Sandy
Dhari and I both teach grade 4/5 at Anderson Elementary.
This
is the third year that we have been teaching units on Aboriginal Studies. We
have now broken it up into Year One and Year Two units, where some ideas
overlap, but most of the literature and the activities are different.
This
year, during second term, we taught a unit on the "Connections"
piece - Who are we? Where do our families come from? Do our names have
meanings? What do we believe in? What are our values? AND how does all that self-knowledge
Connect with the First Nations' way of thinking?.
After
attending an inspiring workshop given by Leanne McColl and Lynn Wainright,
Sandy and I decided to take the plunge third term and tackle the difficult
unit of the"Disconnect" - What happened in Canada during the time of
the Residential Schools?
It
was been a very uncomfortable unit to teach as the topic is so raw and so sensitive.
But it has also been unbelievably rewarding. The conversations and the
discussions in class and among the Grade 4/5 students have been rich and thought-provoking.
The writing that has come from their activities, from the literature and from
various films has been deep, reflective
and insightful.
Thanks to
our mentors, Leanne and Lynn, for guiding us through this unit. As the history
of Canada evolves, it will become more important for future citizens to have an
understanding of our past in order to ensure that such history is never
duplicated.
We are happy to share ideas, if the interest is
there.
Sandy and Lotti
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