Resources To Start Off Your Week 42: First Nations Resources

     As some of you may know, the unit I am covering with our World Issues class is Indigenous Peoples of the World. As part of our learning, we have chosen to do a compare and contrast of these Indigenous groups:
– Suri of Ethiopia
– Maori of New Zealand
– Ariaal/Rendille of Kenya
– First Nations of Canada (Manitoba focus)
     With this in mind I have been trying to collect First Nations online resources to assist in our learning and, to be honest, I haven’t found as much as I though I would. I wanted to share what I have found and I would LOVE if you could share with me some of the resources that you know of.

     As always, I will be adding these to my lists of resources under the Fav Websites heading 🙂

1 ) Path of the Elders
– An amazing website about First Nations culture and heritage as 
  described by the Mushkegowuk Cree and Anishinaabe Ojibway Elders.
– Teachers can access primary source videos, letters, photos and audio clips, as well
  as detailed lesson plans.
– Very user friendly and great for students!!
– Bonus points for being so close to home (Ontario-based)
– http://www.pathoftheelders.com/
** This website has been under my Fav Websites page since I started my blog but I wanted to share it again because it is such a good resource!

2 ) 8th Fire Documentary Series
– You may recognize this resource as I posted about it here, here, and here!
– This CBC documentary series focuses on how First Nations and the
   government and citizens of Canada need to come together in a new time of
   peace and harmony.
– The documentary itself has 4 parts and discusses injustice, treaties, land rights,
   education, economics and much much more.
– If you can’t tell from my multiple posts on this series, I HIGHLY recommend
  you take a chance to watch this series and share it with your students.
– http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/8thfire/index.html

3 ) Native Reflections
– It is all well and good to try and incorporate First Nations perspective into
  a specific lesson or even an entire unit but when almost 50% of our students are
  coming from a First Nations background we should really be incorporating F.N
  perspective at ALL TIMES.
– Native Reflections is an amazing resource of educational resources that represent
  First Nations heritage and traditions! They have everything from lesson plan books
  and work sheets to bulletin board cut-outs and classroom carpets.
– I immediately signed-up to get one of their FREE catalogues delivered to me so I
  can start saving up for when I have my own classroom.
** A BIG thanks to Mrs. D for letting me know about this one! 🙂
– http://www.nativereflections.com/products.php

4 ) I Am Indigenous Project
– I am Indigenous is a beautiful photography-based project that highlights individuals
  from Indigenous backgrounds. “This project seeks to change perceptions forged by
  stereotype one image at a time.”
– I think the idea behind this website is wonderful and I really hope they will continue
  with their work!
– http://iamindigenous.blogspot.ca/

5 ) Seven Generations Book Series: Teacher’s Guide
– If you are looking for a book series to include in your classroom I recommend
  the Seven Generations graphic novel style book series! The series follows a young
  First Nations man, Edwin, who is seeking to understand his identity.
– Over the course of four books we see Edwin learn about his Plains Cree ancestors
  of the 19th Century, what it was like to live through the smallpox epidemic, his
  father’s experience at a residential school and how he moves forward with this
  new information.
– This FREE teacher’s guide breaks down the curriculum outcomes met by this book
  and offers a lot of great lesson ideas!
– http://www.pandmpress.com/lesson_plans/plan_286_1.pdf
** The main character, Edwin, is voiced by Wab Kinew (the host of 8th Fire!)

6 ) D.D.S.B Resources for the Classroom
– The D.D.S.B Department of Aboriginal Education has a wonderful online database
  of teaching resources that anyone can access! They offer lesson plans, activity
  handouts and links to further resources on topics such as talking sticks, opening
  circles, the seven teachings and much more!
– These resources can be helpful in incorporating daily routines into your classroom
  as well as specific lesson ideas and projects.
– http://spiritcalling.ddsbschools.ca/aboriginal-resources/teachers/handouts.html