Austin Weems 1

Lesson
Class #: Grade 4 (60 min) Course Social Studies
Title/Focus

PROGRAM OF STUDY OUTCOMES

 Alberta: A Sense of the Land: Students will question the true meaning the land we live on has to
different groups of people, developing thought provoking understandings of what it means to be
Albertan.
 The Stories, Histories and People of Alberta: Students will develop critical understanding of the
beliefs, experiences, and ways of life for the vast variety of groups throughout Alberta, by
researching, questioning, and engaging.
 Alberta: Celebrations and Challenges: Students will respectfully develop profound and honorable
understands of the beauty and challenges different groups throughout Alberta have faced
throughout history, through writing, discussion, and guided participation.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson students will be able to:
1. Identify the key differences of different Indigenous groups, through thoughtful and detailed
research of their assigned group.
2. Illustrate the importance the land of Alberta has on different Indigenous groups and what this
importance has on the beliefs and traditions of different Indigenous groups.
3. Apply their acquired knowledge from the provided research materials through short
presentations at the end of class that will be vital in rounding the classes knowledge of the
groups they did not research.
4. Develop a greater understanding of the representation of belonging as illustrated on the Circle of
Courage.
MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
 Video representing the aspects of belonging and inclusion.
 Articles, journals, and books written by Indigenous authors and have been approved by the visiting
Indigenous elder.
 Access to adequate writing and paper resources for recording purposes.

PREPARATION AND LOGISTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

 Select video for introduction activity illustrating elements of belonging.
 Invite an Indigenous elder from our community to speak with the class about belonging and the
importance the land and beliefs are to their particular Indigenous group.
 Acquire journals, articles, and books written by Indigenous authors from the groups the students
will be researching and run them by the visiting Indigenous elder prior to selection.
PROCEDURE
Introduction Time
 Begin by asking the students their overall outlooks and understanding of what 10 min
the concept of belonging means to them. Lead a discussion about belonging
asking the students about the aspects of their life where they feel they belong;
how does this make them feel? For example: Do they feel they belong in their
family, friend group, community, school, etc.?
 Play a short video for the class that represents aspects of belonging and what can
occur when that sense of belonging is stripped from someone or altered.
o Ask the students how the video made them feel and ask them what stook
out most for them while watching.
o Ask the students if they can relate to the video in anyway or if they can
 Austin Weems 2

remember moments from their lives where they felt they belonged or
were excluded.

Body Time
Topic 1) Ask a student to volunteer to perform a short acting
Belonging out activity to demonstrate to the class how belonging
Activity and inclusion that be implemented in practice. Have a
short discussion with the student volunteer and allow
them to apply their own ideas to the demonstration
further demonstrating the idea of belonging and
inclusion.
2) Following the presentation have students pair off and
engage in their own representations of belonging to
5 min
further instill a sense of importance and value to this
key concept from the Circle of Courage.
3) Conclude this portion of the lesson by having a couple
groups volunteer to demonstrate their interactions to
the class, this encourages the students to participate
and engage with the important aspects of the lesson
and get them excited to engage with the case studies
later in the lesson.

Topic 1) Invite an Indigenous elder from the community to

Story and come and share their story with the students in
discussion with relation to belonging and the important beliefs, values,
Indigenous Elder culture, and importance of the land has on different
Indigenous groups throughout Alberta.
2) This will foster a greater understanding of Indigenous
ways of life into the students and prepare them for the
case study research they are about to partake in.
3) The Indigenous elder will conclude the discussion by
allowing the students to ask respectful and thought- 15 min
provoking questions that can aid in their research of
their particular Indigenous group.
4) Finally, the teacher will provide students with helpful
reading resources including, articles, books, and
journals written by Indigenous authors that belong to
these particular groups and that have been approved
and discussed with the Indigenous elder prior to
selection.

Topic 1) Students will be put into groups of three to four and 20 min
Research and tasked with taking the provided research materials to
case study develop a greater understanding of the values, beliefs,
analysis and importance the land has on different Indigenous
groups throughout Alberta.
2) Each member of the group with be assigned a different
role to achieve understanding of each outcome from
 Austin Weems 3
the program of study. All students will engage with the
research process with two pairing up on the broadest
outcome.
a. One student will focus on the importance of
land and what it means to be Albertan to their
particular Indigenous group
b. Two students will analyze and respond to the
beliefs, values, and ways of life of their
Indigenous group.
c. Finally, one student will research and analyze
the beauty and challenges their particular group
faced throughout history.
3) Students will develop a greater understanding of
belonging in relation to the Circle of Courage and
explain to the class how their group viewed belonging
and how it may have been stripped from them.
4) Students will discuss their research throughout and
develop a short presentation to demonstrate to the
class who their particular group was and highlight all
of the listed outcomes in relation to how their group
approached those aspects. For example: the
importance of the land, their values, and beliefs,
challenges faced, and sense of belonging in relation to
the Circle of Courage.

Conclusion Time
 After students have completed their research have each group share a short
2 min presentation with the class giving them a greater understanding of
the groups, they did not research.
 Inform students that the complied information from each group will be 10 min
displayed throughout the classroom so they can read them more critically
next class and prepare for the next lesson.

Assessment
 The introduction allows the teacher to discover where students are at with their
understanding of belonging and see which aspects may need to be discussed more and
displayed with greater understanding is an excellent formative assessment tool.
 The belonging activity pairs nicely with the introduction because it allows elements of
differentiation, some students will display greater understanding through verbal
instruction while others will benefit from kinesthetic engagement instruction.
 Asking questions to the visiting elder, develops further formative assessment practices by
allowing the teacher to see how the student’s development of understanding has grown
over the course of the lesson.
 Finally, the research portion of the lesson with further supplement the formative
assessment aspects of the lesson with the addiction of the summative assessment
performance task of the short presentations. Grading will be focused around ensuring all
the acquired outcomes have been hit and the students have completed all of the research
 Austin Weems 4

they were assigned to the best of their ability.

Sense of Belonging Performance Task

Alberta is a rich province, filled with members of vastly different groups of people that come from
all different walks of life. It is important to keep the culture, beliefs, and ways of life for different
groups of people alive and celebrated throughout Alberta. You have been invited to explore the
importance of land, beliefs and culture, and the challenges Indigenous groups have faced
throughout history and inform your classmates about these important members of society
throughout Alberta.

Your task will be to research in small groups one of three outcomes presented in class for your
particular Indigenous group. One group member will complete the first and third outcome while the
remining two members research and complete the second. For students wanting a slightly harder
challenge they can tackle the second outcome alone and volunteer to be the presenter for their
group. Following your groups combined research one student from each group will complete a two-
minute presentation generalizing their findings and sharing the knowledge with the rest of the
class. Your case study can be completed in several ways including jot notes, paragraph format, story
format, etc. Case studies will be marked based on the completion of work and attempt to reach all
elements of the intended outcomes.

Steps:
1. Students will decide which group members will research which provided learning outcomes
using the articles, books, and journals provided.
2. Each member of the group with be assigned a different role to achieve understanding of each
outcome from the program of study. All students will engage with the research process with two
pairing up on the broadest outcome.
a. One student will focus on the importance of land and what it means to be Alberta to their
particular Indigenous group
b. Two students will analyze and respond to the beliefs, values, and ways of life of their Indigenous
group.
c. Finally, one student will research and analyze the beauty and challenges their particular group
faced throughout history.
3. You will develop a greater understanding of belonging in relation to the Circle of Courage and
explain to the class how your group viewed belonging and how it may have been stripped from the
Indigenous group you have researched.
4. One member of your group will discuss your research throughout with a short presentation to
demonstrate to the class who your particular group was and highlight all of the listed outcomes in
relation to how your group approached those aspects. For example: the importance of the land,
their values, and beliefs, challenges faced, and sense of belonging in relation to the Circle of
Courage.

** The teacher will also provide students with:

• A supply of articles, journals, and books to help them research their Indigenous group
written from members of that group.
• A detailed discussion with an Indigenous elder to help supplement the learning to come.
 Austin Weems 5
Reflection
This lesson plan plays a large role in developing solid social, critical thinking, and research
skills in students in relation to the grade 4 social studies program of study. The scaffolding in this
lesson is clearly demonstrated throughout, starting with a discussion for the teacher to discover the
level of understanding students have in relation to belonging, and how it relates to the Circle of
Courage. Next students are able watch a guided video for further clarification of what belonging
truly means and an interactive activity to help students engage with the material and further
develop their understanding of belonging. The introduction of an Indigenous elder helps students
make the transition into the learning outcomes of the lesson and develop an understanding of
Indigenous culture, beliefs, importance of the land, and the challenges and beauty these groups
have faced in Alberta throughout history. This activity assesses students understanding of the
intended outcomes and how it relates to belonging while not giving them the information they will
use as the elder’s group will not be an area of research though instead an introduction to the
activity. The performance task of presenting the research in a two-minute presentation allows
students to apply the knowledge from their research and gives students the freedom to be the
presenter and decide which outcome they wish to tackle. The process of scaffolding in this lesson
helps students develop their understanding of belonging in relation to the Circle of Courage and
apply it to their research of particular Indigenous groups. The question and answer period with the
Indigenous elder, demonstrates the idea of questioning strategies, giving students the freedom to
ask respectful and thought-provoking questions that will benefit them in their research later in the
lesson. Additionally, working in groups for the research components allows students to engage in
peer questioning to help each other find success in the learning process, and bring everything
together to demonstrate a cohesive presentation. This lesson provides a great deal of differentiation
for all students in the classroom. Class discussion works best for student that benefit from group
discussion and collaboration. The video representing examples of belonging works great for student
that work best visually. The interactive belonging activity and skit creation takes creative and
kinesthetic learning into account and allows them to learn the material through interaction.
Additionally, having the Indigenous elder speak to the class and share their stories in relation to the
learning outcomes and sense of belonging would work best for auditory learners. In relation to our
assigned students Hans and Julia I feel this lesson has taken both of their learning styles and
struggles into account. Julia is an overachiever that finishes her work quickly and then tends to visit
with her friends which can be distracting for other students. I would challenge Julia by encouraging
her to take on the second more broad outcome by herself resulting in her taking more time to learn
and retain/record the material additionally, I would encourage Julia to be the presenter for her
group’s two minute presentation. This addresses Julia’s learning level while also pushing her to take
on more responsibility and prevent her from distracting other students. In relation to Hans he is
from Sweden and has difficulties speaking English when he arrives in my class. This is an activity
where students will be working with Indigenous language and culture where everyone is going to
have struggles with the materials. With this in mind, Hans will not feel left out and that he is the
only one who is struggling with the material. Additionally, I would pair Hans up with a strong
reader in his group to tackle the second outcome together. This will help Hans develop
communication and cooperation skills while also developing his English at the same time. The
lesson would start with the students on the carpet in front of the smartboard for the question and
answer period of what belonging means to them. I would transition from this to the video by
encouraging the students answers and in an excited voice saying how we are going to see a real
visual example. When transitioning into the interactive belonging activity I will have students
create a circle around the carpet and encourage them to be creative and respectful. I will have a
class leader each day decided from picking a name out of a bucket and they will get to be the
 Austin Weems 6

example scenario with my unless they choose not to. I would transition to the introduction of the
Indigenous elder by telling the class I have a special friend for them to meet that has come to class
to share their sense of belonging with them. Finally, when transitioning into the research groups I
will reveal to the students which groups they are in and have assigned materials at a table
specifically established for their group. I will implement silent coyote or hands clapping to gather
attention if it has been strained and tell them the quietest group will get to go first. Then one at a
time each group will head to their table and start their work. Finally, we will have complete groups
standing at the front of the class each determined by student choice order unless no one volunteers.
Only one member will present from each group, though having all group members present at the
front will help support the classmate that is presenting. This lesson successfully aligns the grade 4
program of study objectives with the learning activities and allows for both formative and
summative assessment practices that will help all students learn and find success with the material.
In closing, this lesson addresses all of the intended outcomes and helps students develop valuable,
social, writing, reading, presentation, communication, and cooperation skills.