Native Studies 10 Resource-Based Focus

The over-arching benefit of involving Aboriginal Elders,
community workers, cultural advisors and other resource
people in the school is that Aboriginal students see themselves
and their cultural heritage reflected and respected within the school.

Aboriginal Elders and Community Workers in Schools
Saskatchewan Education, 2001, p. 3

Resource-Based Learning

Resource-based learning is advocated for all provincial curricula, but is particularly effective for Native Studies. It can be argued that given the diversity of topics and the rapidity of change taking place, Resource-based learning is the only effective approach to Native Studies teaching and learning.

Resource-based learning:

• makes provision for the exceptional student, and the student who needs to learn in a different manner.

• allows students to vary the rate at which they learn.

• encourages children to be creative, imaginative and curious, and to become active rather than passive learners.

• offers many choices in print and nonprint resources from which to learn.

• offers students and teachers the opportunity to choose the location in which to learn.

• allows the teacher to team teach with other teachers, teacher-librarians and community members.

• encourages students to make choices and accept responsibility for the outcomes of those choices.

(Saskatchewan Education, 1987.)

Many school divisions and communities employ Aboriginal consultants who can provide important links to community agencies, individuals, the public library, special libraries, government departments and nongovernmental agencies. All of these sources may provide valuable information for students and teachers of Native Studies 10.

Community resources complement the Resource-based nature of Native Studies 10. Often there is someone knowledgeable on relevant subjects in your community who may be willing to speak to the students. Sometimes government offices have personnel who will come to speak to students. Saskatchewan Learning acknowledges that it takes time to develop a network of human resource, and encourages teachers to share this valuable information with each other.

Native Studies 10 uses background material such as current case studies and articles. It is essential that teachers, teacher-librarians and students evaluate materials for bias, stereotyping, discrimination and racism. Unit One provides the forum in which students acquire these necessary skills. However, even information that is biased can be used to teach critical and creative thinking skills, provided it is openly discussed and specific guidelines are used. Refer to Selecting Equitable Resources on p. 27 of this guide.

Learning material selected for use in Native Studies 10 should be accurate, up-to-date and meet the criteria of literary and artistic excellence. Guidelines for selecting First Nations, Métis and Inuit resource materials are detailed in Diverse Voices: Selecting Equitable Resources for Indian and Métis Education, Saskatchewan Education, (1995). Teachers may wish to consult Elders when uncertain of the validity and accuracy of content.

Saskatchewan Learning compiles an Aboriginal Resource List for K-12, (1999) which is available at the Learning Resources Distribution Centre (LRDC). Resources that the LRDC has in stock have been given an order number (Order no). Other items can be special ordered through the LRDC. Orders to the LRDC can be placed by telephone (306) 787-5987 or fax 1-800-668-9747, or online at: http://lrdc.sasked.gov.sk.ca.

Prices quoted are subject to change and do not include taxes, but will serve as a guide to approximate costs. LRDC prices include shipping and handling fees.

Please note that LRDC will be closing effective March 31, 2003. If you need assistance acquiring learning resources after that date, please contact the Instructional Resources Unit at 787-8621

The local library is part of a network of regional

and branch libraries that reach most communities in the province. An interlibrary loan service may assist communities in obtaining information from other communities.

Reading Material

Readings are provided at the end of each unit to support the achievement of curriculum objectives with relevant content. Readings have been selected based on their relevance to the objectives, their literary quality and their appeal to grade 10 students; however, students may find some of the reading challenging. Teachers may need to provide direct reading instruction, and guided reading activities, to enhance comprehension. Every attempt has been made to reflect an authentic Aboriginal voice in materials written by Aboriginal writers. Similarly, care has been given to choosing materials that achieve high standards of literary and intellectual excellence, including the elimination of bias and stereotypes.

Teacher diligence in constantly adding or replacing reading material will ensure the continued relevance and literary excellence of the resource material. Each reading is coded with its unit acronym, its title and a number, according to the order in which it appears. For example, the first reading in Unit One, Identity and Worldviews: Aboriginal Perspectives is labeled, IWAP1 Native Studies Self-Assessment Profile. Readings are referred to under the Suggested Activities column and are listed as bulleted items under the Resources column of each unit. Teachers may choose to give students reading material as the course progresses, or give students reading "packages" at the beginning of each unit.

First Nations, Métis and Inuit Resource Material

All materials identified for use in the classroom are chosen based on literary and artistic excellence. Resources depicting First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples are evaluated to determine accuracy, balance and diversity of perspectives.

Excellence is generally based upon, and judged by, individual and community members who are portrayed in the particular resources. What one community may deem appropriate may be regarded as unsuitable in another. Differences can also occur at the individual level.

Resources and the Adaptive Dimension

As mentioned in the previous section, the reading level of the provided readings may pose challenges to students and teachers. The Adaptive Dimension; however; provides the flexibility teachers need to ensure all students receive the learning benefits of Native Studies 10. Teachers may need to provide scaffolding supports for particular students in order to address the following factors:

• Many print sources have high levels of readability.
• Variety of print sources with which students may not be familiar (require different reading strategies).
• Use of original documents can be challenging.
• Use of historical texts create challenges.
• Students for whom English is a second language.
• Opportunities to use documentation in original Aboriginal languages where students have the expertise.

Internet Use

School-based Internet use requires teachers to plan and supervise student activity on the Internet. Saskatchewan Learning’s requirements for excellence in materials also apply to Internet sites. Follow school-based policy regarding the use of Internet.

Saskatchewan Learning provides a link through its website on the World Wide Web for teachers to share educationally appropriate Internet sites. If teachers wish to suggest new Internet sites or evaluate websites that have been suggested by other teachers, they may do so at: http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/cgi-bin/urldb/urlreview

Information on sites that are highly recommended will be shared with teachers. Saskatchewan Learning will list the sites recommended for curriculum support at: http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/cgi-bin/urldb/urlsearch

Saskatchewan Learning also provides links to other provincial and territorial education websites at: http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/curr_inst/tech/links.html

If teachers are unsure about the reliability of the information found at a website, they should seek the authors’ and/or contributors’ names along with the title. If the site does not identify contributors and authors, the information found at the site may not be reliable.

The Internet sites provided on the following pages offer an overview of what is available. They have been evaluated and are recommended for use in schools; however, it is still a good idea to carefully screen and evaluate sites prior to use. These sites were last viewed in January of 2002.

Selected List of Web Resources with Aboriginal Content

Aboriginal Education Unit, Saskatchewan Education
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/k/pecs/h/ab/index.html

Aboriginal Faces of Saskatchewan
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/faces/women.htm

Aboriginal Links (Canada and U.S.)
http://www.bloorstreet.com/300block/aborcan.htm

Ahtahkakoop Publishing
http://www.ahtahkakooppublishing.com/

Bill's Aboriginal Links (Canada and U.S.)
http://www.bloorstreet.com/300block/aborcan.htm

Cradleboard Project (Buffy Saint Marie)
http://www.cradleboard.org/

Dene Kede Curriculum - A Resource Book for Teachers
http://www.learnnet.nt.ca/ECE/ECSS/school/7/index.htm

http://www.learnnet.nt.ca/ECE/ECSS/early_childhood_ss.html

Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations
http://www.fsin.com/

First Nations Education Centre
http://www.cmsd.bc.ca/schools/fnec/main.html

First Nations History Theme Page Index
http://www.cln.org/themes/fn_history.html

First Nations Periodical Index
http://www.lights.com/sifc/index.htm

First Nation's Traditional Teaching Units
http://aboriginalcollections.ic.gc.ca/e/listsubject.htm

First Peoples on SchoolNet
http://www.schoolnet.ca/aboriginal/

Gabriel Dumont Institute
http://www.gdins.org/

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
http://www.inac.gc.ca/index_e.html

INAC - Kids Page for Students and Teachers
http://www.inac.gc.ca/ks/english/4000_e.html

Index of Native American Book Resources on the Internet
http://www.hanksville.org/NAresources/indices/NAbooks.html

Indigenous Peoples' Literature
http://www.indigenouspeople.org/natlit/natlit.htm

Links for First Nations
http://www.treaty7.org/links/links.htm

Maracle, Dawn T., Queen's University at Kingston - Iroquois Creation Story
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/curriculum/iroquois/iroquois.htm

Metis Resource Centre
www.metisresourcecentre.mb.ca

National Library of Canada - Native Canadian Women Writers
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/6/3/s3 - 201 -.html

National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation
http://www.naaf.ca/cnaf.html

Native American Authors
http://www.ipl.org/ref/native/

Native American Authors - Teacher Resources
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/natauth.htm

Native American Authors - Internet Public Library
http://aristotle.sils.umich.edu/cgi/ref/native/browse.pl/authors

Native American Books (includes reviews)
http://www.kstrom.net/isk/books/auth idx.html#b
http://www.kstrom.net/isk/books/bookmenu.html

Native American Indian Resources (includes Canadian content)
http://www.kstrom.net/isk/mainmenu.html

Native Authors (closing)
http://nativeauthors.com/index.html

Norval Morrisseau and Medicine Painting
http://www.kstrom.net/isk/art/morriss/art_morr.html

Oyate (Books and reviews)
http://www.oyate.org/main.html

Saskatchewan Evergreen Curriculum
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/

Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre
http://www.sicc.sk.ca/

Saskatchewan Indian Federated College
http://www.sifc.edu/

Storytellers and Native American Authors Online
http://www.hanksville.org/storytellers/alfa.html

Saskatchewan Teacher's Federation
http://www.stf.sk.ca/

Windspeaker's 2000 PeopleofHonor http://www.ammsa.com/achieve/index.htm

Selecting Equitable Resources

Saskatchewan Learning acknowledges the difficulty in finding reliable, bias-free sources to support Native Studies curricula. This limitation makes it even more important that teachers of Native Studies select sources carefully.

Saskatchewan Learning’s document, Diverse Voices Selecting Equitable Resources for Indian and Métis Education, affirms that:

All students are influenced by what they read and by what they see. The interactions they observe and in which they participate shape their attitudes. An individual’s perceptions may become distorted to the point that myths and stereotypes are accepted as reality. Students who are constantly exposed to, and come to accept, perceptions about themselves as "inferior" and their cultures as "uncivilized" or "primitive" may suffer psychological scars that undermine their personal development. Conversely, students who come to believe that certain peoples are incapable of participating fully in a "civilized" world may develop an unrealistic sense of superiority that may be psychologically damaging. Students who are actively taught to identify bias in resources and to examine its effect on their thinking, will learn to understand all individuals and groups. They may then transfer their understandings to other areas.

Native Studies 10 provides a forum for such active participation by students. Unit One for example, allows both time and opportunity for teachers and students to engage in productive discussions on bias, stereotyping and so on. Secondly, the time-line (provided within the curriculum guide) is also an important spring board for teaching about biases. The time line illustrates, for example, that Aboriginal peoples had thriving, complex communities prior to contact with Europeans. Finally, the reading material provided at the end of each unit not only dispel myths about Aboriginal peoples, but it is, as often as possible, written by Aboriginal scholars and writers. Therefore, teachers have opportunities, throughout the teaching of Native Studies to address biases and dispel myths. Teachers and students may wish to use Diverse Voices on which to base their discussion.

Different forms of bias occurring over time in resources have been identified. These include:

• invisibility/omission

  some groups may be rarely seen, or not seen at all

• stereotyping

  use of pared down, simplified attributes

• imbalance

  one-sided interpretation of issues or situations

• unreality

• fragmentation/isolation

• linguistic bias

(Saskatchewan Education. March, 1995. p. 2)

Diverse Voices provides background on the need for guidelines, how to use guidelines and the use of (appropriate) terms for Aboriginal peoples. It also provides a series of checklists that teachers and students may use together to address bias. These checklists include:

• General Questions
• Portrayal of Cultural Interactions
• Portrayal of Traditions and Institutions
• Portrayal of Identity
• Use of Language
• Use of Visuals
• Literature
• Oral Literature.

Teacher Planning Guide

Teachers have several factors to consider when planning to teach Native Studies 10.