LEARNING Step by Step
It ’ s a Wednesday afternoon in February . Rather than being in a classroom , a Grade 2 class is in the Junior School atrium , listening intently to Ms Hare , Teacher , Ivy Compass program , Junior School . Below the class , a map spans the whole of the atrium floor . While the shape is of Canada , the words listed across it are new to many students — in place of the names of provinces are place names written in Indigenous languages .
The map , from the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada , offered students the chance to learn about Indigenous peoples and Indigenous ways of knowing in an innovative way — by walking , exploring and learning , step by step .
Various lesson plans associated with the atlas allowed teachers and students to interact with the map and to discuss topics such as climate change , Indigenous governance , Indigenous languages , residential schools , trade routes , traplines and treaties . The atlas also offered students the opportunity to engage with Indigenous languages .
“ We know that language is a huge part of how we get to know one another and how we understand different cultures . And we always talk about how learning different languages opens a window to understanding a culture or another group of people and increases your communication skills ,” Ms Hare explained .
For Grade 2 students , the atlas acted as an initial map-reading activity , complete with a fun scavenger hunt . “ We ’ ve been doing a lot of physical mapping in the classroom — what maps are , legends , learning about the compass rose — so to have an opportunity to see that on this giant map was amazing ,” Ms Lai , Teacher , Grade 2 said . “ And then , on a deeper level , we are talking about culture and sense of place . We were all settlers , but who was here before us ? Indigenous people .”
The atlas also had Grade 3 students using their knowledge of Venn diagrams as they compared and contrasted the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada with a map of Canada in their classroom . “ Overall , they thought it was so interesting and mind-blowing that Canada could be the same place and yet look so different ,” Ms Parkinson , Teacher , Grade 3 , said of her students ’ reactions to the map .
“ I liked exploring it . You get to see all the different places ,” Grade 2 student Noelle said . “ And the sea ice !”
“ I enjoyed , on the side of the map , learning about lots of different Indigenous people and what they have gone through ,” said Alexa , a Grade 3 student .
In Grade 5 , students had the chance to build on their map-reading knowledge from social studies . Students also found the location of the residential school that Margaret Pokiak attended — they were studying her experience in the memoir Fatty Legs by Margaret herself and Christy Jordan-Fenton .
Junior School classes engaged with the map for three weeks before sending it on to the next school .
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