Bringing FNMI Culture into the Curriculum.
Bringing FNMI culture into the curriculum has been very important to me throughout my PSIII. One of the ways I was able to achieve this was by collaborating with Senator Buchanan's FNMI Liaison, Sky-Lee WolfChild. I connected with her immediately, and was able to build a strong connection between her and my class. Because of this relationship my class was able to experience many different opportunities such as:
-A buffalo kit presentation, where children were able to interact with various First Nations artifacts.
-We learned about the First Nations Dreamcatcher and its origins, and were even able to craft Dreamcatchers with the help of Sky-Lee.
-A presentation from a Blackfoot female scientist.
Another one of the ways that I have been able to integrate FNMI and literature into our everyday curriculum has been through the use of picture books! Though many might think that picture books are below the learning level of 4/5, I believe that reading aloud to my students can be used as a great hook for new material! Below are are some of the books that I used doing my PSII.
Informational Writing - TED Talks
As a part of my Writers Workshop unit "Informational Writing" I organized a "Kid's Ted Talk" project. Students were encouraged to choose one of the informational pieces of writing that they had been working on to present to the class, Ted Talk style. This project allowed students to present on a topic that they had chosen, giving them a valid way to share their work. It was also a clear assessment piece for me check how individuals were understanding the the informational writing format! I love creating the opportunity for students to fine tune their public speaking skills, as I believe this skill to be an extremely important life skill.
This is the TED talk that we watched as a class in preparation of our Kid TED Talks.
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