To search for performance standards and suggested activities for each topic and grade check out the FNESC recommendation.  Professional development and lesson plans can be found on the Indspire website.

We have a wide variety of First Peoples: Canada Resources that you can access via Insignia, Overdrive, and via our Subscriptions.  For more information watch this short video here.  Then check out the correlations and themes below on this page.

When reading some of our beautiful picture books you may want to ask questions that lead to connections, predictions, and visualization. You may want to tie into checking materials for stereotyping, language and Canadian content which authentically represents Indigenous Peoples today.  For ideas on how to do this follow these lesson plan ideas from StrongNations. Authentic cultural stories can also be found through publishers like Medicine Wheel Education.

You may also want to share Indigenous Peoples history through our unit study kits.  Some of the concepts you may want to explore include respect, understanding, forgiveness, justice and restoration.

You may also want to read First Nations 101 to get a complete understanding/history of First Nations peoples.  We have several copies in our physical commons.  When sharing picture books with your students help them to identify with stereotyping via images, use of language and terminology.  Help students understand Indigenous peoples living in your area by going on field trips to Indigenous events,  listening to oral storytelling,  and researching peoples via their place of living.

This video shares the reasons why reconciliation is encouraged for all educators and families in our school.

Themes

Romans 12:10.  “Be devoted to one another in love.  Honour one another above yourselves.”

Indigenous Peoples Overview – Generosity 

Virtue was reflected in the preeminent value of generosity. The central goal in Native American child-rearing is to teach the importance of being generous and unselfish. In the words of a Lakota Elder, “You should be able to give away your most cherished possession without your heart beating faster.” In helping others, youth create their own proof of worthiness: they make a positive contribution to another human life.

Source –  Circle of Courage a model of Native American philosophy.

Activities

Activities 

Activities 

Activities

Activities

Activities

Activities

Activities

Did you live near a residential school?

The residential school system separated 150,000 Indigenous children from their families — and the last one closed in 1996.

Was one of those schools in the community where you grew up?  Click on our interactive map to find out.

Note: Each map point is geo-located to the city the school was in, but may not represent the school’s precise physical location. All dates have been provided by Shingwauk Residential School Centre at Algoma University.

Learning Commons Resources

We have a wide variety of books and curriculum that cover this topic.

Curriculum Examples

  • Righting Canada’s Wrongs
  • In This Together: Fifteen Stories of Truth and Reconciliation
  • First Nations 101: tons of stuff you need to know about First Nations people
  • Great women from our First Nations
  • The Development of Western Canada, grades 7-8

Search Terms

Use the following keywords to search for resources:

  • First nations
  • Folklore
  • Indians of North America
  • Residential Schools

To enter the Search Portal, click on the button below or through the main navigation bar at the top of any page on this site.

Log Into Search Portal

Subscriptions

Click on this link to BC Digital Classroom and scroll down to choose the Canoe Kids icon.

Fill in the username/password from the Subscriptions page in the Search Portal.

In the 4 Canoes magazines and eBooks, you will find articles featuring various indigenous communities, which were vetted by the communities about which they were written.  This is considered a very accurate resource for indigenous integration.  Look for a full description under “Subscriptions” in the main menu above.

Log in to Discovery Education Canada and look for topics of Social Studies.  You will find subjects such as:  Ancient Times, Colonial, Confederation, Canada’s Role in World History, Civics, Government, Geography, Famous People, Economic System, Culture and French Canada; most of these will have First Nations content.

Discovery Education Streaming Plus offers students award-winning digital or multimedia content.  (K-12 content)  Look for a full description under “Subscriptions” in the main menu above.

The ERAC K-12 Resource Collection will show recommended book lists under the grade you choose.  For Indigenous Peoples, look under the topic “aboriginal”.  This will also give you ideas of books to investigate in the OverDrive library or your local public library.

The ERAC K-12 Resource Collection (ERAC = Educational Resource Acquisition Consortium) identifies and evaluates learning resources from the Ministry of Education perspective.  Look for a full description under “Subscriptions” in the main menu above.

GALE CENGAGE Learning and GALE Databases:  Log in to your parent home page in Encom, or through the Search Portal at the Search Portal landing page to find the links, usernames and passwords for the various GALE sites.  Choose “Canada in Context”, “and then search “First People”, “First Nations” or “Aboriginal”.

GALE CENGAGE Learning is a world leader in eResearch and educational publishing.  (Gr. 9-12)  Look for a full description under “Subscriptions” in the main menu above.

Log in at KNOW BC and choose a book or encyclopedia from the menus in the site to search for First Nations content.

KnowBC is the leading general reference site for British Columbia, and has the Encyclopedia of British Columbia and other reference works.  (Gr. K-12)  Look for a full description under “Subscriptions” in the main menu above.

Log in to Learn360 and search for First Peoples or First Nations topics.

Learn360 is a media-on-demand service or digital video library for Gr. K-12, with digital, audio and other support materials.  Look for a full description under “Subscriptions” in the main menu above.