Page 172 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 to 12 | First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies

Grade 11, Workplace Preparation
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9–12 | First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies
Sample question: “In some European historical accounts of encounters between First Nations peoples and European settlers, First Nations individuals are depicted as naïve and unsophisticated, and in other accounts as wise and spiritual. How do you explain
this contradiction?”
Positioning
A2.3 make inferences about attitudes towards First Nations, Métis, and Inuit content in various contemporary and historical text forms, providing evidence to support their opinions (e.g., the volume of print and broadcast news coverage of the environmental degradation of traditional territories compared to the attention given to other environmental problems)
Sample questions: “How might the daily inclusion of First Nations, Métis, or Inuit news items in a prominent regional news program affect the audience’s perceptions of the importance of the Indigenous community within the region? What factors should the news programmer take into consideration when selecting which stories to broadcast?”
Accessibility
A2.4 describe some contemporary and historical factors affecting public access to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit text forms, including cultural text forms (e.g., the availability of training on how First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultural text forms can be respectfully and appropriately used in the workplace; the level of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit participation in the workforce; the development of digital content-sharing platforms)
Sample question: “How do Métis communities in Ontario use digital content-sharing platforms to share cultural text forms containing traditional knowledge?”
Asymmetries
A2.5 identify some issues related to attempts to
apply Western cultural criteria to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit text forms, including cultural text forms (e.g., the undervaluation of the use of personal experience as a source of knowledge in First Nations, Métis, and Inuit oral texts)
Sample questions: “Why do Indigenous knowledge holders often draw on personal experience as a source of authority when delivering oral texts? Why do you think Western audiences might misunderstand or undervalue the significance of that authority?”
A3. Reconstructing
Throughout this course, students will:
Acknowledging
A3.1 demonstrate an understanding of some challenges First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals and communities face and have faced in controlling their own narratives and resisting colonialist views, as revealed in text forms studied in this course (e.g., identify stereo- types of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals used in animated cartoons aimed at children)
Sample question: “How does this particular stereotype in mainstream popular culture undermine authentic Inuit experience?”
Naming
A3.2 identify appropriate ways to refer to Indigenous peoples in several different contexts (e.g., in community and workplace settings, in
oral stories from or about different cultures), and locate examples of inappropriate terminology in contemporary and historical text forms from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous sources
Sample questions: “What term should you use to describe the local First Nation community in your report on local economies?” “Why do you think the Aamjiwnaang First Nation changed its name from Sarnia Reserve? What does the new name convey?” “Why do you think the author of this text used a general term instead of identifying a specific First Nation? What is problematic about this form of naming?”
Diversity
A3.3 identify a few ways in which the diversity of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit lives, knowledge, cultures, and world views is represented or under-represented in contemporary and historical text forms (e.g., locate an example of several distinct First Nations being depicted as a homogeneous group in a history textbook; identify the origins
of diverse geographical place names in Canada to determine whether First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures are fully represented)
Sample questions: “How does the textbook identify these First Nations? What is problematic about this representation?”
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