Subject: Social Studies Mini-Unit
Topic: First Nation Water Issues
Time Frame: Four 45 Minutes to One Hour Lessons
Objectives: Students will be able to review various case studies regarding water issues of First Nation People. Students will be able to identify water issues within the media and provide classroom with current events and facts regarding water in their area. Students will monitor media outlets for current events regarding water, (Floods, River Flows, Tsunami, etc.)
Methodology: Teacher instruction and lecture, brainstorming, media and Internet search, small group brainstorming and interaction.
Materials: Chart paper, Teacher’ s Information or Handouts photocopied, Internet access, Media access to print, audio and video, Camcorder and tapes
Background Information: Throughout the history of Canada, water has played an important role in not only establishing settlements but influencing trading and traveling routes. It was the Hudson Bay Company and Great West Trading Company that provided Aboriginal people with trading goods. It was the Métis people who were often the interpreters and the traders for the companies that introduced Euro Canadians to the original highways; our waterways. Many of the explorers came through various waterways to discover the beauty and the vastness of North America. It was within the last century that waterways began to be blocked with the construction of hydroelectric dams, many of the great waters flooded over Aboriginal hunting and sacred sites. With recent changes in the constitution and the duty to consult Aboriginal people this would not have been done. There is a famous historical and sacred rock (Mistasini) that was blown to bits in the Diefenbaker Dam area. The James Bay Cree have been fighting with the Quebec and federal governments regarding land claims by the James Bay I and II Dam projects. Yellow Quill First Nation was on a boil water advisory for nine years. Many Aboriginal communities have just recently been hooked up to water and sewage lines. Water is one of our greatest resources but it is not as protected as Aboriginal people would like to see. At one time there was talk about diverting Canadian water ways to the United States of America, but many Aboriginal people opposed this. We should not be messing with Mother Earth’s veins; our rivers and streams. Water is a sacred spirit in which it holds our life force, a person can live months without food, but can only live for a few short weeks or less without water. It is important for people to realize the importance of water and that it is something that needs to be respected and honoured. Water conservation is an important part of respecting our water.
Directions/Procedure:
Lesson One
Read the background information to the students and then have students read the case studies as a class. Have students read through the first case study provided in the handout. Go through each of the case studies and encourage students to highlight some of the main points of each case study. Ask students to write jot notes regarding each assigned case study. Invite the students to reflect and offer opinions on the information they have read. (35 minutes). Facilitate a classroom discussion on the water issues as portrayed within the case studies. (15-25 minutes) It is a good idea to put these questions on chart paper so you may look back and compare responses from the beginning and upon completion of this mini unit. Questions for the students to consider:
- Why or why not should Aboriginal people have special consideration regarding their interest/perspectives on water in Canada?
- First Nations water concerns are unique because of the relationship between federal and provincial jurisdiction, how would this hinder or improve Aboriginal efforts?
- Water issues have been in the forefront for Aboriginal people for decades, yet it is just now that we are starting to hear about these issues. How can we ALL make a difference regarding water?
- Corporations/governments are in the water business to make money, why are Aboriginal people concerned about water?
Lesson Two
Divide the students into four groups; each group will be assigned one of the case studies. The task of each group is to find additional information about their story on the Internet and through multimedia sources. They are then to present their topic as if they are on a national news cast. Each of the students will play a different role. The students must first write and submit this newscast to the teacher for approval. As in any newscast the Five “W’s” (Who, What, When, Where, Why) and How should be addressed. Please see the worksheet attached for the newscast format. Students must be able to provide additional background information that does not come from the case study handout. After the teacher has given their approval of the script and comments, the students will then rewrite the script for their screen play for the newscast. The news item should be no longer than three minutes. Students are invited to role play. Characters in this role play process can include but are not limited to: Investigative Reporter(s), Aboriginal person(s), Corporation or Government Spokesperson(s), Producer, Camera person. At the end of this lesson plan is a handout for the students to get an understanding of what their script should look like. Students should have a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities within their group. When students have completed their project, they could investigate further into water concerns within their territory/community and throughout the world. Water is a powerful force and a precious commodity, yet it is often not fully appreciated. People turn on the water but do not understand the concerns that come with the water in their tap. Students will be given time to consider and reflect upon water. (60 minutes).
Lesson Three
Students will record their newscast onto a camcorder. Students should follow their newscast script. Each person in the group is encouraged to provide an active role writing the assignment. At this point show students their group rubric and the expectations for this assignment. Students can use maps and other visual devices in their newscast.
Optional: Download the newscast onto the computer and add graphics and text to the story. Include websites and links. Put the newscast onto your school's website or send to a partnered school. SDWF invites students to record a newscast on water concerns within their community and forward to SDWF to be included on their website, www.safewater.org. The SDWF hopes everyone will enjoy learning about similar issues all over Canada as all stories will be unique. A good source for newscast information online is CBC, please check out:
For Teachers check out: James Bay http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/society/native-issues/jamesbay-project-and-the-cree/topic-james-bay-project-and-the-cree.html
Optional: Students can expand upon the other information they have learned regarding water in their community through media sources and perhaps do a brief report (no more than three minutes) on this concern. SDWF suggests you discuss the case studies in class and the media impact or how the media can sway perspectives and then have them do their projects on different water issues (local, provincial, national, international).
Lesson Four
Students will present their recorded newscast and talk about the process behind gathering and making the news. Each group will be allocated ten minutes to present their newscast and the process in which they gathered and obtained information. They should clearly state all the sites they visited on the internet and any literary sources they used. If students actually phoned and/or interviewed anyone about the event, they must also cite this information as oral disclosure. The four presentations should take about forty minutes. Student will be provided with rubrics for the peer review of their presentation. About twenty minutes at the end of the class will be allocated for classroom discussion:
- Why or why not should Aboriginal people have special consideration regarding their interest/perspectives on water in Canada?
- Aboriginal people water concerns are unique because of their relation between federal and provincial jurisdiction, how would this hinder or improve Aboriginal efforts?
- Water issues have been in the forefront for Aboriginal people for decades, yet it is just now that we are starting to hear about these issues. How can we make a difference regarding water?
- Corporations/governments are in the water business to make money, why are Aboriginal people concerned about water?
- How can the classroom make a difference regarding water issues in Canada? (Sample: It is through education that people will realize that our water sources are in jeopardy. It is up to the future generations to act as guardians of the water. Students can do this by informing family and other people about what they have learned. Students can encourage family members to write to government and corporations to ask them to value and care for water which is in danger of becoming not only sparse or polluted, but also privatized. Students can encourage family members to write to government to challenge them to reconsider the Canadian vote at United Nations in 2004 where Canada was the only country to vote “No, water is not a basic human right”! And to challenge federal government to make safe drinking water available to all Canadians and impose national drinking water regulations).
- Water privatization is a serious and threatening concern around the world, especially in developing countries. Can you see any difference between large corporations privatizing water in developing countries and provincial governments in Canada privatizing water by distribution to rural communities through pipelines?
- Are Aboriginal people the only people concerned about the water? Which other organizations have a mandate to protect our water resources?
- How can you as a student inform others about water environmental concerns?
- What do you think some future water dilemmas might be and why?
- If only 1% of water is drinkable on earth, how long do you think that this resource will be sustainable?
A number of different questions can be discussed and debated about, but it would also be nice to look at the beginning four questions and how the students' answers are similar or different from beginning to end.
Evaluation: Group Evaluation Rubric and Presentation Rubric
Operation Water Spirit Group Evaluation
Name:______________________ Task: ___________________________
Group member being evaluated:____________________________
Total out of 20 marks _________ x 5 = _________%
Date _____________________
