Aboriginal Literature I
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Unit Plan: Introductory Level Introduction to research and communication Focus for Instruction • Identify main ideas and points of view from print and media texts. • Investigate how culture affects perspectives and biases. • Understand that verbal and nonverbal communication patterns are different in different cultures. • Investigate and develop a position on an issue. • Appreciate cultural differences. • Demonstrate respect for the rights of self and others. Getting Ready • Review teacher backgrounders Ipperwash Crisis and Talking Circles. Consider how to share relevant information with students. • Gather Canadian news sources, including newspapers, magazines and television accounts of the Ipperwash Crisis. Materials are available at the CBC or MacLean’s archives. Consider including an excerpt from the book One Dead Indian: The Premier, the Police, and the Ipperwash Crisis by Peter Edwards. Teachers may also want to locate resources on other individuals, issues or recent events involving rights of Aboriginal peoples for Activity 3. A list of suggested individuals and Web sites is included with the activity. • Copy the following documents for students, as needed: Handouts Perspective Terms and Concepts Introduction to the Ipperwish Crisis Understanding Point of View Cultural Myths Understanding Nonverbal Signs Aboriginal Culture and Communication Tools Identifying the Main Idea Identifying Point of View Discussion Notes Analyzing a Speaker I My Position on an Issue Choosing Sides on an Issue Evaluating Sources VI Other relevant tools and rubrics from the English Language Arts section of the Studio • Choose strategies and tools to assess student work. Knowledge and Employability Studio Infusing FNMI Perspectives/Research and Communication English Language Arts/Social Studies Unit Plan: Introductory Level 1/31 ©Alberta Education, Alberta, Canada (www.LearnAlberta.ca) 2020 Explore and Apply: Anticipatory phase Review Perspective Terms and Concepts to refresh students’ understanding. Discuss how media can present a single point of view or several perspectives. Explore and Apply: Instructional phase Activity 1: Exploring Point of View and Perspective Have students read the student handout Introduction to the Ipperwash Crisis about the death of Dudley George at Ipperwash Provincial Park in Ontario. Have students examine other news stories about the Ipperwash crisis or the death of Dudley George, e.g., newspaper, magazine and television accounts or an excerpt from the book One Dead Indian: The Premier, the Police, and the Ipperwash Crisis by Peter Edwards. As students examine each resource, have them record the main points. Use Tool: Identifying the Main Idea. In groups or as a class, identify and discuss the different perspectives and biases in the accounts of the events at Ipperwash. How does culture affect each perspective? How can we know what actually happened and why? What are the facts of this event? Review Identifying Point of View, if appropriate, before beginning this discussion. Use Tool: Identifying Point of View. Activity 2: Cultural Myths Hand out and discuss Cultural Myths. In what ways do Amnesty International and other groups try to address cultural myths? How can we deal with cultural myths as individuals? Activity 3: Analyzing Communication Styles Using the Ipperwish crisis as a starting point, discuss problems of communication that can occur between and within cultural groups. Record the class discussion for later use. Use Tool: Discussion Notes. Knowledge and Employability Studio Infusing FNMI Perspectives/Research and Communication English Language Arts/Social Studies Unit Plan: Introductory Level 2/31 ©Alberta Education, Alberta, Canada (www.LearnAlberta.ca) 2020 View a fictional or non-fictional film that depicts Aboriginal groups or individuals communicating. Films are available from the CBC archives (http://archives.cbc.ca/) or other sources. See Suggested Films for titles. Before viewing the film, review Understanding Nonverbal Signs. Have students take notes on the styles of communication they see in the film, using the tool Analyzing a Speaker I. They should observe verbal and nonverbal communication. Discuss Aboriginal Culture and Communication. Were there similarities and differences with the film they just watched? Use Tool: Analyzing a Speaker I. Activity 4: Research and Multimedia Presentation Have students choose and research an individual, issue or recent event involving the rights of Aboriginal peoples. Students should keep in mind point of view and bias. Suggestions for research: • Leonard Pelletier • Dudley George • Helen Betty Osborne • Donald Marshall Jr. • Neil Stone Child • Anna Mae Aquash. Have students make information posters to create public awareness of the issue researched, making sure that their posters demonstrate respect for the rights of the parties involved, on both individual and group levels. Posters should be as fact-based as possible, avoiding personal bias, societal attitudes or unfounded generalities. Students should present these posters to the class. The following Web sites may be a starting point for student research. It is recommended that teachers preview all Web sites before using and discuss any sensitive issues with students. • Canadian Human Rights Commission: http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/ • The Law Connection: http://www.educ.sfu.ca/cels/ • Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (look under “Issue and Position Papers— Aboriginal Women): http://www.elizabethfry.ca/caefs_e.htm • Canada’s Apartheid series in the Globe and Mail: http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/series/apartheid/ • Canadian Heritage, Aboriginal Affairs Branch: http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/progs/pa- app/index_e.cfm • CBC Archives: http://archives.cbc.ca • Amnesty International Library: https://www.amnesty.org/en/search/ • Congress of Aboriginal Peoples: http://www.abo-peoples.org/ Knowledge and Employability Studio Infusing FNMI Perspectives/Research and Communication English Language Arts/Social Studies Unit Plan: Introductory Level 3/31 ©Alberta Education, Alberta, Canada (www.LearnAlberta.ca) 2020 • NativeWeb Resource Database, Law and Legal Issues: http://www.nativeweb.org/resources/law_legal_issues/ • “Who is Flaming the Fires Against Anti-Racism Initiatives in Canada?” (article on the Atlantic Human Rights Centre Web site): http://wp.stu.ca/ahrc/wp- content/uploads/sites/25/2015/08/27-March-2000-Who-Is-Flaming-the-First-against-Anti- Racism-Initiatives-in-Canada-Moy-Tam.pdf Use Tools: My Position on an Issue, Choosing Sides on an Issue and Evaluating Sources VI. Use Assessment Tools: Assessment Checklist: Research Process, Assessment Rubric: Issue Analysis, Argument and Debate, Assessment Checklist: Independent Project, Assessment Checklist: Presentation, Self-assessment Checklist: Research Process, Self-assessment Checklist: Independent Project and Self-assessment Checklist: Presentation. Further Connections This lesson and its activities can be connected to a variety of other curriculum areas. Consider the following themes and skills: • use of graphic organizers • connections to social studies topics, such as environmental issues or law, depending on the issue • presentation skills • written and oral communication skills • using multimedia tools and resources • respecting and appreciating diversity • examining history, religious beliefs and cultural values. Knowledge and Employability Studio Infusing FNMI Perspectives/Research and Communication English Language Arts/Social Studies Unit Plan: Introductory Level 4/31 ©Alberta Education, Alberta, Canada (www.LearnAlberta.ca) 2020 Ipperwash Crisis Students should note that this article uses the term “Native.” In Alberta, the preferred term is First Nations, Métis and Inuit. Why there must be a public inquiry into the police killing of Dudley George Introduction On 6 September 1995, Dudley George, aged 38, was killed by a police sniper during a Native land protest at Ipperwash Provincial Park. The officer who fired the fatal shot was subsequently convicted of knowingly shooting an unarmed man. Amnesty International and numerous other bodies have raised serious questions about the circumstances of the shooting, including the role played by public officials in the police decision to use a high level of force against a relatively peaceful and not clearly illegal protest. However, in the interceding eight years, the federal Government of Canada and the provincial Government of Ontario have resisted continuous calls in Canada internationally - including municipalities, churches, trade unions, media editorialists, political parties, human rights organizations, the provincial Ombudsman, indigenous peoples’ organizations and United Nations entities - for a public inquiry into this event. Accordingly, the family of Dudley George have been left with no option but to launch a civil lawsuit against Michael Harris, the Ontario Premier at the time of the killing, members of his Cabinet and members of the police force. In the course of those proceedings, several documents have been disclosed which strongly indicate that the government may have directly controlled or sought to influence police operations during the Ipperwash protests, which preceded George’s death. Amnesty International believes that if the authorities wished to remove the protesters at Ipperwash, they had to do so within international human rights standards and domestic law. That is to say, it was incumbent upon the police force to use force as a last resort and only to