Detailed Sample Task: Stage I

CLB 3 - Writing
Reproducing Information

Indigenization

Real-World Task

Copy a list of Indigenous foods that may be part of a Truth and Reconciliation event.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Vocabulary related to Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
Vocabulary related to foods and dishes and their significance at important events.
Knowledge of how to express preferences, restrictions and allergies appropriately.

Context:

Canada is a very diverse country where Peoples from around the world have come to make a home. Indigenous Peoples have called this land home since time immemorial and have distinct traditions and cultures which vary across Canada.
Indigenous food in Canada is traditional food made by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people using local plants, animals, and cooking methods.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in Canada was set up to learn the truth about what happened to Indigenous children in residential schools. These schools were places where many children were taken from their families by the government and churches. They were not allowed to speak their language or follow their culture.
The TRC listened to survivors’ stories and helped teach Canadians what happened. It also gave ideas on how Canada and Canadians can make things better for and be fair to Indigenous people.

The 94 calls to action from the TRC report are complex and written in legal language but adapted versions are available.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

Sample Grammar:

Conventions for spelling, capitalization and punctuation.

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Use basic format and paragraph structure.
Use basic writing conventions.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

Identify the layout and different parts of online information.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: What are your favourite traditional dishes? What occasions are these dishes commonly prepared for?
Look at a map of Canada, which is also known traditionally by many Indigenous Peoples as part of Turtle Island, and consider the traditional ingredients used in Indigenous dishes and how they vary across the land.
Match picture flashcards showing different Indigenous food items to vocabulary words of Indigenous dishes.
Create individual flashcards by copying each word from the vocabulary list. Copy the words from the flashcards into a list. Flip over the flashcards and try to reproduce the list again from memory. These flashcards will form a mini word bank to use for later activities related.
In pairs, look at a set of simple sentences about traditional dishes from around the world and correct the errors in punctuation and capitalization.
Complete a set of sentences about traditional dishes from around the world. Use a vocabulary list to help complete the sentences. Pay careful attention to the spelling, capitalization and punctuation of each sentence.
Listen to an audio of people simply describing their food preferences and foods they limit or avoid and match each person to a picture of a hamper from the food bank that best matches each one.
Read a simplified description of the TRC and what the Calls to Action represent. In pairs, answer three simple multiple choice questions about the TRC.
Interview a classmate to find out about a traditional dish in their culture, how it is made, when it is served and why they like it.
Read a simplified story about an Indigenous event and the traditional foods that may be served/ available. List the foods mentioned.
Search for traditional Indigenous recipes online. In pairs, learners create a recipe card with basic instructions and ingredients lists.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Write 3-4 simple sentences about the classmate you interviewed to describe their favourite traditional dish, using sample sentences to complete the task.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Copy a list of Indigenous foods that may be part of a Truth and Reconciliation event.

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.
Learners may come from countries where traditional foods are also sacred or culturally symbolic. Acknowledge that every culture has important foods, and this activity is about learning and respecting Indigenous food traditions in Canada. Ensure the activity is part of a broader effort to include Indigenous voices and not a one-time event.
Indigenous foods are more than ingredients—they are deeply connected to land, identity, and spirituality. This means that it is important to respect the foods and their cultural importance, not just as vocabulary words or menu items.

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
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 local Indigenous cultural sites or museums.
Attend public celebrations on National Indigenous Day (June 21).
Include Indigenous art and cultural traditions in class materials.
Build class activities around Orange Shirt Day.
Invite an Indigenous person to speak with learners about Indigenous foods and traditional meals such as potlucks.

Realia:

Ingredients used in traditional Indigenous recipes
Measuring cups and spoons
Photographs of traditional foods from around the world

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:

Spirit Bear’s Guide to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Child-friendly calls to action
Government of Canada: First Nations Profiles Interactive Map
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Canadian Indigenous Content