PED3138C Lesson Plan

Maddie Zylstra and Mia Ference

Lesson Plan Title: Nibi’s Water Song

Date of Lesson: April 2, 2023
Grade and Subject: Grade 3 – Social Studies (Cross-Curricular Connection: Language)
Time/Length of Lesson: Approximately 75 minutes
*The lesson could be split over two days to allow more time for the development of this lesson

Big Ideas/Take-Home Message

- Indigenous communities continue to face injustices every day

- We have a responsibility to learn the truth and create action
- We can respond to the calls to action

Curricular Expectations

Social Studies Grade 3

B. People and Environments: Living and Working in Ontario

- B2.1: Formulate questions to guide investigations into some of the short- and/or long-term
effects on the environment of different types of land and/or resource use in two or more
municipal regions of Ontario and measures taken to reduce the negative impact of that use
- B2.6: Communicate the results of their inquiries, using appropriate vocabulary

Differentiation & Ethical Teaching Considerations

Differentiation
- Choice to write their letters individually or with a partner
- Choice to type or write their letters
- Students can include a drawing in their letter or as an alternative to writing
- Key vocabulary and spelling are on chart paper or the board for students to refer to

Ethical Teaching Considerations

- Sensitivity - mindful of the potential impact of discussing the water crisis; create a safe and
supportive learning environment where students feel comfortable asking questions and
engaging in dialogue

Assessment (Rubric/Checklist)

A checklist that includes the following criteria:

- Did the student engage in active listening during group discussions and read aloud?
- Did the student create a letter or drawing that demonstrates their understanding/feelings about
the topic?
- Did the student engage in meaningful reflection?
*We are interested in how the student engaged in their learning and reflection*

Lesson Resources/Materials

- Copy of Nibi’s Water Song by Sunshine Tenasco (alternatively if a physical copy is not
available, there are YouTube read aloud videos for this book)
- Chromebooks for students typing their letters; lined paper for students writing their letters
- Materials for drawing a picture

Prior Knowledge Activation

Have a Heart Day

- Understand Have a Heart Day and its significance
- Have a Heart Day is a youth-led reconciliation event that brings together caring Canadians to
help ensure First Nations children have the opportunity to grow up safely at home, get a good
education, be healthy, and be proud of who they are.
- https://fncaringsociety.com/events/have-heart-day

Spirit Bear’s Calls to Action

- Previously read “Spirit Bear and Children Make History” story and discussed what the calls to
action are
- https://fncaringsociety.com/sites/default/files/spirit_bear_and_children_make_history_2020.pdf

What Does it Mean to “Bear Witness”?

- Bearing witness means we are learning the truth about the injustices that indigenous
communities have faced and continue to face
- Bearing witness means we are standing alongside indigenous communities as we fight for
justice and reconciliation

Lesson

Introduction/Hook

Time Teacher Activities Learner Activities

5-7 min. Opening discussion: Engage and participate in the class

- Where do you get water from?
- When you're thirsty where do you go?
- How many ways do you use water in a
day?
- Do we need clean water to survive?
- Where do you get your drinking
water?
discussion
Share their thoughts and ideas with
their peers
*Teacher can give students time to
‘think, pair, share’ before sharing
their ideas in a whole class
discussion*
15 min. Read aloud: Nibi’s Water Song by Actively listening to the story and
Sunshine Tenasco thinking about questions/feelings they
may have
Introduce the story and read to book,
including the author’s note at the end of
the story.

Author’s note:
“Let’s Talk about Clean Water”

This passage gives the students a better

understanding about the inequalities that
some Indigenous Communities are facing
in Canada. The end talks about how there
needs to be change and you could be the
solution. This is a great transition for the
rest of the lesson.

Development

Time Teacher Activities Learner Activities

10 min. Class discussion: Participate and engage in the class

discussion
After reading the story, ask students the
following discussion questions and have Share their thoughts and ideas if they
them share their ideas are comfortable doing so

- Have you heard about the water crisis

before?
- Why do you think Nibi needed to go to
the rule-makers to make change in her
community?
- How can Nibi inspire you to help
create change in your community?
- What is something that we can do to
help make clean water more accessible
for Indigenous Communities?

7-10 min. Prior knowledge: Goals for discussion:

- Refer back to what they know about - We want students to recognize

Have a Heart Day that these calls to action are not
- Refer to Spirit Bear’s story and their being met
understanding of the calls to action - Students reflect on how we can
take action and respond to these
 Two calls to action: calls to action
- Students understand that they
- 18: We call on Canada to admit that have the ability to initiate change
the health problems of Aboriginal
people are because Canada has not
fixed the unfairness. Canada needs to
fix the unfairness and respect health-
care rights for Aboriginal people.

- 20: We call on Canada to respect the

health needs of all Aboriginal people,
no matter where they live in Canada.

Read these calls to action to the students

and ask:
- Based on what we just learnt, do you
think these actions are being met?
- What are your ideas for ways we can
initiate change?

*Looking for students to make the

connection between the ideas from the
story and the calls to action; these two
calls to action are not being met*

3-5 min. Introduce the activity:
- Students are going to write a letter
(individually or with a partner) to the
Prime Minister sharing their thoughts
and concerns about the water crisis
- Provide an example and prompts for
their letters
Share an example of what the letter
can look and sound like:
https://fncaringsociety.com/sites/defa
ult/files/2023-
01/38368%20have_a_heart_letter%2
0v4fE.pdf

Letter Prompts:
- What questions would you like to ask
the Prime Minister about this issue?
- How does this injustice make you
feel?
- “I am a grade 3 student who is
learning about Spirit Bear’s Calls to
Action. We have read Nibi’s Water
Song and are learning about the water
crisis. I feel…”
 Explain what you are looking for in the
letters:
- Demonstrating their understanding and
feelings about the topic
- Being meaningful and intentional with
their letter

20-25 min. Give students time to work on their letters Students actively work on their
and drawings letters/drawings, brainstorm ideas
and engage in meaningful reflection
*Encourage discussion and sharing ideas
with people at their seating groups or
elbow partners*

Closure

Time Teacher Activities Learner Activities

7-10 min. Consolidating the lesson: Actively participate/listen during

the discussion
*Making space for student’s feelings is
very important* Be respectful of other student’s
feelings and ideas they share
- Discuss how they felt writing letter
and drawing pictures
- What is something new you learned
today?

Reminder: we are bearing witness and

helping to spread awareness about these
injustices that Indigenous communities
face – that is the purpose of these letters
and pictures