada learning to speak, read and write French or English, some of the Aboriginal languages are in danger of being forgotten and lost. Dr. Anderson did not want this to happen to her mother's language. For 23 years she worked at making her Cree dialect a written language. Although her mother and father did not live to see the job done, they would have been truly proud of their daughter, Dr. Anne Anderson!
As a follow-up to the story, the teacher and students may decide to do one
of the following:
Adapted with permission from Native Woman Inc., Vol. I, Issue 2,
October 1992.
If possible, visit a museum that either features a school of the past or has some materials from a local one room school. If a visit is not possible, have students role play the experience for an afternoon. Have them do things like:
Teaching and learning in Aboriginal cultures Indian peoples had and have a highly-developed and effective education system. The system had informal and formal components in the same manner as in Canadian society today, although the structure was quite different. Central to the traditional system was the respect for children and their individuality. Children are considered as gifts of the Creator for all, the whole community, to care for and nurture, thus education was a shared responsibility. The Elders played a leading role in this teaching. Elders had lived a long time and had learned much; they had much to teach. They had patience and understanding, and were mild in punishment, yet insisted upon respectful discipline.
Teasing, ridicule, stories, and scare tactics were the most common forms of discipline. Children were encouraged to play in ways that would train them for adult responsibilities. The children also learned adult responsibilities by observing and modelling their parents and others. Respect for life and knowledge of ecosystems were always the focus.
A more formal and rigorous training was used to teach children moral standards and to develop character. Lecture, demonstration, forms of artistic expression, and storytelling were methods of teaching.
From:
Saskatchewan Education. (1991). Native Studies: A Curriculum Guide for Grade 10 Societal Structures of Indian, Métis, and Inuit Peoples. Regina: Saskatchewan Education.Story telling plays an important role in teaching and learning. Children learned by listening to the stories told by their Elders.
Important events were recorded in the form of picture symbols. These symbols were painted on tipis, robes and other articles. Today, children learn from books, movies, school, and life experiences as all children do, as well as from stories told by today's Elders.
Ceremonies and stories teach the children about their history and their world. The children do not simply enjoy stories. Stories help them understand life.
To the northern forest peoples the sun that gave direction was often the hero of their stories. The sun came to Earth to transform things and make things good for the people, then watched them from the sky to see them live in the way he had made possible. Stories, such as these and ceremonies and rituals made it easier for children to learn and understand their place among their people.
All children learn by doing things. In the past, as today, Indian children were taught by their parents and the other adults in the community. They learned many things about nature and how to conserve nature. They also learned skills that would enable them to survive as adults. In the past these were not studied in classrooms. Indian children learned such things as paddling a canoe; snowshoeing; reading the tracks of animals; knowing trails, streams, trees, and plants in an area of many thousand square miles; processing hides and food; and making clothing, traps, and utensils.
The tools they used were made from stone, wood, or bone and great skill was needed to use them well. Knowing how to make a snare out of strips of animal hide was only the beginning. The use of snares required an understanding of the habits of animals. This knowledge had been taught to young hunters for hundreds of years.
Similarly, great skill went into making the light, supple, and warm clothing needed. By watching adult women make garments using only hides, sinew, awls, and scrapers, young girls learned the skills they needed.
Elders bring the Indian people to greater understanding and appreciation of the perils of life. They share knowledge of how to cope with crises, as well as ways to strengthen oneself to measure up to any difficulty, whether it be physical, mental, or spiritual.
After Europeans came to Canada many Indian children were taken away from their families and sent to boarding schools. They were not allowed to speak their language. Today children remain with their families and go to local schools. Some older Indian children go away to schools because there is no high school in their community.
Education experiences of Métis children included the following:
Ask, "How did Métis children feel when they were turned away from school?"
Reflect upon this through journal writing. How would they feel if this happened
to them? Does this still happen today?
Travelling to school
Have students explore ways children travelled to school in years gone by. Compile the information on a chart or in a mural showing children arriving at a one room school.
Complete the stem orally using several examples, then have students complete the stem in their journals, explaining which way they would prefer to get to school and why.
Suggested Resources
(listed in other bibliographies and catalogues)
General Store Rachel Field (ELA)
Grandfather Symons' Homestead Book R.D.Symons (ELA)
Pioneer Days (MHP, V207)
Local history books, primary sources such as records, maps, charts, photographs, and local residents.