The Actual Assignment pages.

Yesterday I posted a description of a collaborative project that I completed with some grade 6  students and their teacher Mrs. Camarda.

Today I've pasted in the assignment pages for our First Nations Assignment so that you can see the roles that we supplied to the kids. Hopefully, this gives you an idea of the structure we have created for this assignment. Please see the Two Heads are Better than One post for more info on the assignment.

Aboriginal Unit:  Culminating Task

You will be placed into groups.  Each group will have the task of researching one of the following Aboriginal Groups:     

Cree (Subarctic Region)

·         Haida (Northwest Coast Region)

·         Interior Salish (Plateau Region)

·         Inuit (Arctic Region)

·         Iroqouis (Eastern Woodlands)

·         Blackfoot  (Plains)

As a group you will need to complete the following tasks that will be presented at our Potlatch at the end of this unit.

Task 1

Find a myth/story from the group that you are studying.  Create a four square sketch of the stories important scenes. 

Write a paragraph on why this story would be important to your tribes culture and what message or lesson your group thinks it is trying to teach.

Task 2

Research the art and culture of your tribe.  Look at the fact sheet provided and decide on an individual and art form that you would like to research and describe in your report.

Task 3

Describe the lifestyle that was lived by these tribes before contact with the Europeans.  Look at the fact sheet provided for key words that you could use to begin your research.  Look at what their homes looked like, what tools they used to gather food and survive the harsh climate, how they travelled or transported goods.

Task 4

As a group, once you have researched your tribe, you will come together and design a flag that represents the people of your tribe.  Also, you will need to share a dish during the potlatch that you think best represents these people that you can share with the rest of the class.

That was page 1. Here's page 2.

The Story Teller  Checklist

1.       Your task is to find 2 myths from the particular tribe you are researching. 

2.      Create a four square sketch for each story. 

These should be drawn neatly and coloured in.        

3.       Write one paragraph on the importance of one of these stories. 

What is the main idea of the story?

What is the theme? 

In your opinion, how do you think this story was used by the tribe in

order to help them survive?                                      

Cultural Attaché

1.       Research an art or musical style from the particular tribe you are researching.

2.       Find 2 examples of your art or musical form.  This can be a photo, a music video

or an audio file.

3.       Create a paragraph about the artist who created these pieces of art work.

Who is the artist?

When did they begin drawing/singing/sculpting, etc?

Where did they learn this art form?

What type of message are they trying to send with their art?

What is your opinion of this art form.  Do you like it?  Why/Why not? 

Life and Style Reporter A

1.       Research what it was like to live like the tribe you are researching.

Start with researching the types of homes they lived in.  Ask for a

“Constructing a Model of an Early First Nation Home”  Sheet  from Mrs. Camarda.

2.      Create a good copy drawing or a 3-D model.

3.       Write a paragraph describing the home.

What tools and materials were used for construction?

What items could be found inside the home?

Who was in charge of the home and what were their jobs? (ex. Mom’s were in

Charge of cooking meals, dad’s hunting and gathering food.)

Life and Style Reporter B

1.       Research the clothing that the tribe you are looking at wore. 

2.       In a paragraph, describe what they wore on an everyday basis and if

there were any pieces of clothing used for special occasions or ceremonies.

3.       Provide at least two examples of everyday wear and two examples of

ceremonial dress.

The Food Critic

1.       It is your task to find any interesting facts about how the tribe you are

researching found their food source. 

2.       Write a paragraph about how they were able to feed their tribe.  Think about the following questions.

How did they find food?  Were they farmers, fishers, hunters, etc?

How did they prepare their food to eat?

What tools did they use to prepare their food or kill it?

3.       Provide at least three pictures of how they found and prepared their food.

Hope this gives a good idea about what the project was all about.