This lesson has students creating a self portrait using image and text.

This lesson can be completed in Art & ELA.
Morphology of the word micrography – micro – small; graphy -writing – students use small writing to create portraits!

Students will need to have a good understanding of self to create their portrait. Ideas could include words to describe the student, phrases, quotes, song lyrics, family members, poetry, or random thoughts. Some students may need guidance as to what information to include (or a model).

Sun West - Contact your school’s technology coach if require help with the technology piece of this lesson.

Extension – this lesson could be extended further into Social Studies or ELA by having students complete micrography portraits of historical figures, indigenous leaders, scientists or characters from novels or stories they are studying.

Multiage - Grade 4 students could complete this activity for prairie landscapes & Grade 5 students could complete this on pop art.

Enjoy this video to teach First Nations traditional pow wow dance.

How To Pow Wow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IePIeLBi6hI

In 2008, a group called the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was made. Their job was to listen
to stories about residential schools and then write the stories down so we can learn from our mistakes.
In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission announced their 94 Calls to Action. These are 94
activities all governments, courts, businesses, schools, and people living in Canada can do to help fix the
mistakes of the past and present so that all children – including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children –
can grow up happy, healthy, safe, and proud of who they are.

This booklet is written by Spirit Bear as a youth-guide to the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action. Each of the calls is outlined in student-friendly language that will give them a deeper understanding of Truth and Reconciliation process.

In this interactive online activity, you will explore the Canadian Arctic, the history of the Northwest Passage and the importance of maintaining a strong Canadian presence in the northern region.

Questions:

1. Identify four unique characteristics of the Canadian Arctic region.
2. Identify contributions made by some of the Arctic explorers who searched for the Northwest Passage.
3. To what extent did the Inuit culture in the Canadian Arctic help with the discovery of one of Franklin's lost ships?
4. What impact would climate change and the opening of the Northwest Passage have on the Inuit people socially, environmentally, and economically?
5. How might the opening of the Northwest Passage affect Canada’s claim to Arctic sovereignty and its relationship with other countries?
6. What are some of the ways Canada is getting involved in protecting the Arctic?

This resource contains an abundance of ELA infused, cross-curricular lessons organized by themes for Grades 4, 5 and 6. Non-fiction, poetry and fiction reading lessons are all included. 

Sign up for a free account, allowing you access to all of Canada's National ballet School's courses and dance programs for kids.

Once you have signed up for an account, you can access the many cross-curricular dance units created by the National Ballet School. Note: If you are looking to access these units in French, please navigate to the "All course offerings" on the home page and you will find the French version of this course listed.

Great options to consider:
Grade 4: Rocks
Grade 5: Christine Friday Artist Study (Indigenous world-view)
Grade 6: Angela Gladue Artist Study (pow-wow and hip hop) (available in Cree as well)

Explore the elements of art, culture, and identity through this guided lesson based on Leah Dorion's "The Giving Tree: A Retelling of a Traditional Métis Story." We are connected through place and culture! The values, beliefs, traditions, religion, natural environment, recreational activities, music, dance, and art that surround us help to form our identity. We share, listen, learn, and grow from and with each other. Students will think about their own identity and the many pieces that make them unique as they create a painting in the style of Leah Dorion's work.

This colouring book represents the collective efforts of 19 Indigenous artists,
and celebrates a diversity of health and wellness perspectives.

Colouring is an activity that can increase mindfulness and decrease stress, and
can help you find balance in challenging times.

FourDirectionsTeachings.com is a visually stunning audio narrated resource for learning about Indigenous knowledge and philosophy from five diverse First Nations in Canada. Navigate to the site map for access to the teacher lesson plans to go along with the interactive audio and visual content.
Junior: Grades 1-6
Intermediate: Grades 7-9
Senior: Grades 10-12

Four Directions Teachings rend hommage à la tradition orale autochtone, en mettant en valeur le procédé d’écoute attentive, lorsque un ancien ou un professeur traditionnel partage un enseignement, selon son point de vue, sur la richesse et la valeur des traditions culturelles provenant de sa nation.

Available in:
Flash Version - English and French
HTML Version - English and French
Subtitles Version - English and French

Honouring the Buffalo: A Plains Cree Legend is a useful educational tool for social studies/treaty and language arts/literacy curriculum teaching. Included on the website is a resource guide, educational guide (questions), audio recordings, and curricular connections. There is a book trailer as well as an exerpt in English and in Cree.

This document helps support students and teachers wishing to engage with Indigenous perspectives in science. It also covers why it is important to connect to local Indigenous communities, provides suggestions on how to develop student understanding, and shares examples of how student science research can directly connect to the
Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action.

Also check out the Indigenous Engagement Starting Points Checklist which provides a list of Indigenous groups and/or individuals you/your students can reach out to, to start this connection. A question checklist is also provided to help support those starting discussions.

Find speakers to come to your classroom in person or virtually, based on their specialty.

These 3 - 5 minute YouTube videos show students how to dance the various Pow-Wow dances in a step-by-step instructional video. The Pow-Wow dances include Men's Fancy Dance, Men's Grass Dance, Chicken Dance, Jingle Dance, Double Beat, Crow Hop, Traditional, and Old Style.

This resource aims to support educators, school administrators, and community members facilitate more culture-based learning on the land. It was created by four Dene and Metis education resource developers, hired by the Dene Nation in summer 2020.

The lessons in this document can be used as stand-alone activities to bring more cultural learning into classrooms and to get students learning outdoors during the regular school day. However, in order for students to build deeper connections with the land, culture and language, the ideal practice would be to bring them out on the land for more extended experiences. The lessons in this document can be used as part of multi-day culture camps, for example, or other outdoor excursions.

The “Camp Logistics” section of this document aims to facilitate this type of extended on-the-land learning. It provides sample gear lists, safety protocol suggestions for organizing a camp. Section A of the appendix also includes sample schedules or organization materials to help with this.

Lessons in this document can be used as starting points for a whole week of activities on the land, for example. Since each community is different, we encourage educators to reach out to cultural knowledge holders in their own community, to explore other activities that would connect with the ones described here. For example, the lessons on Labrador tea and sweetgrass in this document could turn into a week-long medicine camp, in which students learn about the protocol around harvesting and processing several different types of plant medicines with the guidance of local Elders.

This unit plan overview provides links to all lessons along with links to accompanying teacher support materials that include: Student worksheets and answer guides for individual lessons; Inquiry activities with support materials. This unit includes 5 lessons that includes: Understanding Indigenous Symbols, Vocabulary and Literacy Builder activities, Medicine from the Land, "The Story of Sky Woman" and worksheets and activities to accompany the story.

All Nations Hope Network, Saskatchewan has created a resource for the sacred story of the Mistasiniy including background information into story telling from generation to generation. The atayohkewina (sacred story) is presented with both English and Cree.
The sacred telling of Buffalo Child, is a living narrative of how Buffalo Child stone (Mistasiniy) came into being. We follow the life story of a little boy called Buffalo Child, as he transitions into manhood within the embrace of his buffalo family. In this âtayôhkewina - sacred story, we trace Buffalo Child’s transformation as a human and into a four legged being, finally his manifestation into stone. The sacred telling ends in the demise of Mistasiniy.

Reconciliation is about exploring the past and choosing to build a better future. Sharing stories of understanding helps one another to build trust. We want to hear about your moments of reconciliation.

Head to the "Education" Tab to access resources.

A collection of resources for teachers to use with their classes, collated by the OTC.

For Grade 4 look for:
- Novel study for As Long as the River Flows
- PowerPoint- Treaty Game Show

For Grade 5 look for:
- Novel study for As Long as the River Flows
- PowerPoint- Treaty Millionaire Challenge

For Grade 6 look for:
- Novel study for As Long as the River Flows
- PowerPoint- Treaty Millionaire Quiz Show

Activities and lessons are available for Kindergarten to Grade 12.

This is a great project to do later in the year once students have practiced independent research skills. Students are put into groups, and assigned a "big idea" form the power and authority strand to research and present to the class.