Building Strong Learning

CRITR provides dozens of lessons and 100s of questions covering important topics including: Indigenous Canadian History, Residential Schools, Indigenous Contributions past and present, Treaties, and Indigenous Days of Recognition in Canada.

This book is a collection of parts of the history of the Indigenous Peoples in Canada and of the process of reconciliation.  It is designed to educate all children and youth -- our future leaders -- about Indigenous history and current events.  It is intended to give a better understanding and to positively contribute to reconciliation.

Together, we must consider the past, the present, and the future in our efforts to better ourselves and future generations.

This book provides a wealth of high-quality articles and learning activities, consisting of units and lessons that can be used by anyone -- teachers, parents, students, business professionals -- who may have little or no prior knowledge or understanding of Indigenous Peoples or subjects.

In this book, you will meet real Indigenous Peoples speaking out and sharing their stories and their firsthand experiences, and you will clearly hear their passion for reconciliation.

This book is unique. The stories told within its covers are unique, just like everyone working through their own journey of understanding and doing their small part towards reconciliation.

“We need to pursue reconciliation consistently and passionately. Education has gotten us into this mess, and education will get us out. We see this as our challenge and our hope.” -The Honourable Senator Murray Sinclair

Educator Information
Recommended for grades 5 to 7.

CRITR Workbook Features

• Indigenous knowledge from different Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous perspectives.
• Dozens of lessons covering important topics including Residential Schools, Treaties, and Indigenous Contributions.
• Beautiful original art on the cover and throughout the book.
• An Indigenous worldview expressing people's need to develop themselves and their children, in a way that addresses their spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental gifts.
• An approach to the teaching and healing process that is interconnected and cyclical in nature.
• An introduction to readers of the concept of a "sacred circle," also known as a medicine wheel, as well as First Peoples' principles of learning in general terms.
• Words of encouragement.
• A balance between too much and too little content.
• Information and a layout to inform and inspire without overwhelming the teacher or the student, in the classroom or at home.
• Fresh insights and learning activities for key Indigenous events that are celebrated annually in schools and communities across the Nation.
• Critical thinking questions to inspire new learning.
• Activities for individuals and groups.
• The font in the grade 5 to 7 book is ideal for young readers ( Arial 13.5-point font). Additionally, the grade 5 to 7 book features shorter sentence structure for easy reading and comprehension. 
• A few activities and lessons featured in the grade 8 to 12 resource have been changed or removed in the grade 5 to 7 book due to the maturity level of the subject matter.  
• Grade-level appropriate word choices to help with improved vocabulary.

How is the CRITR workbook organized?

Each lesson follows this pattern:

• An easy-to-read lesson that may be read in under 5 minutes
• A vocabulary focus called Word Power that defines key words from the lesson
• A set of questions easily answered from the reading
• A Critical Thinking section is included to enhance learning
• Sprinkled throughout the CRITR Workbook are relevant individual and group activity recommendations.

Additional resources are identified throughout the pages with links, including information about how to connect with the Indigenous authors and artists.

Activities, colouring, and word search pages may be downloaded for free. An answer key is included at the end of the book.

What will students learn from this resource?

• Reconciliation is about change, justice, respect, and re-building the relationships between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples in Canada
• Indigenous History of Canada
• Empathy that comes from understanding and being educated
• Knowledge about important and sensitive topics, including stories told by Indigenous authors about what occurred at residential schools. It is important to know these stories of assimilation
• Capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect as prescribed specifically in CTA #63

Educator Information

Additional Information
176 Pages | 9" x 11.5" x 0.5" | Spiral Bound 

CRITR provides dozens of lessons and 100s of questions covering important topics including: Indigenous Canadian History, Residential Schools, Indigenous Contributions past and present, Treaties, and Indigenous Days of Recognition in Canada.

This book is a collection of parts of the history of the Indigenous Peoples in Canada and of the process of reconciliation.  It is designed to educate all children and youth -- our future leaders -- about Indigenous history and current events.  It is intended to give a better understanding and to positively contribute to reconciliation.

Together, we must consider the past, the present, and the future in our efforts to better ourselves and future generations.

This book provides a wealth of high-quality articles and learning activities, consisting of units and lessons that can be used by anyone -- teachers, parents, students, business professionals -- who may have little or no prior knowledge or understanding of Indigenous Peoples or subjects.

In this book, you will meet real Indigenous Peoples speaking out and sharing their stories and their firsthand experiences, and you will clearly hear their passion for reconciliation.

This book is unique. The stories told within its covers are unique, just like everyone working through their own journey of understanding and doing their small part towards reconciliation.

“We need to pursue reconciliation consistently and passionately. Education has gotten us into this mess, and education will get us out. We see this as our challenge and our hope.” -The Honourable Senator Murray Sinclair

Educator Information
Recommended for grades 8 to 12.

CRITR Workbook Features

• Indigenous knowledge from different Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous perspectives.
• Dozens of lessons covering important topics including Residential Schools, Treaties, and Indigenous Contributions.
• Beautiful original art on the cover and throughout the book.
• An Indigenous worldview expressing people's need to develop themselves and their children, in a way that addresses their spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental gifts.
• An approach to the teaching and healing process that is interconnected and cyclical in nature.
• An introduction to readers of the concept of a "sacred circle," also known as a medicine wheel, as well as First Peoples' principles of learning in general terms.
• Words of encouragement.
• A balance between too much and too little content.
• Information and a layout to inform and inspire without overwhelming the teacher or the student, in the classroom or at home.
• Fresh insights and learning activities for key Indigenous events that are celebrated annually in schools and communities across the Nation.
• Critical thinking questions to inspire new learning.
• Activities for individuals and groups.
• Grade-level appropriate word choices to help with improved vocabulary.

How is the CRITR workbook organized?

Each lesson follows this pattern:

• An easy-to-read lesson that may be read in under 5 minutes
• A vocabulary focus called Word Power that defines key words from the lesson
• A set of questions easily answered from the reading
• A Critical Thinking section is included to enhance learning
• Sprinkled throughout the CRITR Workbook are relevant individual and group activity recommendations.

Additional resources are identified throughout the pages with links, including information about how to connect with the Indigenous authors and artists.

Activities, colouring, and word search pages may be downloaded for free. An answer key is included at the end of the book.

What will students learn from this resource?

• Reconciliation is about change, justice, respect, and re-building the relationships between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples in Canada
• Indigenous History of Canada
• Empathy that comes from understanding and being educated
• Knowledge about important and sensitive topics, including stories told by Indigenous authors about what occurred at residential schools. It is important to know these stories of assimilation
• Capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect as prescribed specifically in CTA #63

Educator Information

Additional Information
188 Pages | 9" x 11.5" x 0.5" | Spiral Bound

Nature is a place to both play and learn. The physical self is moving and active, the mental self is thinking and questioning, the emotional self is feeling and experiencing, and the spiritual self is connecting and thankful. We see what we have been taught to see. We love and respect our natural surroundings when we see ourselves as belonging to that community. This resource leads readers on a rich learning journey as they deepen their connections to nature and culture.

The activities inside instill traditional teachings of respect, honour, resourcefulness, and humility in children. This handbook is intended to inspire parents, caregivers, and educators to provide children with meaningful outdoor experiences interwoven with traditional indigenous knowledge.

Educator Information
For use with children.

Table of Contents
Introduction

The Power of Ceremony
- Introduction
- Ceremony and Daily Life
- Sunrise Ceremony
- Nature Picnic
- Sharing
- Navajo Forgiveness Ceremony
- Smudging Ceremony

Mindfulness: Meditation of Gratitude
- Introduction
- Gratitude
- Silent Study
- Sensory Wake-Up
- Walking Meditation
- Guided Meditation
- Nature Meditation
- Traditional Prayers

We Are All Related
- Honouring the Plants, Earth and Water
- Medicine Wheel Teachings in Nature
- Water is Life
- Find the Rock Game
- Adopt a Tree
- Read a Tree
- Earthing
- Build a Nature Structure

Swimmers, Walkers and Fliers
- The Animal People
- Walk Like the Animal People
- Tracking

Indigenous Games
- Introduction
- Blindfold Detective
- Stalk the Drum
- Fire Keeper
- Deer Cliff Arrow
- Hunter
- Run and Scream
- Metis Map-Making

Conclusion

Additional Information
84 pages | 9.00" x 7.00" | Paperback

Experienced educators Judy Halbert and Linda Kaser expand on their previous work in this all-new book for school leadership teams. Written for teams ready to get started—or keen to go deeper—this book will provoke new thinking and provide specific strategies for accelerating meaningful change.

Leading Through Spirals of Inquiry walks the reader through the six stages of the Spiral of Inquiry, a proven framework to help you

• overcome inequality to create genuine equity and change outcomes for students;
• transform learning environments at both the school and district level;
• clarify the direction for new professional learning based on evidence from educational research as well as real-world examples of innovative practices from other schools;
• challenge long-held biases and assumptions guided by clarity of purpose, a growth mindset, and a stance of curiosity;
• effectively incorporate self-reflection and continuous improvement in your learning environments.

Building on the experiences and wisdom of inquiry leaders from around the world, this book provides support for the specific issues leaders face during the process of change, as well as ways to engage in and support inquiry networks across schools, districts, and other jurisdictions.

Reviews
"If Leading Through Spirals of Inquiry were required reading for every education leader, school systems and the world would be a much better place. Judy Halbert and Linda Kaser invite readers to journey with them as they examine how adults can help every child “cross the stage with dignity, purpose, and options.” This book is at once a practical guide for school personnel and a manifesto on how to transform, and leapfrog forward, our education systems."— Rebecca Winthrop, Senior Fellow and Co-Director, Center for Universal Education, The Brookings Institution

"Judy Halbert and Linda Kaser’s Spiral of Inquiry framework reflects the importance of relationships, curiosity, trust, examination of biases and assumptions, and high expectations of both learners and ourselves. Embedded in this work is the understanding that Indigenous knowledge systems have positive impacts on learning environments, and that quality education systems require equity for Indigenous learners. I look forward to more educators engaging in this powerful and accessible inquiry process for the benefit of both learners and our larger society."— Jo Chrona, Author of Wayi Wah! Indigenous Pedagogies: An Act for Reconciliation and Indigenous Education

Additional Information
224 pages | 7.00" x 9.00" | Paperback

Resurgence is an inspiring collection of contemporary Indigenous poetry, art, and narratives that guides teachers in bridging existing K–12 curricula with Indigenous voices and pedagogies. Walk with us along the footbridge which seeks to:

• connect peoples and places
• link truth and reconciliation as ongoing processes
• symbolize the risk and urgency of this work for both Indigenous and settler educators
• engage tensions
• highlight the importance of balance, both of ideas and within ourselves

Through critical engagement with the texts, experienced educators Christine M’Lot and Katya Adamov Ferguson support readers in connecting with Indigenous narratives and perspectives, bringing Indigenous works in their classrooms, and creating more equitable and sustainable teaching practices.

In this resource, you will find

• diverse Indigenous voices, perspectives, and art forms from all across Turtle Island
• valuable concepts and methods that can be applied to the classroom and beyond
• practical action steps and resources for educators, parents, librarians, and administrators

Use this book as a springboard for your own learning journey or as a lively prompt for dialogue within your professional learning community.

Reviews
"Over the past several years, calls have come from across Canada for the inclusion of Indigenous worldviews and knowledge in all levels of education in the country. Enter...Resurgence." ––Windspeaker

Educator & Series Information
For use with K-12 curricula. 

Contributors include KC Adams, Charlene Bearhead, Wilson Bearhead, Lisa Boivin, Nicola Campbell, Sara Florence Davidson, David A. Robertson, and Christina Lavalley Ruddy, and more!

Subjects / Themes: Education; Professional Development; Social Science; Indigenous Studies; Language Arts Disciplines; Study Teaching

This book is part of The Footbridge Series. This series aims to bridge curricular outcomes with Indigenous-centered content and perspectives from across Turtle Island. Like a footbridge, this series is intended to provide a path between Indigenous worldviews and the classroom, engaging differences, including tensions, and highlighting the importance of balance, all while helping teachers integrate Indigenous perspectives into multiple disciplines within the K-12 education system. 

Table of Contents
Introduction

About This Book

About The Footbridge Series

Part 1: Resistance

Beyond Being Silenced by Sara Florence Davidson

• Connections

Poetry as Cultural Expression by Rita Bouvier

• Connections

T’seka Reflection by Lucy Hemphill

• Connections

Poetry by Louise Bernice Halfe

• Connections

Part 2: Resilience

Mental Health by David A. Robertson

• Connections

Writing as a Therapeutic Medium by Wanda John-Kehewin

• Connections

Birch Bark Technology by KC Adams

• Connections

Images and Health by Lisa Boivin

• Connections

Part 3: Restoring

Stories are Resurgence by Wilson Bearhead and Charlene Bearhead

• Connections

Why am I not on Star Trek? by Sonya Ballantyne

• Connections

Indigenous Spaces by Reanna Merasty

• Connections

Games as Resurgence by Elizabeth LaPensée

• Connections

Part 4: Reconnecting

Poems by Nicola I. Campbell

• Connections

Paths of Tradition by Russell Wallace

• Connections

Let the Children Play by Victoria McIntosh

• Connections

Ethnomathematics and Beading by Christina Ruddy

• Connections

The Contributors

Additional Resources

Index

Additional Information
224 pages | 7.00" x 10.00" | Paperback

Drawing from studies with pre- and in-service teachers in Quebec, Smallest Circles First looks at how teacher agency engages with the educational calls to action from Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Using drama education and theatre, Smallest Circles First explores how the classroom can be used as a liminal educational site to participate in reconciliatory praxis.

Smallest Circles First presents several arts-based educational research examples that illustrate how the arts provide a space for students, teachers, and communities to explore and learn about reconciliation praxis and responsibilities. By implementing arts-based counter-narratives set against settler Canadian history and geography, Smallest Circles First considers the implications of systemic racism, colonization, and political, social, and economic ramifications of governmental policies. Tangible examples from the book showcase how teachers and students can use the arts to learn specifically about their responsibilities in engaging with Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in addition to how this work can still meet curricular learning outcomes.

Reviews
"A contribution to the fields of education and performing arts, Smallest Circles First is an excellent example of what can be done and what needs to be done in regards to building a shared future for all Canadians. Readers will feel empathic and identified with these narratives; not just the narratives of the author but also with the narratives of the participants in the research." — Maria del Carmen Rodriguez de France, Assistant Professor of Indigenous Education, University of Victoria

"The research and writing found in Smallest Circles First advances the calls to action in the TRC – in ways that allow space for exploration and in ways that do not insist that there is one ‘true’ way to do the work of reconciliation. This book is as much about hope as it is deep and instructive." — Michele Sorensen, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Social Work, University of Regina

"Carter’s book provides insightful ways of engaging respectfully and meaningfully with Indigenous topics through drama-based approaches. She describes the work in a way that is thoughtful, ethical, and well grounded. The case studies in Smallest Circles First are diverse and dynamic, and they come together in ways that allow the reader to see the cohesive nature of the book." — George Belliveau, Professor and Head of Language and Literacy Education, University of British Columbia

"Smallest Circles First is a must for any artist or educator, providing research-based evidence of the role theatre can play in healing and reconciliation; her reframing of risk as the grounds for creative rupture is an important corrective to the risk-avoidant perspectives that dominate research and education." — Sheila Christie, Associate Professor of English and Drama, Cape Breton University

Educator Information
Table of Contents

Foreword by Tom Dearhouse

1.Starting with the Smallest Circles First
Teacher Agency, Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the Arts Curriculum
Language, Culture, and Religion in Quebec Education
Are the Arts the Answer?
Vignettes
About This Book

2. Walk a Mile in Someone Else’s Shoes: Situating Theories and Methods
Identity, Subjectivity, and Posthumanism
Arts-Based Educational Research (ABER)
Narrative Inquiry
Vignettes and Constant Comparison for Data Analysis
Making Sense of the Data, Saturation, and Validity

3. We Start Here: Narratives, Vignettes, and Analysis
Narratives
Monologue: I’m Still Canadian, Dad!
Appropriation and Embodiment
Centring Oneself within a Community of Practice
Discussion

4. Weaving Together Understandings across Vignettes
Theme 1: Risk and Learning as Rupture
Theme 2: Belonging
Theme 3: Counter-narratives

5. Full circle
Unfolding’s
Towards an Instructional Model for Belonging and Becoming by Learning through/with Drama

Learning Responsibilities
New Directions: Learning beyond the arts
Coming full Circle

Appendices
Appendix 1: Sing the Brave Song: This Isn’t Over!
Appendix 2: Reconciliation!
Appendix 3: Monologue: I’m Still Canadian, Dad!

Glossary
References

Additional Information
186 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | Paperback

Thirty hands-on lessons provide students opportunities to learn and practice self-regulation strategies.

Students today face many challenges that did not exist a generation or two ago, and rates of emotional disorders (including anxiety and depression) have increased steadily over the years. Students must also manage an overwhelming amount of information. With today’s reliance on technology and social media, they have fewer opportunities to develop effective self-regulation strategies and interpersonal and stress management skills.

Helping students understand their emotions and behavior when they’re young will set them on a path to being successful learners and empathetic people throughout their lives. With thirty easy-to-implement, skill-based lessons and activities, Teaching Kids to Pause, Cope, and Connect provides educators with strategies to help students:

• manage and reduce their anxiety with healthy coping skills
• understand and regulate physical responses to stress
• separate emotions from actions
• respond mindfully (rather than impulsively) to difficult situations
• improve social skills, social awareness, and self-regulation
• develop empathy and compassion

Digital content includes reproducible student handouts that accompany each lesson, plus six bonus lessons.

Reviews
“The perfect resource to teach students the skills they need to pause in the midst of frustration, to calm in the midst of chaos, and to connect with each other. This book is a must-have for every teacher.”—Sarah Newman, AMFT, educator and founder of Mindful Kids

Educator Information
Audience: Elementary school educators, Grades 3+

Additional Information
200 pages | 8.50" x 11.00" | Paperback

Unplug from technology and "plug in" to nature through the wonder of your senses.

The Book of Nature Connection is packed with fun activities for using all our senses to engage with nature in a deep and nourishing way.

From "extenda-ears" and acorn whistles to bird calls, camouflage games, and scent scavenger hunts, enjoy over 70 diverse, engaging, sensory activities for all ages that promote mindfulness and nature connection.

With activities grouped by the main senses – hearing, sight, smell, touch, and taste – plus sensory walks and group games, The Book of Nature Connection is both a powerful learning tool kit and the cure for sensory anesthesia brought on by screen time and lives lived indoors.

Whisper in birds, be dazzled by nature's kaleidoscope of colors, taste the freshness of each season, learn to savor the scented world of evergreens, hug a tree and feel the bark against your cheek. Spending time in nature with all senses tuned and primed helps us feel like we belong to the natural world – and in belonging, we come to feel more connected, nourished, and alive.

Ideal for educators, camp and youth leaders, caregivers and parents, and anyone looking to reconnect and become a nature sommelier!

Additional Information
128 pages | 7.50" x 9.00" | Colour photos throughout | Paperback 

Troubling Truth and Reconciliation in Canadian Education offers a series of critical perspectives concerning reconciliation and reconciliatory efforts between Canadian and Indigenous peoples. Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars address both theoretical and practical aspects of troubling reconciliation in education across various contexts with significant diversity of thought, approach, and socio-political location. Throughout, the work challenges mainstream reconciliation discourses. This timely, unflinching analysis will be invaluable to scholars and students of Indigenous studies, sociology, and education.

Contributors: Daniela Bascuñán, Jennifer Brant, Liza Brechbill, Shawna Carroll, Frank Deer, George J. Sefa Dei (Nana Adusei Sefa Tweneboah), Lucy El-Sherif, Rachel yacaaʔał George, Celia Haig-Brown, Arlo Kempf, Jeannie Kerr, Ruth Green, David Newhouse, Amy Parent, Michelle Pidgeon, Robin Quantick, Jean-Paul Restoule, Toby Rollo, Mark Sinke, Sandra D. Styres, Lynne Wiltse, Dawn Zinga

Reviews
"This is crucially important work at this time, as universities, provincial education boards, and school districts grapple with their responses to the TRC. The contributors to Troubling Truth and Reconciliation in Canadian Education continue dialogues around reconciliation, decolonization, and Indigenization in schools at every level across Canada and offer real and actionable insights for educational leaders and teachers." - Shannon C. Leddy, University of British Columbia

"Troubling Truth and Reconciliation in Canadian Education is a significant contribution in this era of the post-TRC, the Calls to Action, the MMIWG inquiry report, and the ongoing difficulties and legacies of systemic racism/colonialism against Indigenous peoples in Canadian institutions." - Lisa Korteweg, Lakehead University

Educator Information
Table of Contents
vii Foreword
JAN HARE
xiii Acknowledgements
xv A Troubling Place to Start: Reconciliation in Collapse
ARLO KEMPF, SANDRA D. STYRES, LIZA BRECHBILL AND LUCY EL-SHERIF
I
Theoretical Perspectives on (Ir)reconciliation: Polishing the Silver Covenant Chain
1 | Discovering Truth in the Post-TRC Era: Morality and Spirituality Discourses in the Reconciliatory Journeys of Schools
FRANK DEER
2 | Indigenous Resiliency, Renewal, and Resurgence in Decolonizing Canadian Higher Education
MICHELLE PIDGEON
3 | Uncomfortable Realities: Reconciliation in Higher Education
DAWN ZINGA
4 | Contested Knowledges: Indigeneity, Resistance, and Black Theorizing in Academia
GEORGE J. SEFA DEI (NANA ADUSEI SEFA TWENEBOAH)
5 | Some of Us Are More Canadian Than Others: Pedagogies of Citizenship and Learning Racialized Settlerhood
LUCY EL-SHERIF AND MARK SINKE
6 | The Performativity of Reconciliation: Illusory Justice and the Site C Dam
RACHEL YACAAʔAŁ GEORGE
7 | Beyond Curricula: Colonial Pedagogies in Public Schooling
TOBY ROLLO
II
Reconceptualizing Reconciliation in Education: Teaching and Learning in Right Relation
8 | Reconciliation and Relational Ethics in Education
SANDRA D. STYRES AND ARLO KEMPF
9 | Exploring Tensions in Taking Up the Call for Reconciliation in Teacher Education
LYNNE WILTSE
10 | Troubling Trespass: Moving Settler Teachers Toward Decolonization
DANIELA BASCUÑÁN, MARK SINKE, SHAWNA M. CARROLL, AND JEAN-PAUL RESTOULE
11 | Talking It Through, Talking Through It: A Dialogue on Indigenizing Education
CELIA HAIG-BROWN AND RUTH GREEN
12 | Recalling the Spirit and Intent of Indigenous Literatures
JENNIFER BRANT
13 | Teaching Indigenous Studies in a Time of Reconciliation: An Anticolonial Approach Toward Postcolonial Awareness
DAVID NEWHOUSE AND ROBIN QUANTICK
14 | Contemporary Colonialism and Reconciliation in Higher Education: A Decolonial Response Through Relationality
JEANNIE KERR AND AMY PARENT
Contributors

Additional Information
328 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | Paperback

How can Indigenous knowledge systems inform our teaching practices and enhance education? How do we create an education system that embodies an anti-racist approach and equity for all learners?

This powerful and engaging resource is for non-Indigenous educators who want to learn more, are new to these conversations, or want to deepen their learning.

Some educators may come to this work with some trepidation. You may feel that you are not equipped to engage in Indigenous education, reconciliation, or anti-racism work. You may be anxious about perpetuating misconceptions or stereotypes, making mistakes, or giving offence. In these chapters, I invite you to take a walk and have a conversation with a good mind and a good heart.

With over two decades in Indigenous education, author Jo Chrona encourages readers to acknowledge and challenge assumptions, reflect on their own experiences, and envision a more equitable education system for all. Each chapter includes:

• reflection questions to help process the ideas in each chapter
  suggestions for taking action in both personal and professional spheres of influence
• recommended resources to read, watch, or listen to for further learning
• personal reflections and anecdotes from the author on her own learning journey
• voices of non-Indigenous educators who share their learning and model how to move into, and sit, in places of unknowing and discomfort, so we can examine our own biases and engage in this work in a good way

Grounded in the First Peoples Principles of Learning, this comprehensive guide builds on Chrona’s own experiences in British Columbia’s education system to explore how to shape anti-racist and equitable education systems for all.

Perfect for reading on your own or with your professional learning community!

Educator Information
Table of Contents

1 Where Do We Begin? Setting Up Our Space in A Good Way

• Situating Ourselves
• An Invitation
• Some Structural Guidance as You Read
• Discomfort: Moving Through the Fear of Making Mistakes
• Taking Responsibility

2 Indigenous Education Is Not Multicultural Education

• Defining Indigenous Education
• Culturally Responsive Education and Beyond

3 Yes, You Have a Role: Reconciliation Through Education

• Our Collective Responsibility
• This Is Not “Just History”; This Is Now
• Colonization Past and Present
• Reconciliation Through Education
• A Vision of a System

4 So, Let’s Talk About the R Word

• Begin With Honesty
• Becoming Anti-Racist in Canada
• Investigating Our Own Biases and Assumptions
• How We Define Racism Matters
• Relational Racism
• Systemic Racism
• Learning and Growing

5 An Indigenous-Informed Pedagogy: The First Peoples Principles of Learning

• Moving From “Learning About” to “Learning From”
• How Were the FPPL Identified?
• What Is Important to Know About the FPPL?
• A Closer Look at Each Principle
• Current Contexts

6 Authentic Indigenous Resources

• Voice and Representation
• Authentic Resource Evaluation Criteria
• Collaborative Development of Local First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Resources

7 A Story of One System: Indigenous Education in British Columbia

• On a Learning Journey
• The Power of Indigenous Advocacy and United Voice
• Government Commitments and Obligations
• Bumpy Paths

8 Now What?

• Next Steps
• Final Thoughts: Working in Relation

References

Additional Information
232 pages | 7.00" x 9.00" | Paperback

This resource for educators makes social emotional learning fun and engaging with 24 ready-to-use lessons about phenomenal plants and astonishing animals.

Storytelling is a learning device used by humans for centuries, and for good reason: storytelling is one of the best ways to increase critical thinking skills and social emotional learning (SEL). Social Emotional Stories combines storytelling with thought-provoking lessons and activities to help elementary students improve their self-esteem, increase their engagement with school, and give them a sense of empowerment.

The book contains 24 individual lessons that include:

• An SEL objective with specific keywords like “inner strength,” “problem solving,” and “responsibility”
• An engaging story that focuses on a distinctive quality of either a plant (like the inner strength of bamboo) or an animal (like the courage of a pig)
• Multiple activities that are quick, easy, and require few supplies to help kids identify and dive deeper into the specific SEL concepts represented

Educators can use these lessons individually with students, in small groups, or with an entire class. The lessons are interdisciplinary and flexible, with only minimal prep time required, allowing educators to adapt them for their situation. Extensive digital content supports the lessons with reproducible forms and a full-color photo of each plant and animal.

Reviews
“Lewis introduces fascinating aspects of the natural world—its constructive and destructive power—to young students in a way that reaches beyond knowledge acquisition. She shows teachers how to build bridges to the inner worlds of children with analogical thinking, reflective questions, and thoughtful conversations that nourish not only their understanding but their agency. If you want to use learning as a way to develop your students’ character, intrinsic motivation, and an ethically grounded relationship with the world, this is the guide you need.”—Diane Stirling

“Barbara Lewis weaves factual information with down-to-earth, applicable activities and discussions to encourage students’ appreciation for nature, while building their power to observe and to understand people and their world as multidimensional. Throughout, Lewis is respectful of children’s capacity to discuss important issues and form their own opinions.”—Silvia Blitzer Golombek

“Another delightful book from Barbara Lewis, Social Emotional Stories is filled with fascinating depictions and insightful analogies to support character development. We recommend Barbara Lewis’s books to all the families who seek our services. Believing that children can make a difference, Lewis provides the inspiration for helping others, taking a stand against injustice, squelching rumors, and seeing beyond stereotypes. This book should be a staple in every school’s social-emotional learning curriculum.”—Linda Kreger Silverman, Ph.D., licensed psychologist, director of the Gifted Development Center

Educator Information
Recommended for grades 2 to 5.

Additional Information
176 pages | 8.50" x 11.00"

Since the Renaissance, liberal education has as its core tradition a Eurocentric multidisciplinary humanism — the study of literature, art, philosophy and history — grounded in ancient Greek and Latin texts.

In what may be termed cognitive imperialism, the academy has largely ignored Aboriginal perspectives of humanity. In this volume, Mi'kmaw and non-Mi'kmaw scholars, teachers and educators posit an interdisciplinary approach to explicate and animate a Mi'kmaw Humanities.

Drawing on the metaphor of a basket as a multilayered metaphor for engaging postsecondary institutions, these essays reveal historical, educational, legal, philosophical, visual and economic frameworks to develop a knowledge protocol that can direct, transform and enrich conventional Humanities within the complex dynamics of territory, energy, stewardship, alterity and consciousness.

Additional Information
300 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | Paperback

What’s the difference between teaching our students and our autistic students? Not much. This practical book argues that all students are unique. It focuses on integrating teaching autistic students into the teaching practice of the whole class. Based on extensive classroom experience, this highly readable book is full of anecdotes about engaged students growing in their learning. Lesson plans and checklists throughout the book help teachers get to know autistic students and help them with school work, emotional regulation, communication, socializing and staying safe. This timely book champions getting rid of labels so teachers can know every student as an individual.

Educator Information
Explores how to teach autistic students and improve the learning experience for all students.

Features anecdotes from real classrooms supported by relevant research.

Lesson plans and checklists throughout the book help implement strategies.

Additional Information
124 pages | 8.38" x 10.88" | Paperback

Properties of Energy from Hands-On Science: An Inquiry Approach completely aligns with BC’s New Curriculum for science. Grounded in the Know-Do-Understand model, First Peoples knowledge and perspectives, and student-driven scientific inquiry, this custom-written resource:

• emphasizes Core Competencies, so students engage in deeper and lifelong learning
• develops Curricular Competencies as students explore science through hands-on activities
• fosters a deep understanding of the Big Ideas in science

Using proven Hands-On features, Properties of Energy contains information and materials for both teachers and students including: Curricular Competencies correlation charts; background information on the science topics; complete, easy-to-follow lesson plans; reproducible student materials; and materials lists.

Innovative new elements have been developed specifically for the new curriculum:

• a multi-age approach
• a five-part instructional process—Engage, Explore, Expand, Embed, Enhance
• an emphasis on technology, sustainability, and personalized learning
• a fully developed assessment plan for summative, formative, and student self-assessment
• a focus on real-life Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies
• learning centres that focus on multiple intelligences and universal design for learning (UDL)
• place-based learning activities, Makerspaces, and Loose Parts

In Properties of Energy, students investigate properties of energy. Core Competencies and Curricular Competencies will be addressed while students explore the following Big Ideas:

• The motion of objects depends on their properties.
• Light and sound can be produced and their properties can be changed.
• Forces influence the motion of an object.

Educator & Series Information
This book is from the Hands-On Science: An Inquiry Approach (for BC) series. The new Hands-On Science comprehensive resources completely align with the redesigned Science Curriculum for British Columbia.

Recommended for use with students in grades 3 to 5.

Additional Information
200 pages | 8.50" x 11.00"

Properties of Matter from Hands-On Science for British Columbia completely aligns with BC’s New Curriculum for Science. Grounded in the Know-Do-Understand model, First Peoples knowledge and perspectives, and student-driven scientific inquiry, this custom-written resource:

• emphasizes Core Competencies, so students engage in deeper and lifelong learning
• develops Curricular Competencies through hands-on activities
• fosters a deep understanding of the Big Ideas in science

Using proven Hands-On features, Properties of Matter contains information and materials for both teachers and students including: Curricular Competencies correlation charts; background information on the science topics; complete, easy-to-follow lesson plans; reproducible student materials; and materials lists.

Innovative new elements have been developed specifically for the new curriculum:

• a multi-age approach
• an emphasis on technology, sustainability, and personalized learning
• a fully developed assessment plan for summative, formative, and student self-assessment
• a focus on real-life Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies
• learning centres that focus on multiple intelligences and universal design for learning (UDL)
• place-based learning activities and Makerspaces

Properties of Matter for Grades 3-5 addresses Core Competencies and Learning Standards while students
explore the following Big Ideas:

• All matter is made of particles.
• Matter has mass, takes up space, and can change phase.
• Solutions are homogeneous.

Educator Information
This book is from the Hands-On Science: An Inquiry Approach (for BC) series. The new Hands-On Science comprehensive resources completely align with the redesigned Science Curriculum for British Columbia.

Recommended for use with students in grades 3 to 5.

Additional Information
200 pages | 8.50" x 11.00"