Thursday 29 November 2012

My Thoughts on Headphones

     Last week I read a blog post  over at The Spicy Learning Blog that really got me thinking about some of my thoughts on classroom procedures and what type of policies and procedures I would have in my future classroom. During my student teaching placement at "S-School" I was told by many teachers that the school policy was that students were to not be wearing headphones while in the classroom. There were some specific students, however, that had permission to wear headphones to assist in their attention while working on projects and assignments.

     What I found though was that this policy varied classroom to classroom based on what worked for that teacher and their specific students. Being a student teacher and only being in the class a short period of time, however, I decided to maintain whatever policy my cooperating teachers had in place prior to my visit so that the students had consistent routines. If I did have my own classroom though, I definitely think that I would allow my students to wear headphones! Here are some of my thoughts that came up while reading The Spicy Learning Blog's post and reflecting in general about it:

- Headphones are perfect for those students who are auditory learners
  (whose to say that headphones HAVE to mean that students only use them
  for music? They could be listening to podcasts or watching TEDEd lessons on
  the subject we are learning about)

- There would have to be clear procedures about when headphones could be
   used. I wouldn't be comfortable with students listening to music or videos
   while I or another student was presenting information.
   (only during "work time")

- Headphones could help create that solitude that students may need sometimes
  (especially students who may be more introverted)

- Students may be cheating if they listen to headphones during tests (by having
   recorded answers)

- Headphones may help students focus on the task at hand, whether that is a
  writing assignment, project, studying, etc

- As a teacher, I could have an iPod or iPad loaded with a pre-set playlist so that
  students could listen to that music during a test and I could ensure that they weren't
  cheating

What are your thoughts? Does you school have a policy on headphone use? 
What are your pros and cons?

Monday 26 November 2012

Resources To Start Off Your Week 45

     So I spent the better part of the last month posting about First Nations resources so I have decided to switch it up and showcase a few different resources this week. As always, I will be adding these to my lists of resources under the Fav Websites heading.

1 ) Periodic Table of Comic Books
- Learning about the Periodic Table of Elements? This is a fun version that
  I'm sure will entertain the comic-book lovers in your class. Two professors
  from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Kentucky have put
  together an interactive Periodic Table of Elements that showcases comic book
  characters/events associated with a specific element.
- This could be a neat way to gain student interest and present information in
   a way that is relevant and fun for your students. The great thing is that once
   their interest is peaked, they can not only learn about the comic books, but
   also link to Web Elements to learn more about the element itself!
http://www.uky.edu/Projects/Chemcomics/index.html

university of Kentucky chemistry department

2 ) Manifest Destiny: The Story Of The US Told In 141 Maps
- As you can probably guess, this website shares the expansion of the US with
  141 different interactive maps.  By clicking on a specific map, users can hover
  over the different territories and read about what changes happened during that
  specific time period.
- Whether you are covering manifest destiny, teaching an American history
   course or covering the evolution of settlement, this website is definitely
   useful! Think of how helpful it could be for our visual learners.
http://michaelporath.com/projects/manifest-destiny/#overview

Manifest destiny, american expansion


3 ) UK National Archives Education Site
- The United Kingdom has an AMAZING National Archives education website
   that students and teachers can use to review primary and secondary sources from
   events dating back to medieval times!
- If you happen to be in the UK area, teachers can book workshops with the
   National Archives historians. If you are like me and are a bit too far away, the
   website also houses study skills for students, activities and games, and projects
   to help understand primary sources.
- The information covered in these archives can not add to a social studies based
   lesson but you could also use resources to accompany an ELA or science lesson
   as well! The possibilities are endless.
- http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/

national archives lesson plans, national archives classroom resources


Happy Monday everyone!

Sunday 25 November 2012

Connecting, Reflecting & Creating: Why We Blog

     I have exciting news I want to share! A fellow student teacher, Tyler L, and myself will be presenting our very own Professional Development sessions!!

    Tyler and myself are both avid bloggers and we have actually spent some time this year sharing our experience with first year Faculty of Education students in their "ICT in Education" class. After some consultation with a professor we began working on our own Professional Development session on how blogging can benefit educators. What resulted was, Connecting, Reflecting & Creating: Why We Blog.

     "From being used as a reflective tool and a means to gain meaningful feedback 
      from peers, to creating primary resources that can be used in the classroom 
      and building a valuable PLN, this session will demonstrate the benefits of 
      blogging as an educator. This session will provide an overview of the many 
      ways that blogging can positively impact your teaching through first hand 
      accounts, examples and hands-on activities. You are encouraged to bring 
      laptops/devices but they not essential."

    Tyler and I both approach blogging from different point of view and have each used our blogs for very unique things so I am excited that we were able to come together and showcase all of our different experiences! We will be presenting this PD session on January 15th at our university as well as February 23rd at the 9th Annual BYTE Conference.

Byte Conference in Neepawa, BYTE, BYTE manitoba, ICT conference in Manitoba

Tuesday 20 November 2012

Case Study of Aboriginal Content

     One of our assignments that we worked on completing while student teaching was a case study of Aboriginal content in our schools. Was Aboriginal perspective being incorporated, was education inclusive to Aboriginal students, what would we have changed, what did we do, etc. For the most part, we had free reign in regards to what topics we discussed but it had to be within five pages. This did limit me to what I could cover but I tried to touch on as much info as I could. Here is what I created:

________________________________________________

Where I Was
            I completed my third student teaching practicum at a Kindergarten to Grade Twelve school in a small rural community approximately thirty minutes west of "E/F First Nations". The community itself is just under two-thousand people and has primarily an agricultural background. Approximately forty percent of the students at the school have an Aboriginal background and a few students used to attend school on-reserve in "E/F".
            I had some previous substitute teaching experience in the school and I knew that one of its school-wide goals was for teachers to incorporate Aboriginal perspective lessons at least three times per semester. This was a goal that was transferred over to this school year as well and it, in addition with others, was displayed in the front hallway as soon as you enter the school. The display also has open spots for teachers and students to write down their accomplished goals for all to see.
Grade 11/12 Global Issues (Formally World Issues)
            One of the classes I was part of was the Grade 11/12 Global Issues class, formally referred to Grade 11/12 World Issues class. Based off the inquiry nature of the curriculum, I had a lot of flexibility in regards to what subject areas I covered and how they were approached. After discussion with my cooperating teacher it was determined that I would be teaching a unit on Indigenous Peoples of the World but had free reign in regards to what type of information was covered. When I began discussing my plans with my cooperating teacher, she was quick to state that she was happy I would be covering this unit because, “It would meet the school’s Aboriginal goal requirements and she wouldn't have to do it later on.”
Global Issues, Manitoba curriculum
This is the title slide of the PowerPoint presentation I created for our unit.
I found my cooperating teacher’s reaction quite odd as she is very well traveled and had  previously taught in "P-Town" (an Aboriginal community) as well. It seemed strange to me that she would be hesitant to incorporate Aboriginal perspective when I had assumed it would be something she had a lot of experience in.
Grade 11 Canadian History
            In addition to Global Issues I was also part of the Grade 11 Canadian History class, which actually had eight out of nine of the same students from my Global Issues class. Due to the chronological nature of the new Grade 11 Canadian History curriculum I was automatically assigned the next unit which would be, British Colonial Rule following the fall of New France. This was a topic that I had some experience teaching from a previous student teaching experience but I did need to adapt it to appropriately reflect the new curricular outcomes.
This is the title slide of the PowerPoint presentation I created for our unit.
Talking the Talk
            While I have only mentioned two classes above, I was actually in four different classrooms throughout the day and with four different teachers. My placement covered Grade 4 through Grade 12 and gave me an opportunity to work with teachers from very diverse backgrounds and experiences. What I found during my student teaching practicum was, that although there was a lot of talk about First Nations inclusion and Aboriginal perspective, the teachers I was with did not go out of their way to meet these goals. It was not as if I witnessed anything that I would blatantly label as racist or oppressive, but the goals were just not being addressed in the manner that I expected.
            What surprised me more, was that the Grade 11/12 Current Topics in Native Studies class had never been offered at the school before. It is, however, a very small rural school and Social Studies based courses unfortunately have to be slotted against upper years Science courses in order to make the schedule work within the staffing restrictions. Although students had been given options in regards to scheduling in the past, the upper years Science classes hold priority based on their university entrance possibilities.
While I Was There
            I absolutely loved my time student teaching at this school and I feel very confident about the units that I covered during my time there. Using information from this course, as well as Professional Development sessions that I attended during the MTS Fab 5 Conference, I felt like I was able to create lessons that were inclusive to all students without specifically labelling a lesson as, “Aboriginal”.  Here are some examples of projects that my students completed during my student teaching placement:

The Seven Grandfathers, seven teachings classroom resources
To learn more about this project, read this post.
Seven Teachings Collaborative Poster
Each student was responsible for appropriately depicting a specific teaching (outside wedges) or for the Seven Teachings in general (center circle portions). In addition to creating a visual representation, students were also asked to complete a written portion explaining what the Seven Teachings meant to them and 

how it affected their life. This project was part of a virtual“competition” over Twitter with another teacher's Native Studies course as they were completing a similar project at the same time.

Post Secret Post Card Project
Negative treatment of Indigenous groups are often referred to as that country's "secrets" because they are not often discussed openly. Based off of the Post Secret public art project, students created post cards depicting one of these secrets. In addition to creating a visual representation, students were also asked to complete a written portion explaining the significance behind their secret choice and why they believe it should be shared with others.

TRCM, speakjers bureau, TRCM speaker in your school
Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba Speakers Bureau
A central focus of traditional First Nations education involves Elders and community members passing information to younger
generations through story telling. This photo is my Grade 11/12 class with Mark Young, a guest speaker I brought in from TRCM. Mark not only spoke about treaties but also introduced information on First Nations world view and challenges that First Nations people can encounter.


Community Resources Comparison Poster
Why do reserve communities have less available resources than other communities of similar populations? After completing online research, as well as personal communication with community representatives, 
students created posters comparing available resources in two different communities of similar size. In addition to creating visual depictions, students also handed in their written research.

Historical Perspectives
A central focus of my teaching philosophy is to provide students with an opportunity to learn history from different points of view. When learning about the period of British Colonial Rule, my Grade 11 class created posters depicting the major events as they were seen from the perspective of the British, the French, and the First Nations citizens. We learned that different groups can interpret history quite differently!

Bibliography

Houle, Wade. (2012). Teaching Aboriginal Topic Conference Package. MVSD: 
Dauphin Regional Comprehensive School.

What Makes A Good Portfolio?

     A major component of almost ALL of our Faculty of Education classes is our professional portfolio. This is what we will use to "sell ourselves" and let potential employers know what we have to offer their schools. It can be electronic:
- Website
- Blog
- Slide-share
- PowerPoint
- etc
Or it can be done in a hard-copy form:
- Scrapbook
- Binder
- File System
- etc

     I had started a portfolio last year when I first entered the Faculty of Education but now, looking back at it, I realize that it is not the best reflection of who I am. In that short period of time, I have definitely learned a lot and I wanted my portfolio to reflect that. So right before I began student teaching again this semester I started working on revamping what I already had.

     Naturally, one of my first steps was to ask the Twitter-world, "what makes a good portfolio?" and I received some really good feedback. Unfortunately, Twitter is not currently letting me access my tweets from that far back so I can't share them with you right now :(

     Right now I feel like my portfolio is as complete as it can get until I go out student teaching again. There is definitely more that I want to add, but I need completed student work first! So I am taking a REALLY BIG step for me and publicly posting my portfolio for others to critique. Be nice but be honest. Any feedback would be helpful as I really want it polished before I go for interviews next spring/summer.


** All contact info that is on my portfolio is available on other places on the web so there is no sensitive information being shared without permission!

Monday 19 November 2012

Resources To Start Off Your Week 44: First Nations Resources Cont.

     If you happened to catch my quick post yesterday you know that I am now back at university attending the same classes I did before my student teaching pracitcum began. I am currently working on a few assignments for classes as well as putting together some reflective posts on my time at "S-School". In the mean time, I wanted to share a great resource that I learned about today in my Aboriginal Studies class. As always, I will be adding this to my ever growing list of resources under the Fav Websites heading.

1 ) Speaking My Truth: Reflections on Reconciliation & Residential Schools
- "How did we get to where we are now? Until we understand that, our future
   together as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples looks uncertain at best."
   Speaking My Truth is a collection of essays that, as the title suggests, speaks
   about Residential Schools and reconciliation in Canada.
- This book is at an easy reading level and is available as a FREE download or
   e-book. You can even order FREE print copies for your classroom (I've
   ordered a full class set)!
- You could use these essays during a specific unit on residential schools or
   even as a way to incorporate every-day aboriginal perspective into your
   English class.
http://speakingmytruth.ca
residential school, reconciliations

Happy Monday everyone!

Sunday 18 November 2012

Back to the Life of a Student!

     My student teaching placement officially finished up on Friday and I am so sad that it had to come to an end! Now don't get me wrong, this placement was definitely my most intense one yet (if you couldn't tell from my severe lack of posts during the past few weeks) but I still didn't want it to finish.

     I am not sure if it is because I am getting more experience or if it had to do with the school itself, but this was the first time I had really felt like I knew my students. I don't mean just knowing their name and if they play on a school sports team or not, but like really knew them. I knew where all of my students worked, what their home life was like, what their relationships were like with other students and teachers, what they wanted to do after they graduated, etc. This is why I didn't want to leave. It is hard to be SO involved in a student's life and then just have to leave.

     My student teaching placement, in general, was amazing though. The staff was welcoming and supportive, the admin was amazing and very to-the-point and the students were awesome! Throughout the week I will be doing some reflective posts on some of the major projects that my classes worked on during my time at "S-School" since I couldn't find time to post while I was there. (Make sure you check back because there will be some great lesson plan ideas!)

     As of tomorrow both my fiance and I are back at university to finish up the last four weeks of this semester's classes so I will definitely be posting more regularly again!

Monday 12 November 2012

Resources to Start Off Your Week 43: First Nations Resources Cont.

     Last week I posted about five awesome First Nations resources that can be used in our classrooms and I am so excited about the traffic it received! To keep this topic going, I thought that this week I could share an actual project that I completed with my Grade 11 World Issues. As you know, our unit consisted of four sub-topics:
- Ethno-diversity
- World View
- Effects of Assimilation
- Indigenous Rights

     For our World View topic we looked at a variety of themes including religion, emotions, values, ethics, and relationship with the environment. Since there is only 9 students in my class, I wanted us to work on a collaborative project to help make my students more accountable for their work (they work WAY harder when they know the rest of the class is relying on their input)! What I came up with was actually a modification of a lesson plan I learned about when I was at the MTS Fab 5 Conference a month ago which covered the Seven Traditional Teachings (also referred to as the Seven Grandfathers).

     After researching and discussing each of the teachings we worked collectively to make our own visual representation of the teachings.
seven traditional teachings, seven gifts, seven grandfathers, seven teachings classroom resources
Here is our finished product which is proudly displayed on the wall right in the entrance of our school!
     Seven students each took responsibility for one of the seven teachings and the remaining two students each created a portion of the middle circle which represented the teachings in general. (I found this was a good way to differentiate the instruction because students had the option of picking a specific teaching and going more in detail or picking the center portion and being able to work with the general topic).

     Here is a close up of each section:
seven traditional teachings, seven gifts, seven grandfathers, seven teachings classroom resources
The center portion, each half was created by a different student.
seven traditional teachings, seven gifts, seven grandfathers, seven teachings classroom resources
Respect
seven traditional teachings, seven gifts, seven grandfathers, seven teachings classroom resources
Courage
seven traditional teachings, seven gifts, seven grandfathers, seven teachings classroom resources
Truth
seven traditional teachings, seven gifts, seven grandfathers, seven teachings classroom resources
Honesty
seven traditional teachings, seven gifts, seven grandfathers, seven teachings classroom resources
Humility
seven traditional teachings, seven gifts, seven grandfathers, seven teachings classroom resources
Wisdom
seven traditional teachings, seven gifts, seven grandfathers, seven teachings classroom resources
Love
    They turned out so awesome didn't they!? I am so proud :) In addition to creating an actual poster, students were asked to write 250 words on what their specific teaching meant to them or what the Seven Teachings meant to them (if they were working on the center portion). 

     If you would like a copy of the physical assignment and rubric I used let me know, I'd be happy to email them out to you! 
seven traditional teachings, seven gifts, seven grandfathers, seven teachings classroom resources

  seven traditional teachings, seven gifts, seven grandfathers, seven teachings classroom resources

     If you would to learn more about the original classroom that inspired this project (the classroom of the presenter at the Fab 5 Conference), follow them on Twitter! 

@MrHoulesClassro

Sunday 11 November 2012

My Evaluation From My Students

     Tomorrow we will start our LAST week of our student teaching practicum and I can't believe how fast it went by. I am so sad to think that I will be leaving my students already but I am happy about how well everything has gone over the past four weeks. I have had two formal evaluations by my supervisor from our university as well as two evaluations by each of my cooperating teachers and they have all gone wonderfully! I am happy to say that I received some great feedback as well as gaining some wonderful references for my resume.

     As much as I appreciate all of the feedback from these evaluations, however, I really wanted to know what my students actually thought of my teaching. Not only did I wonder about their general thoughts, but I also had some questions about whether I was accomplishing what I had laid out in my teaching philosophy. So I decided to put together a quick review that my students had the option of anonymously completing while I was out of the room. Some were rating questions (on a scale of 1-10) while some asked for a written answer.

     When I got the reviews back I was so happy!! Here are some of the answers I received:









To me, these types of evaluations are much more meaningful than the formal ones I receive. This is why I love being a teacher :)

Friday 9 November 2012

Where in the World is... Whole Brain Teaching?

     I know that there will be some of you out there that have been wondering where my Whole Brain Teaching Wednesday posts have gone. Is it because I have been busy with my student teaching practicum? Partially. The main reason, however, is because I have been spending a lot of time reflecting on who I am as a educator and what my personal teaching philosophy is.

     In my first semester of my education degree I was asked to create a document that described my personal teaching philosophy. What did I believe the purpose of education was? What is my teaching style? How do I create relationships with my students? So off I went to my computer and typed it out. It has only been one year since then but during that time I have had the opportunity to spend a full 18 weeks (spread out over 3 practicums) teaching students from Grade 4 to Grade 12. I have been able to interact with the admin, staff and students of three very different schools as well as personally teach over 150 students.

     When I sit down now and read over that original personal philosophy that I created I honestly laugh out loud! Things have definitely changed a lot in that short period of time. I decided to sit down before I started student teaching at "S School" and attempt to rewrite my personal philosophy. I wanted to see if what I actually thought in my head was being effectively accomplished when I was in the classroom. Here are just a few of my thoughts (taken from my e-portfolio that I will be using when I interview):

Knowing and fully understanding the students of my classroom(s) is of the utmost importance


Every student comes into the classroom with varying levels of prior knowledge, different personal experiences, different types of intelligence, varying learning styles, etc and should be provided with opportunities to learn in a manner that best suits them

Content should be presented in a manner that is relevant and meaningful to the students


Incorporation of technology should be appropriate to the specific task and should be applied in a manner that allows for practical application after the students leave the classroom


Students should be provided with the opportunity to learn history through varying perspectives 
(those who conquered, those who were conquered and those who looked in from the outside)

     Each one of these statements has been a driving force behind everything I set out to do in the classroom and I strongly feel that my personal teaching philosophy is now an accurate representation on me as an educator. While that is all fine in good, I realize that that does not necessarily explain why I haven't been posting about Whole Brain Teaching.

     The weekend before I started this student teaching practicum I attended the professional development conference, Fab 5, which is put on by our province's teacher's society. During one of the sessions I heard a comment that really resonated with me, "If your teaching style is one that is effectively meeting the needs of your students then you should never have to worry about classroom management. If your students are not learning and/or are bored then classroom management becomes an issue."

     This is something that I know I had heard in different ways before but the way it was delivered at this conference really hit home for me and I started to think about how I was teaching. I decided that I wanted to keep this in mind when I started my student teaching practicum the following week. I consciously tried everyday to NOT have a "teaching style". I would not be that teacher that ALWAYS does lecture style notes. I would not be that teacher that ALWAYS does group work. I would not be that teacher that ALWAYS does computer assignments. I decided that I would be, whoever the students needed me to be on that specific day.

     I will write more on what I specifically mean by this later on. What I know now, however, is that I have had zero need to use any Whole Brain Teaching strategies during this practicum. Don't get me wrong, I do have students that I need to redirect and by no means is every student in my classroom perfect (no one is perfect) but the need just hasn't arisen. What I am including below is taken from the Whole Brain Teaching tab at the top of my screen which I hope does an effective job of communicating my thoughts as of right now:

My Philosophy

The phrase "Whole Brain Teaching" means a few different things to me as an educator. One thing you will see me mention countless times in my writing is that I strongly believe that anything we do in our classrooms (content, management, or otherwise) has to be tailored to meet the specific needs, personalities and interests of the students in our classroom. This may mean that we are planning with multiple intelligences in mind or differentiating our instruction. Essentially "Whole Brain Teaching", to me, means that my teaching strategies are consciously chosen in a way that meets the various needs of my students in one concise lesson. In other words, I am hoping that my lessons engage different areas of my student's brains in a way that each student is presented with information in a way that best suits their learning style(s) and needs.

I do not believe that just because I am a teacher who has a focus in High School History that I have to deliver stereotypical, lecture-based lessons that require my students to be writing notes for 45 minute periods every day. Do I have my students take notes? Yes. There is content that is important that my students write down for future reference and notes are a great method to meet the needs of my linguistic learners. If you were to visit me in a classroom, however, you would also see us physically acting out important battles in history, participating in debates on world changing topics, interviewing other students or members of the community on their thoughts or reflecting to truly understand our own viewpoints and biases. These lessons are 100% driven by the needs of my students and it is my personal goal to ensure that my teaching always reflects this... not what is easiest for me to prepare... not to fit in with what the other teachers around me are doing... but to meet the needs of the students in my room and ensure that they are provided with an opportunity to learn.

Whole Brain Teaching Management & Teaching Strategies

I am by no means an expert on Whole Brain Teaching (WBT) strategies and it is not my intention for this blog to be used as a promotion of WBT for your specific classroom. This blog is a means for me to reflect on my experiences as an education student and gain feedback from other people in the education community and people who may be interested in WBT strategies.

I find that many WBT strategies allow for me to easily differentiate instruction and meet the multiple intelligences of my students while also providing effective classroom management. If you would like to see more information on how WBT strategies meet my teaching goals please view the posts of this blog.


** Please note that the teaching styles that are represented in the videos showcasing WBT are not a representation of my personal teaching style. While I do incorporate certain WBT strategies into my lessons at times, they are NOT the focus of my classroom and everything is always modified to best meet the needs of my specific students.

     I hope that I do not have too many disappointed readers. As a student teacher I recognize that I will probably change my philosophy of education countless times as I gain more experience and am presented with more information. I am excited for this and I hope that I never stop being willing to learn and accept new ideas. Like I mentioned before, my students needs will always come first and I will always try my very best to teach in  a manner that reflects this.

Monday 5 November 2012

Resources To Start Off Your Week 42: First Nations Resources

     As some of you may know, the unit I am covering with our World Issues class is Indigenous Peoples of the World. As part of our learning, we have chosen to do a compare and contrast of these Indigenous groups:
- Suri of Ethiopia
- Maori of New Zealand
- Ariaal/Rendille of Kenya
- First Nations of Canada (Manitoba focus)
     With this in mind I have been trying to collect First Nations online resources to assist in our learning and, to be honest, I haven't found as much as I though I would. I wanted to share what I have found and I would LOVE if you could share with me some of the resources that you know of.

     As always, I will be adding these to my lists of resources under the Fav Websites heading :)

1 ) Path of the Elders
- An amazing website about First Nations culture and heritage as 
  described by the Mushkegowuk Cree and Anishinaabe Ojibway Elders.
- Teachers can access primary source videos, letters, photos and audio clips, as well
  as detailed lesson plans.
- Very user friendly and great for students!!
- Bonus points for being so close to home (Ontario-based)
http://www.pathoftheelders.com/
** This website has been under my Fav Websites page since I started my blog but I wanted to share it again because it is such a good resource!

first nations teaching resources, first nations classroom resources, first nation, aboriginal, treaty information for students

2 ) 8th Fire Documentary Series
- You may recognize this resource as I posted about it here, here, and here!
- This CBC documentary series focuses on how First Nations and the
   government and citizens of Canada need to come together in a new time of
   peace and harmony.
- The documentary itself has 4 parts and discusses injustice, treaties, land rights,
   education, economics and much much more.
- If you can't tell from my multiple posts on this series, I HIGHLY recommend
  you take a chance to watch this series and share it with your students.
http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/8thfire/index.html
8th Fire, Wab Kinew, CBC 8th Fire


3 ) Native Reflections
- It is all well and good to try and incorporate First Nations perspective into
  a specific lesson or even an entire unit but when almost 50% of our students are
  coming from a First Nations background we should really be incorporating F.N
  perspective at ALL TIMES.
- Native Reflections is an amazing resource of educational resources that represent
  First Nations heritage and traditions! They have everything from lesson plan books
  and work sheets to bulletin board cut-outs and classroom carpets.
- I immediately signed-up to get one of their FREE catalogues delivered to me so I
  can start saving up for when I have my own classroom.
** A BIG thanks to Mrs. D for letting me know about this one! :)
http://www.nativereflections.com/products.php

first nations classroom resources, first nations teaching resources, first nations student resources, representing first nations students in the classroom

4 ) I Am Indigenous Project
- I am Indigenous is a beautiful photography-based project that highlights individuals
  from Indigenous backgrounds. "This project seeks to change perceptions forged by
  stereotype one image at a time."
- I think the idea behind this website is wonderful and I really hope they will continue
  with their work!
http://iamindigenous.blogspot.ca/


5 ) Seven Generations Book Series: Teacher's Guide
- If you are looking for a book series to include in your classroom I recommend
  the Seven Generations graphic novel style book series! The series follows a young
  First Nations man, Edwin, who is seeking to understand his identity.
- Over the course of four books we see Edwin learn about his Plains Cree ancestors
  of the 19th Century, what it was like to live through the smallpox epidemic, his
  father's experience at a residential school and how he moves forward with this
  new information.
- This FREE teacher's guide breaks down the curriculum outcomes met by this book
  and offers a lot of great lesson ideas!
http://www.pandmpress.com/lesson_plans/plan_286_1.pdf
** The main character, Edwin, is voiced by Wab Kinew (the host of 8th Fire!)


6 ) D.D.S.B Resources for the Classroom
- The D.D.S.B Department of Aboriginal Education has a wonderful online database
  of teaching resources that anyone can access! They offer lesson plans, activity
  handouts and links to further resources on topics such as talking sticks, opening
  circles, the seven teachings and much more!
- These resources can be helpful in incorporating daily routines into your classroom
  as well as specific lesson ideas and projects.
http://spiritcalling.ddsbschools.ca/aboriginal-resources/teachers/handouts.html




Happy Monday everyone!!
Remember, if you have other resources you think I should add to this list please let me know!

Friday 2 November 2012

November Currently

     I can't believe that it is already November! Student teaching is more than half way done and my fiance and I are working on sending out our "Save the Dates" for our wedding. I know this month is going to be a busy one.

     If you haven't encountered a "Currently" post before, it is just a fun post at the beginning of each month that serves as a way to share what is Currently going on in your life! You can link up and share your own "Currently" post by visiting the wonderful Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade.



Oh' Boy 4th Grade, currently