First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Connections

Weave numeracy through Indigenous perspectives and experiences.

Dream Catcher
Literature
Blanket Exercise
  1. First Nations, Métis, and Inuit display(s) highlighting numeracy (e.g, number of poles in a tipi and the corresponding meaning)
  2. Literature
    • Lessons From Mother Earth by Elaine McLeod - A young First Nations girl goes outside with her grandmother to collect food from her ‘garden’. She learns that grandmother’s garden is Mother Earth. She becomes spatially aware of the space that grandmother travels through to collect food. Teachings about types of food and ways First Nations people gathered it are included.
    • Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back: Native American Year of Moons by Joseph Bruchac and Jonathan London - seasonal changes are highlighted through the thirteen cycles of the moon used by different First Nations groups across North America.
    • The Polar Bear Son: An Inuit Tale by Lydia Dabcovich - a lonely woman adopts a polar bear cub. It shows gratitude by catching food to feed her. The woman shares the large amount of fish her ‘son’ catches. This involves use of quantitative information that can be explored in lessons.
    • Hide and Sneak by Michael Kusugak - the Ijaraq, a trickster, leads Allashua, a young Inuit girl, away from her family and out on the tundra. As they travel she notices the animals and land features, including an inukshuk. When she wants the Ijiraq to help her return home he disappears and leaves her alone. She must use spatial information to help find her own way back.
    • Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith - Jenna, a young First Nations girl, dreams of jingle dancing like her grandmother at the pow wow. She has to solve a problem - finding enough jingles for her dress. This story involves quantitative information as well as spatial awareness with patterns in clothing and in the rhythms of the dance.
    • Where Did You Get Your Moccasins? by Bernelda Wheeler - a young First Nations boy comes to school with a new pair of moccasins made by his grandmother. His classmates ask him a series of questions to learn about the sequence of events that took place to make these moccasins. Both quantitative and spatial information is shared in his explanations as well as the illustrations in this story.
  3. Learn about First Nations and Métis traditions. Look at examples of dreamcatchers, pow wow regalia or a Métis sash and analyze different patterns, techniques, and amount of materials used in the process. Make a dreamcatcher to display that has meaning for students.
  4. Treaty information - Learn about the amount of space provided for reserves compared to how the land was used by First Nations people before European contact. Also learn about the amount of food, supplies and money that was supposed to be provided under treaty agreements. We Are All Treaty People Map - Map of treaty areas
  5. Learn more about statistics related to Residential Schools, locations: National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation The education section of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation website provides resources to help educators understand and share the history of residential schools with students.
  6. First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Blanket Exercise There is a considerable amount of visually spatial information involved as changes to land area available to First Nations people is highlighted through this exercise. There is also quantitative information shared with changes in population numbers throughout the time period since First Nations people inhabited this land and then after contact with Europeans.
  7. Numeracy embedded in cultural engagement activities (traditional foods, cultural arts, traditional games, celebrations)
  8. EPSB Numeracy Resources (includes numeracy information for traditional games, etc.)
  9. Empowering the Spirit: Numeracy Promising Practices Videos
  10. Exploring Numeracy through Traditional Games - Find out how a Traditional Games Day creates a context for meaningful numeracy learning. First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples traditionally used the context of games to teach skills needed for surviving on the land. This video illustrates how this traditional way of learning can be just as valid today.
  11. Visual arts - Study Indigenous artists’ use of colour and patterns - e.g. Alex Janvier