Unit Plan

Grade 5
Social Studies - Canada: The Land, Histories, and Stories

Unit 2: Intro to Canada & Native Peoples of Canada

Rationale for the Unit:
This unit will give students the opportunity to understand Aboriginal ways of life and perspective from a historical and contemporary perspective. Throughout
this unit students will be provided with examples that explain how historical practices are still active today and how they have changed over time. The use
of contemporary examples will prevent FNMI people from becoming frozen in time.
Throughout this unit examples from FNMI perspectives will be used as much as possible. Episodes from current ANTP network TV shows will be used as
well as music from A Tribe Called red, and trickster stories.
A Elder will visit and share stories early in the unit. This will allow students to understand orality and the power and importance of oral stories. It will also
give the students a chance to learn about elder protocol and how knowledge is transferred.
Art that reflects the style of some FNMI groups will be used to engage students in thinking about symbols and stories in different ways.
Plan to address individual difference - Differentiation:
A scribe will be provided for students who need it
ipads will be made available for spell check
laptops will be made available for typing for students who struggle with printing
laptops will be made available for students to use read-write-google
Students will also been given options for multiple means of representation i.e: video themselves responding as an alternative to writing
Guiding Questions
Who are the First Nations, Metis, and, Inuit people of Canada
What are their stories?
What can their stories tell us about who they are and their ways of life?
How does the land influence life ways
Skills and Understandings
Understanding that different world views exist
Understand the value of land and story
Develop individual opinion
Research skills
Collaborators skills
Develop the ability to apply information from one area to another.
Performance Tasks, Activities & Assessments
Wild Archaeology Season 1 Episode 1- Fill in the blank notes (FORMATIVE)

Wild Archaeology S1 E1 google docs research guides & chart paper activity (FORMATIVE)
Inukshuk explanation card outline and checklist of what needs to be explained (SUMMATIVE)
Tipi - Glenbow virtual museum web quest (FORMATIVE)
Tipi Symbol planning sheet (SUMMATIVE)
Geography & Ways of Life - Plains / Blackfoot - Mind Map (SUMMATIVE)
Geography & Ways of Life - Inuit - Mind Map (SUMMATIVE)
Geography & Ways of Life - Haida - Mind Map (SUMMATIVE)
NWC Potlach activity (FORMATIVE)
AskiBoyz Season1 Episode 3 - Fill in the Blank Notes (FORMATIVE)
Trickster Story Project (SUMMATIVE)
Artist Statements & Self Evaluations (SUMMATIVE)

Curricular Connections
Unit 2: Native Peoples of Canada
5.2- Histories & Stories of ways of life in Canada
5.2.2- Examine, critically, the ways of life of Aboriginal peoples in Canada by exploring & reflecting upon the following questions and issues:
What do the stories of FNMI Peoples tell us about their beliefs regarding relations between people and land?
How are ways of life unique in each of the western, northern, central, and eastern regions?
How does the natural environment & geography of each region of Canada determine diversity?

Unit Plan Overview

October 3-4

Lesson Topics &

Activities

Curricular Connection

Thursday
Day 2
Launch Native Peoples of Canada Unit
- Inquiry Activity
- What do the students know about Native Peoples in Canada?
- Complete wordle worksheet that has a research component.
- Students will list what they know about about Native Peoples in Canada and they will research
something that they are curious about
- TIMELINE - Draw a timeline on the board. Explain that First Nations people had thousands of years
of history before European contact and colonization. Explain that we will be studying how that
history lives on today and how it influenced historical events
5.2.2 - What do the stories of FNMI peoples tell us about their beliefs regarding relationship between people and land.

Friday
Day 3
No School

October 10-14

Lesson Topics &

Activities

Monday
Day 4

Tuesday
Day 5

No School

No School

Wednesday
Day 6

Thursday
Day 1

Lesson will take 2 classes

What are oral stories and why are they
important ?
- Go over key words to ensure understanding archaeologist, artifact, oral story
- define word on the board and discuss what they are
- explain the content and concept of the episode
Watch: Wild Archaeology Season 1- Episode 1 (22min)
- Students will be given a sheet of fill in the blank notes
for during the episode.
- Go over fill in the blank notes
Critical Thinking & Discussion
Discussion groups & research
- Students will be put into groups of three and will be
ask to look deeper into a concept explored in the
episode
- Research information will be posted in a google doc
for their own group
- Group member will be given jobs to make the ease in
the completion of the activity
- groups will summarize their information on a piece of
chart paper

Friday
Day 2
Elder Visit
Dwane Mark 12:50-1:40

- Responses and
-

reactions from the elder

visit
Summarize knowledge
shared
Students will write a
response paragraph
explaining one lesson/
teaching that they
received from the elder

GOAL - Develop a understanding that oral stories

connect to reality and that they are not topical nursery
rhymes. They impact FNMI life ways and contain the
truth about history and ways of life
- Understand the importance of oral stories

- Go over elder protocol

Curricular Connection

5.2.2 - What do the stories of FNMI peoples tell us about their beliefs regarding relationship
between people and land.

October 17-21

Lesson Topics &

Activities

Monday
Day 3

Tuesday
Day 4

ARTIST IN
RESIDENCE

Stories and
Symbols
- Inukshuk
- What is a Inukshuk
- What can the does a
Inukshuk tell us
about the life ways of
the Inuit
- Watch a video about
the Inukshuk
https://
www.youtube.com/
watch?v=N3BfuYz-B1U
- Write a information
card to go along with
their inukshuk
sculpture. Write a
story explaining what
your inukshuk
represents - use the
use of the inukshuk
for the olympics as a
example.
- Their explanation of
what their inukshuk
represents should
relate to them
personally

Making:
- Polar Bears
- Inukshuks
- Tipi Scenes
- Moose in the Wild
Painting

Curricular Connection

Wednesday
Day 5

Stories and
Symbols
Tipi
Students will go
through the
interactive Glenbow
Museum about the
Tipi and will answer
questions in pairs
https://
www.glenbow.org/
exhibitions/online/
blackfoot/
main_eng.htm
Students will create a
list of symbols that
they could use on
their tipi's

Thursday
Day 6

Stories and
Symbols
The tipi
Plan out tipi symbols
for tipi art project
Complete tipi symbol
outline sheet that
shows the symbols
used and a 2
sentence long
explanation stating
why they chose to
put that symbol on
their tipi
These will be the
symbols that
students use on their
tipis

- What do the stories of FNMI peoples tell us about their beliefs regarding relationship between
people and land?
-How are ways of life unique in each of the western, central, and eastern regions ?
-How does the natural environment and geography of each region of Canada determine
diversity?

Friday
Day 1
ARTIST IN
RESIDENCE

October 24-28

Lesson Topics &

Activities

Monday
Day 3

Tuesday
Day 4

Wednesday
Day 5

Thursday
Day 6

Friday
Day 1

Geography & Ways

of Life
Plains - Blackfoot
Confederacy

Geography & Ways

of Life
Northern - Inuit

Geography & Ways

of Life
West Coast - Haida

** Watch part of The Fast

Runner

Bill Reid Piece - Raven and

the First Men

Potlach - NWC
Raven & Crows Potlach
Trickster story
- What did the story tell
us about Raven? about
Crow? About the potlatch?

Geography & Ways

of Life
Central Canada - Ojibway
AskiBoyz Season 1 Episode
3
http://aptn.ca/askiboyz/

Fill in mind map info graph

- looking at how the land
shapes life ways
- how does environment
affect culture, practices,
and life ways.
Historically & Today

Watch Haida creation

story - https://
www.youtube.com/watch?
v=kJ1khnqqhVM
Show Bill Reid piece

Fill in mind map info graph

- looking at how the land
shapes life ways
- how does environment
affect culture, practices,
and life ways.
Historically & today

- Read story out loud to

the students. Have the

students follow along
and highlight the parts
that they think are
important.
As a class we will
interpret the story step
by step
Read a excerpt
explaining the cultural
practices associated
with the potlatch
Think-pair-share what
does this story teach us
about the potlatch?

Elder Gary Potts, from the

Ojibway community of Bear Island
otherwise known as Temagami
First Nation in northern Ontario,
teaches the AskiBOYZ how to
carve a paddle, and hand make a
traditional canoe using birch wood
and other natural materials that
surround the island. After a long
day of building and working hard,
the AskiBOYZ are presented with
the opportunity to take the
ceremonial canoe out on the fresh
waters. The boyz are also put to
the test by Gary and Cassius, as
they set up some dangerous
beaver traps along the shore. The
boyz quickly realize that it takes
experience, patience, and practice
with some highly defined hunting
techniques.

- Complete fill in the blank

note sheet for episode

Curricular Connection

-How are ways of life unique in each of the western, central, and eastern regions ?
-How does the natural environment and geography of each region of Canada determine
diversity?

- What do the stories of

FNMI peoples tell us about

their beliefs regarding
relationship between
people and land?
- What was the significance
of the potlatch to the
identity of the Aboriginal
people of the North West
Coast?

-How are ways of life unique

in each of the western,
central, and eastern regions ?
-How does the natural
environment and geography of
each region of Canada
determine diversity?

October 31 - November 4th

Lesson Topics &

Activities

Monday
Day 3

Tuesday
Day 4

Geography & Ways

of life
- Compare and contrast
- Summative activity

Trickster Assignment
- Analyze a trickster
story
- what is the lesson
- Who is Trickster?
- What is the lesson of
the story?
- What does the story
tell us about the
people ?
- What does the story
tell us about the ways of
life?

- Students will compare

Curricular Connection

the ways of life in

different region and
think about how that
applies to
contemporary FNMI
people and non-FMNI
people today.
ie- In Alberta is lobster
eaten often? no, but on
the east coast it is.

How are ways of life unique in

each of the western, central,
and eastern regions ?
-How does the natural
environment and geography of
each region of Canada
determine diversity?

Wednesday
Day 5

Thursday
Day 6

Trickster Assignment Trickster Assignment

Friday
Day 1
Trickster Assignment

- What do the stories of FNMI peoples tell us about their beliefs regarding relationship between people and land?
-How are ways of life unique in each of the western, central, and eastern regions ?
-How does the natural environment and geography of each region of Canada determine diversity?

November 7-11

Lesson Topics &

Activities

Monday
Day 3

Tuesday
Day 4

Wednesday
Day 5

Thursday
Day 6

ARTIST IN
RESIDENCE

ARTIST IN
RESIDENCE

Start Unit Wrap up.

Artist Statements,
Self Evaluations, &
Documentation
- What can the work of
FNMI Artists historic
and contemporary tell
us about their ways of
life ?

Artist Statements,
Self Evaluations, &
Documentation
- Artist Statements
about pieces and self
evaluations.

- What does the art

that you created say
about you?
- Statements about
pieces and self
evaluations.
Curricular Connection

Friday
Day 1

- Introduce next unit