This collection features resources that explore Indigenous stories and storytelling.
Tradition and technology come together in this lesson in which students learn about Alaskan animals through Native American tales and their own online research.
This rubric was created for the final project for an ELA Indigenous and Norse Narratives UBD unit plan. Throughout the unit, the grade nine students read legends to the grade three students (the benefits of being in a K-12 school). As we read through narratives and legends in the class, students began to discover ideas for their own personal narrative or legend. I asked the students to make the legend for a grade two or three reading level. I asked them to do this because we planned on reading the stories to the grade three students. The grade three students were also incorporated in drawing the pictures for the story. This developed the students’ collaboration skills because they needed to be aware of the grade three student’s thoughts and how they learn. This assignment also asked the students to develop their communication skills with the grade three students, as they would need to describe their idea for pictures to the grade three students. Throughout the unit, the students developed their own character because they had to be more aware of their actions and language around grade three students. I believe it helped student’s realize there are younger students within the school who look up to them, even if they are unaware of it.
During World War II, Charles “Checker” Tomkins fought the enemy with a different kind of weapon. As a code talker in the Canadian military, he used his knowledge of the native Cree language to help develop a top-secret communication system to defeat the Germans.
In this activity, your students will explore the creation myths and legends of different Indigenous Peoples. They will get the chance to compare and contrast their similarities and differences with other myths and legends from around the world. Applying their newfound information and imagination, they will write and illustrate a myth as a modern day short story for younger children, selecting one of the groups of Indigenous People. The story must be typed and submitted using a word processing program.
Indigenous people have long passed on knowledge from generation to generation through oral traditions, including storytelling. Storytelling teaches history, values, beliefs and ways of life.
Enjoy this series of oral stories told by Elder Hazel, where you'll hear all kinds of fascinating stories.
>> Media Description | 5 minutes
For millennia, the Haíɫzaqv have depended on the seasonal cycles that bring ocean resources to the coast. Every generation learns to harvest in a sustainable way. But now these resources are dwindling. And it's up to us—all of us—to work together to put things back in balance. If you like this content you can see all of the available resources in the Harvest module in the Ocean School Help Centre (https://help.oceanschool.nfb.ca/educational-resources/module-guides/the-harvest-module-guide).
>> Activity Description | 45 minutes
Balancing act "c̓isḷa" comic activity. Students learn more about c̓isḷa—the act of looking after and taking care of something important. Students then create a comic that illustrates people taking care of and giving back to nature.
>>Get the activity
Here is a Google template link of the activity: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1RTA7LqU6EkCdlMngDHlQL4O6h5SVRtMYIKo8Or-6Fr4/template/preview
>> About the Indigenous content
This content was filmed and developed on unceded Haíɫzaqv homelands and waterways in direct collaboration with members of the Haíɫzaqv Nation. The Haíɫzaqv are an Indigenous Nation living in (what is currently) Canada's province of British Columbia (http://www.heiltsuknation.ca/about-2/territory/). We are sincerely grateful to the Haíɫzaqv Nation for allowing Ocean School to be guests in their territory, for sharing their stories and knowledge, and for collaborating with us for this module. All Haíɫzaqv language use in Ocean School content is overseen by the Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department (https://www.hirmd.ca/).
>> About Ocean School
Ocean School is a free educational resource from the Canadian Government about the ocean, through Dalhousie University, Ingenium - Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation, and the National Film Board of Canada. Ocean School is inquiry-based, entirely online, available in English and French, and for students in grades 5-9. Learn more about the Ocean School project at our What is Ocean School page.
>> Available in French
This same media is available in French here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MdRoCy8AZw
This same activity is available in French here (Google Template): https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/11XZeCZu0ICsb18DzBzUe1Kc-VcPYwMIZDm5mjf34nM8/template/preview
>> Accessibility
Captions and Transcripts are available for Ocean School content. Captions are within the Ocean School platform (or on YouTube) and transcripts can be found in the module guides: https://help.oceanschool.nfb.ca/educational-resources/module-guides
>> Please note: Ocean School activities are not stand-alone lessons (they do not cover all aspects of one topic or subject) but instead supplement learning through dynamic and engaging experiences.
Discover the heritage and traditions of the Innu through their stories and material culture.
Available in French and English.
According to Innu oral tradition, the world is an island created by wolverine and mink after a great flood. The archaeological record shows that the Innu and their ancestors have occupied a large portion of Labrador and eastern Quebec for two thousand or more years. The Innu refer to this territory as "Nitassinan."
The site includes:
Introduction
Travel
Exhibit Gallery
Collections
People and Places
The Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan reads "When We Had Sled Dogs: A Story from the Trapline—ācimowin ohci wanihikīskanāhk" by co-authors Ida Tremblay and...
The Legacy of Hope Foundation is a very comprehensive site that offers lots of great resources that help to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada. The Legacy of Hope Foundation's (LHF) goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential School System (RSS) and subsequent Sixties Scoop (SS) on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) Survivors, their descendants, and their communities to promote healing and Reconciliation.Check out each of the sections to see the great resources they have to offer.
The Little Women’s Lodge Kit Stories help children to learn about traditional parenting roles and responsibilities from a young age, while also teaching them Cree language reading, writing and singing.The four Cree storybooks are the core of this resource, bringing ancient Indigenous teachings to a new generation.
Song: Morning SongAlbum: Mosom and Kohkom Said: Stories and Songs
Listen to Elder Hazel talk about Kôhkom, her conundrum and how she cleverly comes up with a solution during her walk through the forest. Based on Vera Trembach's Moss Bag Stories
Orca Book Publishers Canada has compiled a number of online resources that can be used from home or in the classroom. You'll find links to free teacher guides and activities, ebooks and audiobooks, as well as information about Orca's dedicated language arts program and digital subscriptions.
This site gives information on:
Distance Learning - including information on the Story Ninja program, accessing digital subscriptions and Orca titles
Free Downloads - offers access to Orca Classroom Connections (a quarterly teacher resource with free lesson plans and activities for elementary, middle-school and high-school classrooms) and downloadable teacher guides for many titles
RESOURCE WEBSITES - including the Lucy Tries Sports website;, online resources about sustainability, environmental responsibility, and about the Great Bear Rainforest; Speaking Our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation; and Seven (the Series): 3 SERIES. 21 BOOKS. 7 AUTHORS
AUTHORS READ - Watch videos of Orca authors reading from their books and learn more about the Read Aloud Canadian Books Program.
Based on the book Roots by Brie Philips, Sun West School Division created this bundle of resources to help guide the infusion of Indigenous perspectives into early years classrooms. The Roots bundle encourages students to learn about the land they are on and form personal connections to the natural world around them through literacy, exploration, and play.
This booklet is written by Spirit Bear as a youth-friendly guide to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) 94 Calls to Action.
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 unit deals with how people first came to live in the part of the world which today we call the Northwest Territories. It focuses on stories of the First Peoples of this land which have evolved over many generations. Some of these stories may be unfamiliar to you. The stories themselves, and how we learn to tell and hear them, provide critical insights to how people have lived and understood this land we now live in.
A teacher’s guide from the 2022 Treaty Education Summer Institute which uses storytelling as a portal to explore Treaties.
The First Peoples of Canada recognize certain members of their communities for their ability as storytellers. The skillful art of storytelling is passed down from one generation to another by chosen, recognized or hereditary storytellers.
Some stories are shared at certain times of the year, in designated areas and on special occasions. As well, parents, family members and Elders share their knowledge with the younger generations in the course of their daily activities.
The stories we want to share with you here are from the Inuvialuit, the Algonquin, the Métis and Cree, the Nisga'a, the Abenaki and the Mi'kmaq. They are told through movement, song and dance, using symbols and imagination. They teach us about the origin of sacred objects and ceremonies, and our relationship to the animals, plants, rocks and each other.
Through Mala's Eyes takes a look at the Inuit community and helps students understand and appreciate one of the diverse cultures that exist within Canada. This resource looks at the life of an Inuit community in northern Quebec, through the eyes of Mala, a twelve year old Inuk boy. Through his first person narratives, Mala provides interesting background information about life in his community.
Downloadable teaching resource provided.
This is an excellent resource for teaching students about Inuit life. This resource speaks directly to students as it is given from the point of view of a twelve year old child. Students ages nine to fourteen should enjoy relating to these stories. It is rare to find a resource about Inuit life that is this modern, positive and engaging.
There are a variety of activities included within the resource, and teachers are encouraged to choose those which best apply to their classroom. There is also a lot of good background information provided in the resource, such as a glossary of Inuit terms and the Inuit alphabet. As well, online links are provided for more information.
This guide is a teacher resource containing several classroom activities that explore the stories shared in the Voices from Here video series. Download the education guide and use the worksheets