Detailed Sample Task: Stage I

CLB 4 - Reading
Comprehending Information

Indigenization

Real-World Task

Read 2 or 3 paragraphs about Indigenous ways of knowing like Wahkohtowin: we are all connected.

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.
Wahkohtowin is an Indigenous worldview that emphasizes mutual respect, responsibility, and reciprocity. This view describes that people are connected to one another, across families, communities, and generations. Moreover, humans are connected to the land, water, animals, and spirit world.
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:

Recognition of the main idea in an email.
Contextual clues to interpret the purpose of a text.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

How tone and mood are conveyed by specific words and phrases.

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.
Match the words from the vocabulary list to images and simple definitions. Complete a set of sentences with key words missing using the words from the list.
Create a class word bank for Indigenous peoples vocabulary to use throughout the skill building activities and module. Copy the words into a vocabulary notebook or digital vocabulary journal.
Listen to the instructor read aloud a short description of an Indigenous cultural practice such as the Medicine Wheel. As you listen, circle all of the vocabulary words you hear and note down any plants or animals that you hear. Answer multiple choice questions about the listening. Now practice reading the transcript aloud, taking turns with a partner. Practice frequently to improve pronunciation, intonation and fluency.
As a class, read a paragraph about a traditional Indigenous practice. Focus first on pre-reading strategies such as looking at the title, images, and sub-headings to predict the topic and focus of the text. Next, use skimming and scanning strategies to review the entire paragraph. After reading the text aloud, work in pairs to create a two-sentence summary of the text.
As a class, read a simplified, instructor-adapted paragraph about a traditional indigenous belief, such as Wakhotowin. Have learners identify vocabulary words in the reading. Discuss the belief system and compare it to other traditional beliefs from other places in the world. Copy the paragraph into a digital document or notebook.
Review the simple present tense to
describe beliefs with various activities and worksheets. Review the paragraph above and identify the simple present verbs and discuss their use to describe belief systems.
Watch a video about Wakhotowin,
such as Wakhotowin: A Cree story.
Using the transcript and subtitles
(some of this video is in the Cree language) learners can describe the basic meaning
of Wakhotowin and list all of the parts
of nature they see in the video.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Read a simple instructor-made bullet point list of the main ideas that make up the Indigenous story of Wakhotowin. Demonstrate understanding by answering comprehension questions about the beliefs.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Read 2 or 3 paragraphs about Indigenous ways of knowing like Wahkohtowin: we are all connected. Demonstrate understanding by answering comprehension questions.

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.
Read information from a screen.
Scan online resources to find information.
Send and receive text messages and messages on other texting apps.
Send and receive email messages
Read formatted texts online, such as forms
Navigate and use online learning management systems (LMS) such as Avenue.
Recognize a phishing attempt of a scam message.
Evaluate online search results.
Open and read PDF attachments to email

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.
Teach reading strategies such as skimming and scanning to find information on 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.

Resources

Outings, Guest Speaker Suggestions, Extension Activities:

Invite a member of the local Indigenous Nation and have them give
a short, simple presentation about their culture and their beliefs.
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:

The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Canadian Indigenous Content

Lessons and Activities:

The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Going to a Powwow 3L/4L
Kichi-Asotamatowin: Land and Treaties 3L/4L
ATESL: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism: a 3/4 Module
The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Canadian Indigenous Readers
A search of NLCG ( nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia: