Resources
There are six worlds within the Mi'kmaq cosmology, each complete in itself. Collectively these layers exist as the Mi'kmaq Universe. In this animate cosmology, our language mirrors our beliefs that the land, sea and sky are possessed of powers we call mntu. The sun, stars and constellations are also central to our worldview. As the giver of life, the sun, Niscaminou or grandfather, met our needs and gave us power to overcome our enemies and bountiful harvests.
With contact our landscape began to change dramatically. Under British rule, our cultural practices were outlawed. Mi'kmaq objects gained value as trade items. As the “moccasin telegraph,” they inadvertently provided long-distance communication among our relations up and down the Atlantic seaboard. Songs, stories, medicines and coded messages, woven into trade textiles and wampum shared along these trade routes, are in large part responsible for the survival and maintenance of our communal belief systems.
– Teresa Marshall
Mi'kmaq
Indigenous Resistance & Resilience
Erin O'Reilly, educator and researcher in Missoula, MT, designed the unit plan to the left. Her driving question was, "How can we teach about colonization and the policies, laws, and actions that directly and deliberately impact people while also study resistance and movements that push against those pressures?"
Dr. Melissa Hibbard, educator and researcher in Helena, MT, adapted the unit to the PBE-model, added texts by Indigenous authors, and had students create final performances for understand and present them in an authentic setting. Her driving question was, "How can we grow students' confidence and willingness to read and critically and creatively engage with books and concepts related to Indigenous history and culture?"
IEFA Essential Understandings.pdfIndigenousHistoryYA Teachers Guide.pdf
"I Can" Statements
Notice: Some "I can" statements are rooted in content. Others focus on skills developed during the unit. Any of them can be linked to MT IEFA, Social Studies, or ELA standards, however, they do not derive directly from the standards.
I can identify and describe deliberate acts the U.S. government conducted to achieve human and cultural genocide of indigenous people from 1840s to 1890.
I can identify, describe, and compare specific methods and strategies used by Indigenous people to resist the human and cultural genocide of Indigenous people.
I can identify and describe ways Indigenous people have demonstrated resilience through persistence and resistance.
I can discuss resistance strategies and methods used in an Indigenous movement from the 20th or 21st century using evidence and knowledge gained from this inquiry.
I can describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally, descriptively)
I can draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
I can utilize the 11 unit terms when discussing Indigenous history and current issues
I can use what I’ve learned to inspire, change behaviors, solve problems, or serve an audience.
I can plan & self-regulate to complete my choice text in one month
Final Performance for Understanding
Final Performance for Understanding Requirements.pdfPlanning Sheet.pdfTeaching Reading Strategies & Text Structures
“It gave me the ability to slow down and soak up all the big words and complex ideas that the chapter had to offer. It also made it a little more entertaining to be able to read with someone else out loud instead of just reading as fast as possible silently.”
“Using these strategies really helped me comprehend what I was reading. Many times I just read through a chapter and have no idea what I just read about but doing this made sure I knew”
“All of the practices used while reading helped me to absorb message of what I was reading instead of just speeding through the section and piecing together what was trying to be conveyed and having to re-read it a million times before I had any idea of what it was saying. These strategies coupled with my interest in the subject matter helped me to look at every word and actually think "what is this word being used for" when I read a section.”
“Without these strategies I would have read really fast and most likely missed a lot of things as well as not really looking into and trying to understand the text. Also writing down and stopping to think about what you read really helps me understand and remember what I am reading.”
Common Text Structures Signal Words.pdfAction Verbs: Below is a list of expository writing terms that you may want to use when designing your "I can" statements or assessments. These definitions can help instructors be more precise when teaching students these discrete skills.
Adobe Scan Oct 6, 2023.pdfMisc.
