Grade Five Social Studies - Heritage

I am currently taking an indigenous studies course here at the University of Regina and it has made me come to realize how important it is to know about the people who first came here to Canada and the history of the aboriginal people. In grade five social studies, focussing on heritage is a huge area for this level. It focusses on topics such as Canada's first peoples, the connection between the explorers and fur traders, the wars and treaties, etc. I was able to locate a site that deals with the first peoples of Canada which were the indigenous people which includes inuit, first nations and metis. Each page has a list of information and facts about their heritage and development here in Canada, and after you are done looking at the facts and pictures, you click on the arrow in the right hand corner and it takes you onto the next page. This website deals with the population of indigenous people, names, their languages and culture, and their origins and beliefs. This is a great site for grade fives to use and it welcomes and engages them into the history of their country!

I would use this website in my classroom in the way that for the first few lessons of this topic I would show overheads, slides shows, videos, and explain the basics of Canada's history and about the indigenous peoples. After a brief overview, I would then allow the students to access the website and search around for some interesting facts they can find. There are three main topics: An aboriginal presence, an ancient bond with the land and arrival of strangers. I would allow the students to choose one out of those three topics, and then focus on one of the headings underneath it. They would take their learning logs with them to the computer and jot down some fun facts and information about that topic, and then pair up with a partner that didn't focus on the same topic and share what they learnt. After the students have completed this area of the task, I would then get them to return back to their desks and we could have a class discussion on what they learnt, and what they enjoyed about the website whether it was the facts, pictures, format, etc.

I realize that this isn't a huge interactive games website, however I feel it is appropiate for the grade five level and it is an easy read as well for them. This site would benefit my students learning abilities because it is very organized, which makes it easy to follow along and learn the information at a faster pace. The site also contains pictures of indigenous people in their headresses as well as just in their everyday clothing. I want for my students to realize that these are important people to our lives and also an important part of our Canadian history. I also feel that as a future teacher it is important to incorporate a variety of cultures and beliefs into the classroom, so by the students accessing this website they are learning about a culture that perhaps may not be their own.