Lesson: Independence vs. Interdependence: Conflicts resulting from European and Aboriginal worldviews about the natural world

Stage 1 - Desired Results
Established Goals: (Overall expectations)
CE: Students will be able to describe characteristics of pre-contact First Nations cultures across Canada, including their close relationships with the natural environment; the motivation and attitudes of the European explorers; and the effects of contact on both the receiving and incoming groups
Social Studies curriculum expectations:
--describe the attitude to the environment of various First Nation groups (e.g., Nisga’a, Mi’kmaq, James Bay Cree) and show
how it affected their practices in daily life(e.g., with respect to food, shelter, clothes, transportation);
--explain how differences between First Nation peoples and early European explorers led to conflicts between the two groups (e.g., lack of common language,differing world views and spiritual beliefs,
introduction of European diseases, differing views about property ownership);
--identify some present-day issues concerning First Nation peoples that relate to results of early contact (e.g., the effect of new technologies on First Nation cultures; land claims)
Drama curriculum expectations:
--create, rehearse, and present drama and dance works to communicate the meaning
of poems, stories, paintings, myths, and other source material drawn from a wide range of cultures
Language curriculum expectations:
Writing
2.1 Write more complex texts, using a variety of forms
Understandings:
Students will understand that...
CE: Pre-contact Aboriginal cultures across Canada had a close relationship with the natural environment that involved seeing themselves as one part of creation, not more or less important than other parts of nature. European explorers, on the other hand, saw humans as the most important creation and nature as something to be used by humans for their benefit.
CE: These differing views of the relationship of humans to the rest of nature continue to cause conflict between Aboriginal Peoples and the Canadian government today in the form of issues around land claims. / Essential Questions:
What was the relationship between various pre-contact Aboriginal cultures across Canada and the natural environment?
What was the relationship between European explorers and the environment?
How do these differing worldviews cause present-day conflict between Aboriginal Peoples and the Canadian government?
Students will be able to…
CE: Begin to understand Aboriginal worldview as described in origin stories and other sacred stories, the thanksgiving address (Iroquois), descriptions of pre-contact Aboriginal societies, and reports written by Europeans explorers.
CT: Look for bias in descriptions of conflict between these two groups caused by the perspective of those who recorded these histories.
CE: Explain how differences in worldview regarding land ownership led to conflict between the two groups
CT: Take action to support the right of Aboriginal peoples to their land in the form of letters written to the Ministry of Northern Affairs
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Performance Tasks:
Formative Assessment of Social Studies expectations
1)  Students will write in role as a member of the Haudenosaunee to explain to the incoming Europeans their worldview. This account will tell the other side of the story of Jacques Cartier’s setting up of the cross on the Gaspe Peninsula during his first voyage. This account will focus on an explanation of how, according to the Iroquain worldview, Europeans do not have the right to own the land. (evaluated using a checklist—see attached)
2)  Students will write a letter to the Ministry of Northern Development stating their views on the proposed revisions to the Ontario Mining Act (evaluated using a rubric—see attached) / Other Evidence:
Formative assessment of social studies expectations
1) Anecdotal notes about students’ contributions to answering the group question “What does this story tell you about how this culture viewed its relationship with nature?”
2)Collection of students’ journal responses to the questions “What is the relationship between humans and the environment in the Aboriginal stories (give examples from at least 2 sacred stories)? What is the relationship between humans and the environment in the Judeo-Christian story?”
3) Anecdotal notes about students’ contributions to their groups when discussing how attitudes towards the environment were reflected in the group’s daily life.
Assessment of Drama expectations:
Formative assessment: Observation and anecdotal notes about students’ roles in the group performance and contribution to the group, group assessment (see attached)
Assessment of Language expectations:
Formative assessment: See rubric for persuasive piece (note: with regards to the portfolio handed in for summative assessment at the end of the persuasive writing unit, students may choose either this letter or the Attawapiskat letter to be included).
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
Materials:
Interactive CD from “The Great Peace: The Gathering of Good minds” (interactive creation story and thanksgiving address)
Photocopies (1 per student in this group) of pp. 40 (describing Iroquois’ names of and respect for plants) in The Kids Book of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada
Photocopies (1 per student in this group) of Assiniboine creation story (see attached)
Photocopies (1 per student in this group) of pp. 20-21 (describing People of the Plains’ respect for and dependence on the buffalo) in The Kids Book of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada
Photocopies (1 per student in this group) of creation story of the Algonquin (see attached)
Photocopies (1 per student in this group) of pp. 46-47 (describing pre-contact daily life of the Algonquin and their respect for the environment) in The Kids Book of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada
Photocopies (1 per student in this group) of Inuit Story “The Gift of the Whale” from Keepers of the Animals: Native American Stories and Wildlife Activities for Children pp. 205
Photocopies (1 per student in this group) of pp. 26 and 29 (describing Inuit dependence on and respect for the animals they hunted) in The Kids Book of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada
Photocopies (1 per student in this group) of the Haida creation story (see attached)
Photocopies (1 per student in this group) of pp. 6-8 (describing the sacredness of cedar trees and daily lives of people of the Northwest Coast) in The Kids Book of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada
Photocopies (1 per student in this group) of Judeo-Christian creation story from the Bible (Genesis)
Overhead of excerpts from The Voyages of Jacques Cartier (see attached)
1 copy per student of newspaper article “Native fight over mining goes beyond treaty rights Stephen Scharper. Toronto Star. Toronto, Ont.: Jun 7, 2008. pg. ID.6”
1 copy per student of teacher-prepared background information sheet on the protest at Sharbot lake and the Ontario mining act (see attached)
Computer with CD-Rom drive
LCD projector (if possible)
2 pre-made signs (for allowing the uranium mining to continue, against allowing the uranium mining to continue)
4 pre-made signs for four corners (very fairly, somewhat fairly, somewhat unfairly, unfairly)
Props for reader’s theatre presentations (e.g. hats, Raven mask, scarves etc.)
1 copy per group of group self assessment for drama presentations
1 copy per student of concept map hand-out
1 copy per student of social studies rubric (with attached instructions), social studies checklist, and language arts persuasive writing rubric
Accommodations and Modifications: Universal design for the lesson includes a multimedia presentation of the Iroquain creation story so that students who are English language learners and students whose IEPs indicate difficulties with reading will be able to access the story as well. The one student in the class reading more than three grades below grade level will be placed in the group presenting the Iroquois creation story, since that student will already have been exposed to that creation story during the multimedia presentation. Students whose IEPs indicate difficulties with writing will orally respond in a one-to-one conference with the teacher to the journal entry question “What is the relationship between humans and the environment in the Aboriginal stories (give examples from at least 2 sacred stories)? What is the relationship between humans and the environment in the Judeo-Christian story?” Students who are English language learners may also orally respond in a one-to-one conference, or they may write in their first language and a peer, parent, or community member may translate.)
Timing: 250 minutes (5 x 50 minute social studies periods)
Learning Activities:
Social Studies Period 1
Introduction (Hook):
Timing: 7 minutes Grouping: Whole Class
Explain to students that today we are going to talk about the beliefs of both the European explorers and Canada’s Aboriginal peoples when it comes to the environment. Explain that one way we know what a culture believes is to look at its sacred stories. Show students the interactive CD-Rom Creation Story section and the Thanksgiving address section from “The Great Peace: The Gathering of Good Minds.” Ask students to think-pair-share in response to the following question:
What does this story and the thanksgiving address tell you about the way this culture views the relationships between humans, plants and animals? Why do you think this?
Discuss student responses.
Middle
Timing: 22 minutes Grouping: Small Groups
Divide students into 5 groups (groups of approximately 5-6 each). Distribute one of the sacred stories (Iroquois, Algonquin, Assiniboine, Inuit, or Judeo-Christian) to each group of students. Tell students that they have the next 25 minutes to plan how they are going to present their story as a 2-3 minute reader’s theatre version to the other groups (see attached directions to the students). Go over these directions with the students, emphasizing that each group will also be given a piece of chart paper and asked to put the name of the culture whose story they are presenting at the top, and their answer to the following question underneath it: “What does this story tell you about how this culture viewed its relationship with nature?” Tell students that, in presenting their story, they must share this information with their audience. Give each group the drama group presentation assessment (see attached) and ask them to fill this out as well. As students are working, take anecdotal notes about students’ contributions to the group process.
Timing: 15 minutes Grouping: Whole Class
Have students present their stories to the whole class. While students are presenting, take anecdotal notes about each child’s presentation skills.
Timing: 10 minutes Grouping: Independent
Students will write a social studies journal based on the following prompt: “What is the relationship between humans and the environment in the Aboriginal stories (give examples from at least 2 sacred stories)? What is the relationship between humans and the environment in the Judeo-Christian story?”
Social Studies Day 2
Timing: 15 minutes Grouping: Whole Class
Tell the class that now that they have had a chance to discuss how the worldview of interdependence with nature showed through in how various Aboriginal cultures led their daily lives, we will look at how the worldview of the explorers, and how that might have led to conflict with the Aboriginal groups. Explain that you will read something that was written by Jacques Cartier, one of the explorers we have studied. Display on overhead and read the class an excerpt from the Voyages of Jacques Cartier (pg. 37—this is a letter to the King, calling the new land the King’s land, talking about the richness of the land and river, and saying that he is going forth to increase the King’s possessions).
Ask students to think-pair-share their answer to the following question:
”What evidence is there in this quote of the European worldview of nature being something that is there to be used for what humans want?”
Ask some students to share their answers, and have them come up to the front to underline these sections on the overhead using markers and to explain their thinking.
Timing: 20 minutes Grouping: Small Groups
Tell students that now that they have investigated the worldview of the Aboriginals and the European explorers, they will need to describe how the relationship with nature of these different cultures could be seen in how they lived. Have students sit in their groups from the previous day. Give students a photocopy of information from The Kids Book of Aboriginal peoples related to the culture whose creation story they investigated the day before (the group who presented the Judeo-Christian story will be given information on the Iroquois since they were previously exposed to that creation story with the whole class). Give each student a handout (see attached) and explain that students are to look at the activities of these cultures, their beliefs and practices related to these activities, and how these beliefs and practices show that culture’s ideas about humans and nature. As students are answering the questions, take anecdotal notes about students’ contributions to their groups.
Timing: 15 minutes Grouping: Small Groups
After students are finished answering the questions as a group, have students number off, in their groups, from 1-5. Instruct all the 1s to move to a designated area, all the 2s to move to another area, etc. Instruct students to share the answers to their questions about how the Aboriginal culture’s way of life, pre-contact, showed their interdependent relationship with the natural environment.
Social Studies Day 3
Timing: 10 minutes Grouping: Whole Class
Tell students that now that we have investigated how both Aboriginal peoples and the Europeans viewed nature, and how these worldviews had an effect on their daily lives. Tell students we are now going to look at a conflict that happened between the two groups because of these differing worldviews.
Display on overhead and read and explain to students the excerpt detailing how Jacques Cartier erects a cross and Donnaconna, the chief of the Iroquois, is upset by this (The Voyages pg. 26).
Timing: 15 minutes Grouping: Whole Class
Four corners activity
Have four signs put uparound the room. Signs will read “very fairly,” “somewhat fairly,” “somewhat not fairly” “not fairly”
Pose the following question to students: Do you think the description we just read portrayed both Jacques Cartier’s and the Iroquois’ side of the story fairly? Ask students to answer this question by going to stand in the appropriate corner of the room.
Discuss student opinions and ask them where they got those ideas from the text.
Ask students to think-pair share in response to the following question:
Whose point of view was portrayed in the text and whose was left out?