Unit One - Identity and Worldviews: Aboriginal Perspectives

Foundational Objectives

Learning Objectives

Realize that learning is a life-long process.

• Establish realistic, achievable goals.
• Recognize that learning is a life-long process

Know that self-respect and respect for others is the foundation on which human relationships develop.

• Gain self-awareness, self-respect and acknowledge the need for self-development.
• Recognize that respect for self and others are important human values.
• List specific behaviours that illustrate respect for self and others.

Analyze the difference between equality and equity.

• Make judgements regarding fairness, equality and equity.
• Describe the difference between equality and equity.

Develop and expand the concept of leadership to include subtler forms of leadership.

• Develop the skills required to be an effective leader and group member.
• See the value of various approaches to leadership.

• Compare and contrast leadership qualities.

• Collect, classify, and present pertinent information.

• Interpret and describe leadership qualities in self and others from print and electronic sources.

• State the difference between effective and ineffective leadership qualities.

Use effective decision-making techniques to solve a problem.

• Practise decision making techniques individually and within a group.
• Identify appropriate decision making methods.

Interpret the harm caused by ignorance-based thinking.

• Define bias, stereotyping, discrimination, prejudice and racism.
• Analyze the subtler distinctions of ignorance-based thinking.
• Explore the possibility of becoming agents of change.
• Understand and describe the harmful effects of bias, stereotyping, discrimination, prejudice and racism.
• Apply critical thinking skills to a specific racist incident.
• Become increasingly independent thinkers and decision-makers.
• Replace negative stereotypes with accurate information.
• Empathize with people who are victimized by another’s lack of knowledge.

Analyze materials for bias and stereotypes and replace these with accurate information.

• Sort through a variety of data for relevant information.
• Compile, organize and present data in a pie chart or graph form.
• State/explain how knowledge gained can improve the quality of life for self and others.
• Detect bias and stereotypes in print and video.

Infer the complexity of identity for people in general, and for Aboriginal people in particular.

• Recognize factors that influence identity generally, and Aboriginal identity specifically.
• Expand knowledge of Aboriginal philosophy.

Value Aboriginal worldviews as valid ways of thinking and knowing and understand that worldviews underlie self-concept.

• Recognize the concept of circularity as it applies to Aboriginal worldview.

• Apply the Aboriginal concept of circularity to personal identity.

Analyze the effects of external labels on Aboriginal peoples.

• Identify ways that legal and political appellations affect identity.
• Recognize Aboriginal peoples’ right to self-define.

Respect the distinctions among and within Aboriginal groups: First Nations, Métis and Inuit.

• Use legal, political and preferred terms in their appropriate contexts.

• Describe the relationship between culture and identity.

Respect Aboriginal cultural traditions.

• Research and demonstrate knowledge of the cultural traditions of Aboriginal peoples’ in Canada.

• Make connections between personal and Aboriginal cultural traditions.
• Learn and practise group skills: cooperate, participate, listen, respect and assume different roles.
• Recognize and avoid the use of stereotypes.
• Build on group and leadership skills.

Identify the major elements of Aboriginal worldviews.

• Deepen understanding of Aboriginal worldviews.
• Make connections between Aboriginal worldviews and personal world-views.
• Describe an understanding of the cyclical nature of life.

Identify and explain the ethics by which Aboriginal peoples live.

• Display an understanding of the spiritual philosophy of Aboriginal peoples.
• Discuss the value of ethics in everyday life.
• Produce codes of ethics that represent personal values.

Interpret the important teachings of tricksters in Aboriginal stories.

• Display understanding that Aboriginal worldviews are embedded in Aboriginal literature.
• Gain insight into the importance of trickster stories to Aboriginal cultures.

Value Aboriginal authors’ literary contributions.

• Discuss how Aboriginal authors express worldview through their works.
• Experience and analyze Aboriginal literature.

Value storytelling, both as a teaching tool and as an art form.

• Engage in listening for a variety of purposes.
• Write with a specific audience in mind.

Explore the unique ways in which Aboriginal peoples experience spirituality.

• Distinguish similarities and differences among the spiritual beliefs of Aboriginal groups.
• Choose and practise a variety of presentation skills.

Unit Two - Community and Kinship

Foundational Objectives

Learning Objectives

Analyze the functions of families.

• Summarize the importance of family life in the development of the individual.
• Illustrate the fact that family size or composition does not hinder its importance or function.
• Identify the individual needs met by families.
• State the benefits and drawbacks to flexibility in familial roles.
• Identify family patterns.

Determine the importance of family members as role models.

• Discuss specific examples of Aboriginal family life.
• Categorize the qualities of Aboriginal family members.
• Identify similarities and differences between traditional Aboriginal family life and contemporary family life.
• State the similarities and differences in contemporary and traditional family roles.
• Show the importance of role models to Aboriginal families.

Interpret the importance of traditional Aboriginal family life.

• Relate the various ways in which Aboriginal people established kinship ties.
• List the benefits of traditional kinship ties.
• Compare the traditional roles of women and men with regard to the Aboriginal groups being studied.
• Infer the benefits of consensus decision making to Métis family life.

Illustrate the importance of traditional Aboriginal family values today.

• Identify the values that underlie traditional Aboriginal relationships.

• Evaluate individual and family values.

Detail how Aboriginal societies cultivated a sense of belonging.

• Explain traditional Aboriginal child-rearing practices.
• Interpret the goals of traditional Aboriginal education.
• Analyze the methodologies of traditional Aboriginal child rearing and education.
• Show how a sense of family and community extended to the environment.

Appreciate the relevance of traditional Aboriginal child-rearing philosophies to contemporary society.

• Explain the importance of Elders to Aboriginal family life.
• List Aboriginal approaches to education and youth development.
• Illustrate the different views on child rearing and discipline in Aboriginal societies.
• Explain the ways in which Aboriginal peoples nurture self-esteem.

Synthesize the impact of residential schools on Aboriginal family life.

• Describe the importance of spirituality to Aboriginal family life.
• Illustrate the impact of colonialism on Aboriginal family life.
• Explain how being removed from one’s family for education impacted individuals and families.
• List specific elements of traditional Aboriginal child-rearing practices.

Appreciate the discipline and guidance techniques of Aboriginal peoples.

• Differentiate between traditional Aboriginal education and European education.

• Evaluate how external changes can be both beneficial and detrimental to individuals.
• State the role of children to Aboriginal family life.

Respect the intellectual integrity of the oral tradition.

• Discuss aspects of the Aboriginal intellectual tradition.
• Understand that, with the assistance of their Elders, Aboriginal people strive to preserve their cultural knowledge.
• Discuss some characteristics of Aboriginal Elders.
• Discuss the value of sharing knowledge orally.

Determine how the intellectual integrity of the oral tradition was undermined by government policy.

• Explain the changes in government policy on Aboriginal education in the 1960s.
• Discuss the goals of the foreign education system.
• Understand the factors that disrupted Aboriginal education systems.
• Understand how the differences between Aboriginal and European worldviews caused conflict.
• Discuss Aboriginal peoples’ reaction to government policy.

Determine how Aboriginal people have reclaimed their education.

• List the important values in Aboriginal education.
• Discuss how Indian education benefits everyone.
• Appreciate individual contributions to Indian education.
• List ways in which challenges in Aboriginal education may be met.

Discover what Aboriginal people are doing to heal from the residential school experience.

• Appreciate the cross-generation effects of residential schools on Aboriginal people.
• Appreciate the challenges that Residential School survivors and their families face.

Analyze the ways in which Métis people preserve their cultural heritage through education.

• List the goals of Métis education.
• Infer the relationship between Métis and Non-status Indian education.
• Analyze the unique features of Métis education.

Compare Aboriginal peoples’ and European views of the land.

• Deepen understanding of how worldview contributes to a peoples’ view of the land.
• Understand Aboriginal peoples’ special relationship with the land.

Explain the unique ways in which Aboriginal peoples chose to live.

• Analyze traditional marriage and child-rearing customs to discover their value.
• Discover the different ways in which Aboriginal nations celebrate the coming of age.
• Make personal connections with historical customs.

Appreciate the historical customs of Aboriginal peoples.

• Identify similarities and differences between personal experiences of "coming of age" and historical experiences.

Analyze the importance of the clan and extended family systems to Aboriginal people.

• Explore aspects of a specific clan system.

Research factors that influence(d) Aboriginal housing.

• Locate information from a variety of sources.
• Make inferences based on accurate information.
• Become aware of and respect specific customs and beliefs of cultural groups that may be different from personal customs and beliefs.
• Account for the longevity of Aboriginal values and customs.
• Become aware of current issues that concern the integrity of Aboriginal families.

Analyze the importance of the concept of circularity to Aboriginal peoples.

• Discuss the concept of circularity as applied by Aboriginal peoples.
• Apply the concept of circularity to self.

Discern and appreciate the values that underlie Aboriginal recreation.

• Understand the values embedded in traditional Aboriginal forms of recreation.
• List some of the goals of traditional Aboriginal recreational activity.

Discover how Métis people emerged and developed.

• Research how the Métis Nation emerged from the marriages between First Nations women and explorers.
• Understand how Aboriginal families were affected by the fur trade.
• Appreciate the unique familial patterns of the Métis Nation.

Display understanding of the evolution of Aboriginal family life.

• Express understanding of Aboriginal family life over time.

Unit Three - Governance: Aboriginal Perspectives

Foundational Objectives

Learning Objectives

Determine how, historically, Aboriginal leaders were chosen.

• Evaluate the criteria by which leadership is chosen.
• Assess leadership qualities based on personal knowledge.

Investigate how Aboriginal leadership is based on values that may differ from the values of Euro/Canadians.

• Research a variety of sources for accurate information.
• Categorize information into specific time, place and situational contexts.
• Use symbols to convey meaning
• Increase knowledge base on Aboriginal leadership .

Appreciate the unique political processes and structures of Aboriginal peoples.

Respect that First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation have always had political structures designed to serve their needs.

• Work cooperatively to enhance the learning of self and others.
• Rethink previously held thoughts on Aboriginal leadership.
• Assemble information in a coherent format.
• Appreciate the unique ways in which Aboriginal peoples traditionally chose leaders.
• List the important qualities of Aboriginal leadership.

Examine the harmful effects of forced change.

Know that Euro/Canadian government policies intended to 1) remove Aboriginal people from their land, 2) suppress Aboriginal nations and their governments, 3) undermine Aboriginal cultures, 4) erode Aboriginal identity.

• Read, interpret and summarize written material.
• Compare different political structures.
• Use symbols to express ideas.
• Dramatize an interpretation of a specific time period in history.

Understand the legislation that affects Aboriginal peoples.

• Interact with specific policies and legislation that put Aboriginal independence in jeopardy.
• Explain how policies and legislation jeopardized traditional Aboriginal governance.
• Explain how legislation discriminated against Aboriginal women.
• Analyze the intent and detriment of government assimilation policies.
• Make connections between new learnings and prior knowledge.
• Appreciate the resiliency of Aboriginal peoples under oppressive conditions.

Recognize the effects of an imposed system of governance by examining a specific example.

• Empathize with people who have experienced a process of assimilation.
• Question why the government would implement assimilationist policies to the detriment of the people involved.
• Imagine what it would be like to have your history and identity completely devalued.

Realize the devastating effects of the Residential School system.

• Learn the means by which governments oppressed Aboriginal peoples.
• Make inferences based on research and personal accounts.
• Compare an imposed education system to traditional Aboriginal education.
• Gain knowledge of the Residential School system from primary sources.

Analyze the concept of contractual agreements.

• Brainstorm the components that comprise agreements.

• Imagine situations in which agreements may be necessary.
• Discuss factors that may cause different interpretations of the same agreement.
• Discuss the consequences of breaking an agreement.

Investigate the factors that led to Aboriginal peoples losing their traditional, historical territories.

• Use a variety of sources for information to discover how Aboriginal peoples lost their land.
• Explore the implications, for Aboriginal peoples, of the loss of their land.

Infer that Aboriginal peoples had, and have, different experiences with governments regarding their land.

• Research a specific Aboriginal group’s experience with their traditional, historical land.
• Demonstrate understanding of the objective.

Interpret the circumstances under which Métis people lost their land.

• Discover the government’s motives for their mistreatment of the Métis.
• Know that Métis people organized governments to assert their needs.
• Know that the Métis do not have a collective land base from which to build the nation.
• Simulate writing a land agreement for the Métis nation.

Discover why Louis Riel is an important figure to Saskatchewan and Canadian history.

• Research one aspect of Métis history.
• Demonstrate a variety of researching, writing and critical thinking skills.

Understand the significance of provincial recognition of Métis people.

• Appreciate the lengthy struggle of Métis people for provincial recognition.
• Interpret the implications of legislation affecting Métis people.
• Infer the implications of a symbolic gesture.

Research the unique land agreements between the Inuit and various governments.

• Respect the sacredness with which treaties were signed.
• Research a specific land agreement between Aboriginal peoples and the government.
• View and interpret video productions on treaty and other land agreements.
• Display understanding of the Elders’ perspectives on treaty.

Unit Four - Economies: Aboriginal Perspectives

Foundational Objectives

Learning Objectives

Analyze how Aboriginal economies were environmentally responsible.

• Explain Aboriginal peoples’ reciprocal relationship with the environment.
• List Aboriginal peoples’ contributions of food to the well-being of everyone.
• Provide evidence of the reciprocal relationship that involved spiritual rituals of showing respect and giving thanks for that which was harvested.
• Understand that the message of reciprocal obligations is carried in Aboriginal stories.
• Appreciate the economic contributions of Aboriginal peoples to historical and contemporary society.

Infer that the buffalo economy was one part of diverse Aboriginal economies.

• Describe the requirements of pursuing a buffalo economy.
• List the contributions of women to Aboriginal economic life.
• Describe how Aboriginal peoples replenished the environment to ensure renewal and abundance.
• Confirm that Aboriginal peoples were agriculturists prior to the arrival of Europeans.
• Provide evidence that Aboriginal peoples were habitat specialists.

Recognize that Aboriginal peoples were economically self-reliant prior to European contact.

• Illustrate how the Cree adapted to environmental changes.

• Discuss how sharing was an economic necessity and a diplomatic virtue.
• Appreciate the independence and sophistication of Cree trade systems and uses of technology.

Interpret how the horse dramatically altered Aboriginal economic enterprise.

• List the effects of the horse on Aboriginal economies.
• Describe how the horse became a status symbol.

Provide evidence that economic activity thrived prior to the arrival of Europeans.

• Describe Aboriginal economic activity prior to arrival of Europeans.
• Describe how Europeans adapted to Aboriginal commerce.
• List specific Aboriginal trade strategies.

Analyze the factors that contributed to successful Aboriginal economies.

• Provide details of cooperation and organization.
• Give evidence that Aboriginal peoples were astute business people.
• Supply evidence of Aboriginal diplomacy.
• Describe Aboriginal hospitality.
• Appreciate Aboriginal adaptations of European technology.

Illustrate the physical dexterity and mental acuity required for hunting buffalo.

• Describe specific skills required of buffalo hunters.
• Describe the difficulties involved in butchering and preparing a buffalo.
• List the duties involved in butchering and preparing a buffalo.
• Construct a buffalo pound.

Explain how the Métis buffalo hunt was a highly organized, democratic event.

• Describe the Métis buffalo hunt.
• Justify regulations for the Métis buffalo hunt.
• Describe how American policy altered the buffalo hunt.
• Describe how the Métis prevented a HBC monopoly of the buffalo hunt.

Analyze the factors that disrupted traditional Aboriginal economies.

• List the technologies that disrupted traditional Aboriginal economies.
• List the developments that broke Aboriginal nations apart.
• Describe how different government Acts impeded Aboriginal control of their economies.
• Explain why certain government economic projects ultimately failed.
• Provide evidence of Aboriginal economic diversity.

Understand that European diseases devastated entire Aboriginal populations.

• Describe how the fur trade facilitated epidemics.
• Describe the causes for the change in relationships between Aboriginal nations.

See that while Aboriginal and Euro-Canadian worldviews are vastly different, basic values can be shared.

• Discuss the values that can be shared by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians.

• Create an imaginary business in which traditional Aboriginal values are incorporated.

Explain the importance of a land base to Métis economic well being.

• Discuss the ways in which Métis peoples used the land and its resources.
• Appreciate the Métis traditional use of land in spite of not having a land base.

Recognize how the rich history of Métis people attracts economic activity.

• Discover why Louis Riel is still an important figure to Saskatchewan and Canadian history.
• Research one strand of Métis history.

Analyze the impact of the post-contact economy to traditional Aboriginal societies.

• Describe the economic pressures experienced by Aboriginal peoples.
• Explain the factors that made economic transition difficult.

Realize some of the barriers to employment for Aboriginal peoples.

• List the obstacles to employment off reserve.
• List other barriers to Aboriginal peoples gaining employment off reserve.

Realize that traditional Aboriginal skills and values are relevant to a contemporary economy.

• Discuss the effects of economic devastation.
• List and provide details of Aboriginal entrepreneurial temperament and skills.
• Describe how government policy restricts Aboriginal economic development.

State the importance of preserving Indigenous knowledge.

• List the academic disciplines to which Aboriginal peoples contribute.
• List the academic institutions that Aboriginal knowledge can enhance.
• Appreciate the scholarly contributions of Aboriginal peoples.

Analyze the importance of Aboriginal peoples and individuals to the current economy.

• Gauge the current and projected growth of the Aboriginal population.
• Interpret the purchasing power of Aboriginal Canadians.
• Calculate the projected growth of the Aboriginal labour force.
• Calculate the increase in educated Aboriginal peoples over time.
• Explore the kinds of occupational choices Aboriginal peoples are making.
• Infer factors that make Aboriginal peoples accessible employees.
• Describe how Aboriginal economic success is beneficial to Canadian society.

Strategize for ways in which work environments can be inclusive.

• Convert statistics into a visual format.
• Brainstorm for ways to embrace a diverse work force.

Analyze Aboriginal participation in artistic economic endeavors.

• Explore the implications of the growth of Aboriginal involvement in the arts.
• Discuss the successes and challenges of Aboriginal economic ventures.
• Investigate the qualities of Aboriginal film and/or television programming.

Display understanding of the damage stereotypes and misinformation do to the employment opportunities of Aboriginal peoples.

• Discuss the myths surrounding Aboriginal peoples.
• Discuss the facts that dispel stereotypes of Aboriginal peoples.

Display knowledge of the economic experiences of Aboriginal peoples.

• Discuss the experiences of historical and/or contemporary Aboriginal peoples.
• Apply previous knowledge to a group project.