• Introduce these provocations to your students or take them to the location in the above photo.

• Invite students to share any prior knowledge about driftwood (where it comes from, how it gets here, how it is used...)

• As you begin collecting this information for your class learning wall, you could use a thinking routine such as "Question Starts" to support students in coming up with a range of thick questions. 

• As you collaboratively sort through these questions, encourage students to consider who in their community can help them in answering these questions. 

• Co-create an essential question with your students about the driftwood and its significance in the community. 

• Invite an elder into your classroom to share their knowledge on driftwood.

• Students will then add their new knowledge to the learning wall

• Where do you think drift wood comes from?

• What is drift wood used for?

• How does the driftwood get here?

• Why don't we have trees here in Tuk? 

• How does exploring local knowledge make us more capable?

• Who in our community can help us answer these questions?

Estimation

• Re-introduce the photo of driftwood to your students.

• Prompt them to estimate how much driftwood there is.

• Re-visit your class estimation strategies and vocabulary such as referent, round, nearest and approximately. 

• You can use the thinking routine "E3: Estimate, Explore and Explain"

• Give your students a print out of the photo and encourage them to estimate, using any strategy or manipulatives they wish to use. 

• Under student supports, you will find some example manipulatives. 

• Circle the classroom, prompt and support students as required. 

• To consolidate this lesson, you can use a thinking routine such as "Give One Get One" for students to share their estimation strategies and answers with a partner. 

Mapping and Measurement 

• Use Google Maps or Google Earth to project the Beaufort Delta region on your Smart Board.

• Ask students to select some tools and strategies to help them measure the distances between Tuk, Aklavik and Fort McPherson. 

• There are two PDF maps that some students may want to use. 

• Students can represent their measurements using images, manipulatives or technology such as Scratch. 

• Encourage students to explain their reasoning. 

• You can then do a math gallery walk and invite students to share their answers and reasoning 

• Lift up and highlight measurement vocabulary. 

Fractions

• Review and revisit fraction vocabulary such as numerator, denominator and equivalent. 

• In this activity, students will be exploring fractions of a whole and how it relates to trees.

• Students will also be exploring the patterns and relationships between tree trunks and branches. 

• This activity can be extended by incorporating adding and subtracting fractions, comparing fractions and equivalent fractions

• Encourage your students to create their own piece representing fractions. Some students may wish to create a tree while others may think of a different object

• Offer students a variety of options to represent their fractions: construction paper, drawing, manipulatives and/or digitally. 

• Students can display and present their fraction piece. 

• In the extension, you can challenge students with the fractals activity. More details and instructions are provided above. 

Estimation

• What are some examples of personal referents? Can you demonstrate one to me?

• How can you represent your estimation?

• I am curious about why you selected this strategy, can you explain to me why?

• Have you noticed any of your friends use a similar strategy? A different strategy?

• How is estimating a skill that will make us more capable?

• How can our estimation skills help us in our every day lives and on the land?

Mapping and Measurement 

• How can we find the locations of Aklavik and Fort McPherson?

• What are some tools we can use to help us measure the distances?

• Can you explain your choice of measurement unit?

• How is it possible that some of your peers have different answers?

• Did you measure by water, air or land? How would these gives us different answers?

• How can estimation help you measure?

Fractions

• What patterns do you notice? 

• How do fractions appear in nature? 

• Can you explain why you selected these materials to represent your fractions? 

• Why did you select this image?

• Create a classroom anchor chart of estimation strategies for your students' to reference

• Virtual estimation games

• Manipulatives such as rulers, multi-links and tiles, as well as classroom items that can be used as referents such as: paperclips.

• Google Maps 

• Interactive unit converters

• Google Maps

• Anchor chart of measurement vocabulary (distance, kilometre, metre). 

• Anchor chart of fractions vocabulary (numerator, denominator and equivalent). 

• Fraction supports such as fraction strips and fraction walls 

• The first two STEM challenges can be implemented as a whole class activity. More information on the challenges can be accessed by clicking the button below the activity. 

• Encourage students to make connections between these activities and their location. 

• For the third activity, you are can take students outside to learn and practice how to build a fire. 

• You are encouraged to invite an elder and/or community member to share their knowledge and skills about making a fire in the bush.

• "Making a Fire in the Bush" was created by Erica Thompson and can be accessed in her "Fire for Survival Unit" in her Indigenizing Education Classroom. 

• How is climate change affecting floods?

• How does permafrost impact flooding? 

• What are some mitigations for flooding?

• What kind of local resources to we have access to?

• How does learning skills such as fire-making make us more capable? 

• What are some of the challenges you faced? How did you overcome them? 

• What traditional knowledge was passed on to you? 

• Students can explore and research local news articles about flooding. 

• Is this an issue in other parts of Canada? Other parts of the world?

• You are encouraged to connect to other communities in the Beaufort Delta. 

• You can arrange Zooms between your students and students of another community where students are given the opportunity to share and discuss the impacts of flooding and/or climate change.

Newsletter: students can create their own newsletter. Students can conduct interviews with their family members, sharing information about local flooding.

Research: Students can collect research from their community and from online resources and present their research projects in any mode they would like (Google Slides, speech, presentation, Canva, scientific demonstration) 

• AI tools such as Quillbot to summarize the articles and make them more accessible for students.

• Multi-modal options for students to share, show and celebrate their learning. 

• Students can collect driftwood to create a variety of art pieces, as demonstrated above.

• You are encouraged to invite in a local artist to work with your students

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Bernhardt, D. Drifting [painting]. https://www.darciebernhardt.com/

Driscoll, P. (2023). Cricut Driftwood Designs [Personal Image]. 

Driscoll, P. (2023). Driftwood Fishing Rods [Personal Image]. 

Driscoll, P. (2023). Driftwood in Tuktoyaktuk [Personal Image] 

Dulewich, J. (2023, May 19). 'A really sad time in our community': Fort McPherson, N.W.T., faces devastation, loss. CBC North. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/fort-mcpherson-flood-latest-1.6849562

Dyer, L. (2021). Micro:bit Flood Warning System. TinkerCad. https://www.tinkercad.com/things/02ZT1nWPQAb

Fay, A. (2017). Inuit Snow Goggles [Image]. Canada's History. https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/first-nations,-inuit-metis/inuit-snow-goggles

Fractal Foundation (n.d). Fraction Tree. https://fractalfoundation.org/resources/fractivities/fraction-tree/

Gillis, A. (2023). Painting Driftwood [Personal Image]. 

Lamberink, L. (2021, May 30). State of emergency declared in Aklavik, N.W.T., as floodwaters rise. CBC North. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/emergency-aklavik-nwt-flood-1.6045872

Marsh, P. (1998). Lakes and Water in the Makenzie Delta. Aurora Research Institute.  https://nwtresearch.com/sites/default/files/lakes-and-waters-in-the-mackenzie-delta.pdf

Microbit (n.d). Tree Protector. https://microbit.org/teach/lessons/helping-plants-grow-trees/

Microsoft MakeCode. (2022). Micro:bit Flame Sensor. https://makecode.microbit.org/52771-14265-20471-06823

NWT Centre for Geomatics (2023, May 5).  Beaufort Delta Region Measured Highway Distances. https://www.geomatics.gov.nt.ca/sites/geomatics/files/resources/measured_highway_distances_-_beaufort_delta_region.pdf

Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre (2018). Northwest Territories Official Community Names and Pronunciation Guide. https://www.pwnhc.ca/cultural-places/geographic-names/community-names/

Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre: NWT  Exhibits (2020). Your Big River Journey. https://www.nwtexhibits.ca/bigriver/

STEM Learning (n.d). Beat the Flood STEM Challenge. https://www.stem.org.uk/elibrary/resource/34167

Teach Beside Me (n.d). Hands-On Math Fraction Trees. BM Designs. https://teachbesideme.com/fraction-math-trees/

Teachers are Terrific. (n.d). The Great Flood Barrier Experiment. https://teachersareterrific.com/2017/06/flood-barriers.html

Thinking Pathways. (n.d). Estimate Explore Explain. https://thinkingpathwayz.weebly.com/e3.html

Thinking Pathways. (n.d). Give One Get One. https://thinkingpathwayz.weebly.com/giveonegetone.html

Thinking Pathways. (n.d). Questions Starts. https://thinkingpathwayz.weebly.com/questionstarts.html

Thompson, E. (2021). Fire for Survival in the Beaufort Delta. Google Classroom. https://drive.google.com/file/d/13Qucwy6YOcWpH9ojMgJMn6cVW0-J1EUk/view