Detailed Sample Task: Stage I

CLB 3 - Writing
Sharing Information

Indigenization

Real-World Task

Complete a guided text of a few sentences about a local Indigenous knowledge system like the medicine wheel, the seven grandfather teachings or the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Basic vocabulary related to Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
Some basic background knowledge of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

Context:

In Canada, Indigenous knowledge systems are traditional ways of knowing and understanding the world.
These ideas come from many generations of Indigenous Peoples living closely with the land, animals, seasons, people, and spirits. They help guide how people take care of each other, how people live in balance with nature and how people learn and grow.
Many Indigenous people learn by being on the land. They learn by watching and listening to Elders, and learning from the seasons, animals, and sky.
This task reflects the intention to include all people in Canada in the themes. The language skills in this task could be applied to other contexts.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

Sample Grammar:

Word order of simple sentences
Simple present tense to express beliefs

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Logical sequencing to get the main idea across
Connective words and phrases within and between sentences to indicate addition such as “and” “but” and “also” and sequence, such as “first”, “second”, and “next”.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

Basic format and paragraph structure.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: Where are you from? Who were the first people to live in your country? Is there knowledge and information that has been passed down many generations in your culture? What traditional beliefs did you learn about as a child from your own cultural background?
Explain that the Indigenous Peoples, including the Metis and Inuit, were the first people and caretakers of Canada. Discuss as a class: Have you visited any Indigenous museums or attended any Indigenous cultural events? Have you met any Indigenous people or heard any presentations from Indigenous Elders or community leaders? Match the vocabulary words to images on flash cards. Then match the image and word to a third set of cards with a simple definition of the word. Add these new words to a vocabulary journal in a notebook or a digital document.
Listen to a short simple, instructor-made if necessary,audio describing an Indigenous cultural practice. Answer a set of true / false questions about the listening.
In pairs, take simple sentences that include connective words within the sentences such as “and”, “but” or “also”, with each word on separate cards. In small groups, arrange the words into the correct order to make the sentences make sense. Now add words to build connections between sentences such as “First” and “Next,” . Groups place these words between sentences to strengthen the cohesion of the text. Copy the completed sentences into a notebook or into a digital document.
Copy three to five sentences related to local Indigenous teachings to build writing fluency. Underline any connective words in the sentences and circle all of the simple present verbs.
Review the grammar rules for the form of the simple present tense and the use of the simple present to describe beliefs. Complete guided sentences about Indigenous cultural practices by adding the correct form of the simple present verbs.
As a whole class, read a simplified instructor-adapted text about the Medicine Wheel. In pairs, re-read the text taking turns to read sentences aloud. Underline the simple present verbs and highlight the connective words in the text.

Read a simple description of an Indigenous cultural teaching. Your partner has a different text about another cultural teaching. After reading your own text, and using sentence stems, share with your partner what you learned. Listen while your partner shares their reading with you.
Copy three sentences about a local Indigenous community into a digital document. As a class, look at one example of the copied text and discuss the presence of red or blue underlining to indicate an error. Share how to correct the error with help from the application. Review your own documents and attempt to use the spellcheck function.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Complete a guided text of five sentences about a local Indigenous Nation by adding missing key words from a list provided.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Complete a guided text of a few sentences about a local Indigenous knowledge system like the medicine wheel, the seven grandfather teachings or the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

Recognize and teach learners that Canada is a diverse place and has people from many different cultures. Canadian culture includes the cultures of all people in Canada, including Indigenous Peoples.
In Canada, “Indigenous” means the first Peoples who lived here before settlers came. However, Indigenous does not mean one identical group. There are many different Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Each one has its own language, culture, traditions, and teachings. Indigenous Peoples in the forest, mountains, prairies, or North have different foods, homes, stories and ceremonies. So we say there are many Indigenous Nations, not just one way of being Indigenous.

Digital Literacy Strategies:

Successful completion of some tasks may require some baseline knowledge and digital skills.

Learners may need to:

Have keyboarding and typing skills.
Locate, navigate and use websites.
Use familiar apps, social media platforms and web pages.
Type information to appear on screen
Send and receive text messages and messages on other texting apps.
Send and receive email messages
Complete formatted texts online, such as forms
Navigate and use online learning management systems (LMS) such as Avenue.
Use a search engine to find information

Instructors can:

Dedicate time to improve digital literacy for learners.
Make and/ or adapt digital materials.
Introduce websites that are relevant to the task(s).
Support learners in finding, navigating and using websites.
Use digital tools such as translation or pronunciation tools to support language learning and foster autonomous learning.
Share knowledge and strategies to ensure online safety.
Refer learners to programs to improve their digital skills

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

Ensure that the images and cultural representations of Indigenous Peoples are free from stereotypes and biases.
Raise learner awareness of the need for using appropriate language when discussing and addressing Indigenous Peoples.
Acknowledge that you are learning too, and avoid speaking for Indigenous Peoples.
Use resources and voices from Indigenous communities when possible (e.g., guest speakers, videos, or approved materials).
Use Indigenous sources for researching information related to Indigenous Peoples and traditional ways of being.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

When teaching about Canada, you may teach about things that are triggering to learners who have experienced trauma. We can’t know what the triggers might be and what seems commonplace to us may have a triggering component for learners. Be aware of this and be prepared to support learners as needed.
Newcomers who come from Indigenous groups in their home countries may be triggered by considerations of the experiences of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
Teaching an Indigenization theme will result in some difficult conversations and may revisit past trauma, oppression and discrimination your learners have experienced.

Strategies:

Give learners advance warning of this topic and be aware that there may be learners who require support.
Learners who have experienced trauma often benefit from having routine. Create a safe and supportive classroom environment by establishing familiar routines, repeated activities, and model friendly and non-evaluative interactions.
Learners will benefit from positive relationships established in the classroom with the instructor and peers.
Learners who have experienced trauma benefit from having choices.
- Allow learners choice:
  - the choice to work on a different topic
  - the choice to share or not share their own experiences
  - the choice to work alone or to work with others
  - the choice to take care of themselves
  - the choice to step out of the learning environment
When learners have shared personal distressing or traumatic experiences, make space for learners to feel safe and recover from the experience of sharing their experiences. Follow the activities which may make learners feel vulnerable with routine, predictable and comforting activities.
Giving learners the knowledge, skills and language to access resources can be empowering.
When teaching about Canada, you may teach about things that are triggering to learners who have experienced trauma, such as the treatment of Indigenous people in residential schools. Be aware of this and be prepared to support learners as needed. However, it is important for all learners, including learners who have experienced trauma, to learn as complete a story of Canada as possible, and it may be helpful to learners to know that the Canadian government has issued an official apology and made a commitment to work towards reconciliation. Knowing that a government can recognize when it has been wrong and can work towards reconciliation can help learners who have experienced trauma to begin to regain a sense of trust.

Resources

Outings, Guest Speaker Suggestions, Extension Activities:

Visit a local Indigenous cultural centre or museum to learn about aspects of Indigenous culture.
Invite a guest speaker from the local library to present simple information about cultural heritage events.
Invite representatives from other cultural groups to learn about the traditional knowledge of that culture. This may be another person from the community, someone from the class or someone from another class in the organization.

Realia:

Authentic posters for Orange Shirt Day, Truth & Reconciliation Day, National Indigenous Peoples Day events and other community heritage events.
Images of Indigenous cultural practices such as land-based learning, Medicine Wheel, smudging, Powwows, and so on.
Other objects from other cultures representing other cultural groups in the class.

Units and Modules:

TIES: Indigenous voices in the classroom: CLB 4. (Not correct level but can be adapted.)
Live & Learn: Facts about Indigenous culture and history you should know.

Lessons and Activities:

The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Canadian Indigenous Content
Tutela: Indigenous Peoples: Vocabulary and Maps Stage 1
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia: