FNMI Lesson Plan

By: Madison Steenhart & Colby Evans

Focus: Class: C Course Physical Education-

Well Being and Grade 4
FNMI
integration

PROGRAM OF STUDY OUTCOMES

Grade 4:
● General Outcome A: Students will acquire skills through a variety of developmentally
appropriate movement activities; dance, games, types of gymnastics, individual
activities and activities in an alternative environment; e.g. aquatics and outdoor pursuits.
○ A4–5 select, perform and refine ways to receive, retain and send an object with
control
● General Outcome B: Students will understand, experience and appreciate the health
benefits that result from physical activity.
○ B4–2 demonstrate and describe ways to achieve a personal functional level of
physical fitness through participation in physical activity
○ B4–6 describe positive benefits gained from physical activity; e.g., physically,
emotionally, socially
● Teaching Quality Standard 5 - Applying Foundational Knowledge about First Nations,
Métis and Inuit

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate varied techniques for throwing a projectile, for accuracy or for strength.
2. List benefits of maintaining and developing physical fitness.
3. Discuss the importance of physical fitness in FNMI culture.
4. Explain how cultural aspects influenced FNMI sports and games.

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

● Staying Fit Let’s exercise by Alice B McGinty

● Pylons (enough to make multiple lanes across gym)
● Straight Sticks (Broom handles, pillo polo sticks, floor hockey sticks without
blades, etc.) - One per student
 ● Hula hoops - one per group of 5 students
● Bean bags - one per student

PREPARATION AND LOGISTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

● Teacher will break the class into groups in order to lessen the amount of equipment that
will be moving in the gym
● Teachers should be aware that there will be moving equipment on the ground.
● Lanes for snow snakes will be from one end of the gym to the other and students will
only be throwing in one direction.
● Students will be instructed to roll their hula hoop in a certain direction to avoid overlap
between groups. (diagram below)

PROCEDURE

Introduction Time

● The focus is around physical fitness and staying active in contemporary (10 minutes)
and historic settings.
● Read -Staying Fit Let’s exercise by Alice B McGinty, Pages-
○ 10- Your Muscles
○ 14- Getting Stronger, Going longer.
○ 20- Being Physically Fit
● Discussion about Health and Fitness
○ What do they do as a daily form of exercise?
■ Why is that an exercise?
■ What aspect of fitness is being worked on? (Provide
examples, leg endurance in walking, upper body
strength in carrying a heavy bag, etc.)

Body Time

Topic: Warm up Snow Snake 5 minutes

- Give a history and explanation of the game.
- Originated from the Athapaskan or Dene
peoples who are from northern Canada and
Alaska. They lived off the land (hunting
trapping, gathering and fishing)
- This game was played on the winter,
- Used to test Accuracy, power and technique
- Was traditionally using a hunting tool to
catch small animals, or as a Distance game
 - Snow snake spear is always thrown
underhand and along the ground
- History at: http://www.yasc.ca/DeneGames.aspx
- Setup:
- Prior to the start of class setup lanes
lengthwise across the gym, using pylons.
- Set out broom sticks or pillo polo sticks,
one for each kid.

(10 minutes)

- Game:
- Split the students into small groups (Group
number = number of lanes).
- Take turns underhand sliding the stick as
far as they can between the pylons. Grab
their stick and mark the distance with a
bean bag.
- Tell them to try to improve upon their last
distance.
- Pick up and put aside pylons and sticks.

Adaptations
- Original Snow Snake - Since the game was
originally performed outdoors in the winter, with
enough preparation this could be done. Teacher
must ensure:
- Students are appropriately dressed.
- Pre-made lanes for the sticks
- Appropriate outdoor rules and location.
- Lane size can be altered for ease or challenge
depending on class needs
- Can be competitive (Scored between teams or
players, players are awarded points for longest
distance)

Topic: Hoop and Pole/ Dart game. (25 Minutes)

Indigenous - Give a historically informed explanation on the
Hoop and Pole game,
Game - Explain the use of each material (Bean bag
is used instead of a the dart/ spear)
- The game was traditionally played by
children and elders.
- Was invented by the Cree people
- Traditionally this game was played with a
willow branch hoop and arrows or spears.
The object of the game was for one person
to roll the hoop along the ground with
players attempting to throw the
arrows/spears through the rolling hoop
- Resource: (http://wayback.archive-
it.org/2217/20101208162243/http://www.edukits.c
a/aboriginal/physical/elementary/glossary.htm)
- Set up:
- Mark a hoop roller location with pylon
- Mark a line for the dart throwers
- Set out 1 hoop and 4 bean bags at each
location

- Game:
- Split into groups of five
- One person rolls the hula hoop across the
floor so that it is a target.
- The dart throwers stand parallel to the
hoops path and try to throw their bean bag
through the center of it.
- Keep track of how many times you get it
through and try to improve each time
- Rotate through the order every 4 minutes
(teacher whistle)
 - Formative Assessment:
- Teacher will takes notes on which students
need extra instruction on their throwing
technique and give coaching when
necessary
- Teacher will keep record of these students
for future instruction and to track
improvement

Adaptation
- Distances and size of target can be altered for class
ease or challenge.
- Can be competitive (Scored between teams or
players. Players are awarded a point each time they
get their projectile through the hoop.)

Topic: Clean up Students will collect supplies and bring to a designated (5 Minutes)
area, and are sorted.
-Equipment will be put away by the teacher.

Conclusion Time

- Guided discussion (based on outcomes )

- Ask them about the importance of physical fitness in FNMI (5 minutes)
culture and what aspects of the culture created the game.
- Why did they play these games? What aspects of different
FNMI cultures influenced the creation of the sport?
- What aspects of physical fitness are emphasized in these Total:
games? Why were they important? 60 Minutes
- Why is Physical fitness important to us? Why was it important
in historical FNMI culture?
- Teacher will add some important information about the cultural
importance of the games as a refresher

Formative Assessment : Students will be assessed on their discussion,

- Do students demonstrate the learning outcomes desired?

- Teachers should take notes on who is participating in the conversation
and whether or not they have an understanding of the information that
was provided before the games. (On FNMI culture and the benefits of
 physical activity)
- Teachers should guide students through conversation but only provide
answers when necessary
- Teacher should encourage all students to participate (use student
calling if necessary)

Assessment
Rubric for Formative Assessment:
Excellent (4) Proficient (3) Adequate (2) Limited (1)

Students Students Students Students Students

demonstrate the demonstrate a demonstrate a demonstrate an demonstrate a
use of varied skillful use of credible use of acceptable use haphazard use
techniques for varied varied techniques of varied of varied
throwing a techniques for for throwing a techniques for techniques for
projectile, for throwing a projectile, for throwing a throwing a
accuracy and projectile, for accuracy and projectile, for projectile, for
strength accuracy and strength accuracy and accuracy and
strength strength strength

Students Students Students Students Students

demonstrate an demonstrate a demonstrate a demonstrate a demonstrate an
understanding of comprehensive substantial partial underdeveloped
the benefits of understanding understanding of understanding understanding
maintaining and of the benefits of the benefits of of the benefits of of the benefits of
developing maintaining and maintaining and maintaining and maintaining and
physical fitness developing developing developing developing
by providing a physical fitness physical fitness physical fitness physical fitness
list. by providing a by providing a by providing a by providing a
list. list. list. list.

Students are able Students are able Students are able Students are able Students are able
to provide support to provide thoughtful to provide to provide
for opinions compelling support for plausible unrelated
regarding the support for opinions support for support for
importance of opinions regarding the opinions opinions
physical fitness in regarding the importance of regarding the regarding the
historical FMNI importance of physical fitness in importance of importance of
culture and how physical fitness historical FMNI physical fitness physical fitness
cultural aspects in historical culture and how in historical in historical
have influenced FMNI culture cultural aspects FMNI culture FMNI culture
these sports and and how cultural have influenced and how cultural and how cultural
Games aspects have these sports and aspects have aspects have
influenced these Games influenced these influenced these
sports and sports and sports and
Games Games Games
Additional Notes: Teachers should be aware that there will be a lot of moving equipment in the
gym during this lesson and take appropriate cautionary measures.
Take note of the adaptations provided above if students are in need.

Reason for unauthorized resource:

● Staying Fit Let’s exercise by Alice B McGinty

This is an age appropriate resource that provides accessible knowledge to the students about their
physical health and how the body works. The book exposes students to diagrams that help them
understand the functions of the body.

Use of literature in lesson -

This is an age appropriate resource that provides accessible knowledge to the students about their
physical health and how the body works. This book shows many diagrams that will teach the
students to understand through images. This will help them gain another form of literacy, as well
as giving them practice in comprehension.
Lesson Plan Reflection

We have created a physical education class that incorporated FNMI culture in a

meaningful way. This lesson plan includes conversation about the history of FNMI culture in the
light of physical activity and games. The lesson is designed to focus on outcomes from the
program of studies specifically focused on health, fitness, and wellbeing, this allows for the
integration of FNMI learning without being meaninglessly thrown into a lesson. The games are
of indigenous Canadian origin and can be used to help students understand the importance of
physical fitness today and in the past, it also facilitates discussion into the origins of sports and
games and how they help to improve health and wellbeing. This integration is done to fulfill
teaching quality standards and competency number 5.

The lesson plan should allow for high levels of engagement from all students as they do a
couple different activities and can work competitively or just for fun. The two games presented
should peak the interest of most students, as it is likely to be less commonly known by them.
The games are split into a warm up and a main activity in order for the teacher to keep students
engaged and split up some instruction. Splitting the FNMI instruction into two different sections
allows the teacher to explain how there are different group, and cultures that are encompassed by
“FNMI” while also giving the students some breaks in between. It also allows students to have
enough time to engage with the games and practice some of their skills from general outcome A
in the physical education curriculum.

This lesson fulfills some learning outcomes from general outcome A: General Outcome
A: Students will acquire skills through a variety of developmentally appropriate movement
activities; dance, games, types of gymnastics, individual activities and activities in an alternative
environment; e.g. aquatics and outdoor pursuits. Both games present different techniques for
throwing/sending different objects, this allows students to fulfill specific outcomes A4–3 select,
perform and refine simple nonlocomotor sequences. The activities have three different sending
opportunities that allow students to alter their techniques and improve with each throw.

We have included the use of a book in our introduction that is about Physical health.
This applies to general learning outcome B in the physical education curriculum; General
Outcome B: Students will understand, experience and appreciate the health benefits that result
from physical activity. The book Staying healthy by A and B McGinty is directly related to this
outcome because it displays the necessary information in a meaningful way. The knowledge the
student acquires about their physical health will help them achieve specific outcomes; B4–2
demonstrate and describe ways to achieve a personal functional level of physical fitness through
participation in physical activity; and B4–6 describe positive benefits gained from physical
activity; e.g., physically, emotionally, socially. The use of these two specific outcomes will be
integrated throughout all physical education activities. The students’ retention of this knowledge
will also be formatively assessed through a group discussion.
 We have chosen to use only formative assessment during this lesson because we feel the
students will benefit from sharing knowledge with each other. The students will be more
engaged in this informal setting, it will be the least stressful way to gauge their knowledge on the
subjects. There is no need for summative assessment in this lesson because all the skills being
assessed will evolve over time. A deeper understanding of physical activity’s health benefits and
the importance of FNMI culture in canada are both things that will be built upon in other subject
areas, while general outcome A is something that will take time to develop.

References
Alberta Education (2000). Physical Education (Grade 4) [Program of Studies].

Heritage Community Foundation (2010). Aboriginal Youth Identity Series: Physical Education

Elementary Student Zone. Retrieved October 21, 2020 from http://wayback.archive-

it.org/2217/20101208162243/http://www.edukits.ca/aboriginal/physical/elementary/gloss

ary.htm

McGinty, A. B. (1997). Staying healthy (1st ed.). New York: PowerKids Press.

Yukon Aboriginal Sport Circle. (2012). Dene Games. Retrieved October 21, 2020 from

http://www.yasc.ca/DeneGames.aspx