Lesson 49

We began the block with a quick seat change!

We talked about  a few student questions, before looking at a new university headed to be built in Arviat.

We watched a quick film by Parks Canada called "Growing up Metis"  and talked about the importance of storytelling.

Students were to consider the question: "At what age should children start to learn about the darker aspects of humanity?"

We read "Story: Part One" and students concluded the block with catching up on character notes.

 

Lesson 48

 Today's class began with a visit from Ms. Higgins, the Grade 9 Counsellor. She was here to take questions about next year's course programming.

We opened our specific discussion with a recognition of the tragedy in Tumbler Ridge.

We talked about:

• Funding cuts for communities looking for lost loved ones
• Jordan's Principle, and the narrowing of access to it
• The dehumanizing language used against people (in this case connected  to the court case we have been looking at) and the imagery associated with it.
• The open invitation/universal language used the Superbowl Halftime Show - and how very Canadian it is to accept that invitation.

We talked over a summary of the first chapter, and read "Fire."

We will start there next class.

 

Lesson 47

 We opened today's block with a conversation about the Super Bowl halftime show - and the significance of identiy/space/language etc.

Students saw one academic's version of "word of the day"  

We talked about the Dewey Decimal system, problems with it, and this Maori overhaul happening in Aotearoa (New Zealand). 

Students wrote down a new question for future class discussions, then we read the remainder of "Frenchie's Coming-to"

Students took notes on the chapter - anyone who missed this class should definitely check in regarding the expectations for these notes - and we went over key questions/ideas for the chapter together.  

 

Lesson 46

 We open today's class with the last session of silent reading for a long while - we will come back to personal novels when we finish our class novel work. 

• We opened with a discussion of some student questions. 

• We talked about the blind spots of those who refuse to study history  (or pay attention to the present). 

• We re-visited the Kashechewan community (location and current crisis/disconnect from the land)  

• We talked about the difference between hereditary chiefs, matrilineal Indigenous governance, and band and council systems imposed by the Indian Act - We did this by returning to Wet'suwet'en and connecting the disagreements between systems there to previous discussion of Amber Bracken's case and press freedom. We also touched on the relationship between these two issues and Sleydo' Molly Wikham. 

We then read the opening section of The Marrow Thieves - up to the middle of page 12 - with a particular focus on the opening dedication and quotations.

For homework, students are to think of another question that has come up for them over the past many weeks of discussion - they have graduated to a much higher level of engagement than their initial questions will now support, which is good news :)

Anyone who missed today's reading should be in tutorial on Monday to catch up before class.  

 

 

Lesson 45

After a gallery walk and self-assessment, students handed in their TADR projects.

Students were introduced to their upcoming novel, The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline 

We talked about a few student questions, before talking about the following questions:

• How closely connected are you to the fight against climate change?
• What changes can you imagine for Canada in the next 100 years (what is "for sure" and what are possibilities?)

We talked about the setting of the story, what bone marrow is, and the following quote from William S. Burroughs that Dimaline uses in her text: 

        "The way to kill a man or a nation is to cut off his dreams, the way the whites are taking care of theIndians: Killing their dreams, their magic, their familiar spirits." 

Anyone who feels they would benefit immensely from having their own copy of the text to use at home should pick one up from a library, or purchase a copy.